97 intrepied coolant leak

[IckyBob]

Good day all,

Just looking for some suggestions on where to start looking here. I have a 97 Intrepid with 140,000km. Recently I have started going through some coolant. Not horrible amounts, maybe a litre every 2 weeks(ish) depending on how much driving we do.

No puddles anywhere.
I've checked the other fluids, and it's not going there. Heater is still putting out lots of heat.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[kmatheson]

Good day all,

Just looking for some suggestions on where to start looking here. I have a 97 Intrepid with 140,000km. Recently I have started going through some coolant. Not horrible amounts, maybe a litre every 2 weeks(ish) depending on how much driving we do.

No puddles anywhere.
I've checked the other fluids, and it's not going there. Heater is still putting out lots of heat.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

What engine does your Intrepid have?

When you say that you have checked the other fluids, I assume that the engine oil looks okay, with no signs of coolant contamination.

-KM

 

[Mike (archive)]

Good day all,

Just looking for some suggestions on where to start looking here. I have a 97 Intrepid with 140,000km. Recently I have started going through some coolant. Not horrible amounts, maybe a litre every 2 weeks(ish) depending on how much driving we do.

No puddles anywhere.
I've checked the other fluids, and it's not going there. Heater is still putting out lots of heat.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Look at the bottom of the water pump and engine for traces of dried coolant. You can have a small leak that won't leave a spot on the ground but will still leave a bit of color from the coolant.

 

[IckyBob]

What engine does your Intrepid have?

When you say that you have checked the other fluids, I assume that the engine oil looks okay, with no signs of coolant contamination.

-KM

It has teh 3.3L engine.

 

[Steve (archive)]

Good day all,

Just looking for some suggestions on where to start looking here. I have a 97 Intrepid with 140,000km. Recently I have started going through some coolant. Not horrible amounts, maybe a litre every 2 weeks(ish) depending on how much driving we do.

No puddles anywhere.
I've checked the other fluids, and it's not going there. Heater is still putting out lots of heat.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

That's a fairly good amount of coolant loss, IMO. I agree with the other poster who suggested looking at the underside to try to find coolant residue. Regardless of whether you have the 3.3 or 3.5, head gasket problems are VERY unilikely (almost nonexistent with the 3.3 in fact), so focus on the water pump area and all the hose connections. The other possibilities are the heater core, and believe it or not a bad radiator pressure cap. The bad cap allows vapor to steadily escape as the coolant slowly boils away in the engine, and it doesn't usually leave a trace.