what would cause an engine to leak coolant on the ground

Asked by mac6712 May 02, 2008 at 08:59 PM about the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

the coolant was dripping from the firewall side of the engine, I put coolant back in the tank but it just ran out onto the ground,almost like the hose was leaking

15 Answers

555

if a hose is leaking...get a new hose, or get some hose sealant and fix that one

1 people found this helpful.
105

I agree with - and would have loved to pen the original response - Bubba. "Gravity - not just a good idea, it's the law" - Fig Newton (Sir Isaac's second, and little known, cousin)

3 people found this helpful.
84,415

Could be a freeze plug also. Or a leak at the rear of the intake manifold or head gasket.

3 people found this helpful.
4,930

good call bubba...gravity can cause a whole heap of problems in the modern automobile...

2 people found this helpful.
16,865

Is the radiator low at all or is it just the overflow tank? Either way... Check the overflow tank for cracks... Check it's hoses. If the leak isn't apparent... well then.... Step one:take car to mechanic Step two: ask to have coolant system pressure tested for leaks Step three: Fix the leak

4 people found this helpful.
895

From the firewall meaning on the back side of the engine compartment, where there are 2 lines coming from? This is where the heater core is located, those fittings/hoses leak ALOT. If its actually on the firewall side of the motor, theres a good chance the Intake Manifold Gasket is leaking. This is extremely common on the V6 GM made engines, 3.1, 3.4, 3.8. The malibu is usually equip. with the 3.1 V6. Right now there is a class action lawsuit against General Motor Company, having to do with the massive amount of customer forking out thousands of dollars to have this issue fixed. Other wise, there are tons of coolant lines on the motor to cool everything off; one leak and you could see it leaking on the ground.

17 people found this helpful.
19,575

check your heater core hoses and intake manifold gasket and waterpump edges. lol @ gravity responses!

2 people found this helpful.
5,135

this car has been scrapped & recycled into a refrigerator by now ! check the date .....

2 people found this helpful.
10

I had a little pen hole in reservoir jug caused all kinds of problems

1 people found this helpful.
50

I love all the non mechanics going to the most costly things to check first because they've heard different runs thru the areas first thing to check u.s anyways hoses then water pump and radiator and if none of those are the cause u get a pressure tester and pressurize the system to see the leak in real time lol

5 people found this helpful.

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