[Rage_of_Inferno]

I thought I would make the title of this thread interesting to draw attention to it . That being said I have some automotive questions to ask I know this might not be the best forum to go to but I'm sure there is someone who might be able to help. I bought a 1999 Chevy Lumina (200,000 miles) recently and everything seemed ok it needed some new tires and an oil change but it was running great. I probably shouldn't have done this but I brought it to a shop even though I can change oil myself. The day after I changed it I was leaking coolant from the lower left side (if you were facing the hood). I did some research and I'm sure it's not the water pump or hoses and must certainly be the intake manifold gasket. The is a common problem with the 3.1 v6 engine from what I understand. My question is do you think it is possible that the mechanic sabotaged the seal in some way to try and get me to come back? Is that possible?
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My first thought was that he seemed pretty honest and gave me a decent price on the oil change. A person at the local auto parts store referred me there and some nice things to say about them. I really want to do this myself I already spent $650 on the car and another $105 for front tires and an oil change. Does anyone have a link to a video that can help me do this myself? I found a few but they don't teach you anything they just tell you what they did and I don't comprehend all of the terminology. I have alot of time to do this so it won't be a problem for me. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Oh I forgot to mention I was going to take it in to be tested with dye to make sure where it's leaking. Should I have that done or can I be confident that this is the problem since it isn't the water pump?
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I should probably mention they want to charge me $40 to inspect the leak which is why I ask. I don't want to waste money on something if I'm pretty sure what the problem is. The leak couldn't come from something other than what I already talked about right?

[Cheesethief]

The car has over 200k miles and is 12 years old. The chance that the seal went on its own is higher than the chance the mechanic sabotaged it.

[Rage_of_Inferno]

I get so paronoid sometimes especially considering that when I had the tires balanced and installed that same day I had $15 in the ashtray and when I got home I had 6. I realise that is most likely the case (like I said he seemed pretty honest to me) and it just happened to be a coincidence but I would still like to know if it's possible to do something like that. The same guy quoted $650 to do the repair but I still would like to do it myself since I don't want to stick any more money into an older car.

[FunkyGanja]

I would suggest giving all second hand cars (especially ones that have done mileage such as yours) a FULL service. By doing this, you will find potential problems that could arise in the future like failing water pumps, drips/leaks, cracked manifolds and even find out some prior history to the car. Like if it has been modified, had aftermarket parts fitted, etc.

As for your leak, i'm not sure the mechanic would have sabotaged your vehicle. I worked as a mechanic for a bit and, down in Australia, it's an honest business. Cars are bound to break down so where just here to help when that situation comes around.

Sorry i don't actually have an answer to your problem!

oh and btw, you might have to invest a bit of money into a car such as yours if you don't have the skills to do some of the stuff yourself.

Check out these guys if you want to do some modifications yourself. They are Aussie so they only do Right Hand drive cars: MightyCarMods @ youtube.

[Rage_of_Inferno]

Originally Posted by FunkyGanja I would suggest giving all second hand cars (especially ones that have done mileage such as yours) a FULL service. By doing this, you will find potential problems that could arise in the future like failing water pumps, drips/leaks, cracked manifolds and even find out some prior history to the car. Like if it has been modified, had aftermarket parts fitted, etc. As for your leak, i'm not sure the mechanic would have sabotaged your vehicle. I worked as a mechanic for a bit and, down in Australia, it's an honest business. Cars are bound to break down so where just here to help when that situation comes around. Sorry i don't actually have an answer to your problem!

A "Full Service"? Like taking it to the mechanic? That's what I'm trying to avoid since it's an older car. If I can make it through the winter and sell it next year with no leaks I'll be happy. There are many repair guides out there but I'm looking for something with pictures or video.

[mack19318]

40 bucks for them to tell you where its leaking from isn't bad and would be the best way to go. Coolant leaking can come from lots of areas and instead of spending money to fix something that might not be the problem spend the 40 ask them a few questions when your done, find your parts on ebay or autozone and then search how to fix it your self. Also haynes or chilton books for your car are about 25 bucks and well worth the investment and can be picked up from local parts stores.

[Rage_of_Inferno]

Originally Posted by mack19318 40 bucks for them to tell you where its leaking from isn't bad and would be the best way to go. Coolant leaking can come from lots of areas and instead of spending money to fix something that might not be the problem spend the 40 ask them a few questions when your done, find your parts on ebay or autozone and then search how to fix it your self. Also haynes or chilton books for your car are about 25 bucks and well worth the investment and can be picked up for local parts stores.

So are you saying there are more places it could leak besides the radiator or water pump? It's completely dry under both and all the hoses I looked at were dry as well. I haven't lifted it up to look underneath but all the dripping seems to come near all the pulleys at the bottom of the engine. The water pump is all the way on top and I don't see anything to indicate it is leaking. I 'm going to check the radiator tomorrow to see if there is any oil in it. I'll let you guys know what I find.

[mack19318]

I have a dodge ram that was leaking coolant and it would puddle underneath the drivers side firewall, replaced a few things before found it it was water pump. Water pump is in front right of engine. Not even close to where the coolant was ending up, So I spent a lot of time and effort replacing parts when if I could have paid someone else 40 bucks to tell me where my coolant was leaking from I would have saved about 6 hrs and 130 bucks in wasted time and money.

[Rage_of_Inferno]

Originally Posted by mack19318 I have a dodge ram that was leaking coolant and it would puddle underneath the drivers side firewall, replaced a few things before found it it was water pump. Water pump is in front right of engine. Not even close to where the coolant was ending up, So I spent a lot of time and effort replacing parts when if I could have paid someone else 40 bucks to tell me where my coolant was leaking from I would have saved about 6 hrs and 130 bucks in wasted time and money.

Mine puddles on the front right side, that's also where the water pump is located except it's farther back towards the bottom. I'll drive it around some more and see if I can find oil in the radiator. If I can't locate the leak that's probably what I'll end up doing. I really hope it's just a water pump though because it's a really simple fix. Thanks for your reply.
**EDIT** Actually now that I think about it a water pump will cost me around 50 bucks. I'll try replacing that first and hope for the best.

[jhax78]

Originally Posted by mack19318 I have a dodge ram that was leaking coolant and it would puddle underneath the drivers side firewall, replaced a few things before found it it was water pump. Water pump is in front right of engine. Not even close to where the coolant was ending up, So I spent a lot of time and effort replacing parts when if I could have paid someone else 40 bucks to tell me where my coolant was leaking from I would have saved about 6 hrs and 130 bucks in wasted time and money.

have to agree with you it can leak somewhere and end up dripping on another spot

btw with the mileage i wouldn't be surprised if its the water-pump