Antifreeze leak, help!?

Question

I drove from work to home, a journey of less than eight miles after putting 3/4 of a gallon of coolant into the resivoir of my Saturn L300 2002 model. When I got home, the engine was smoking and ALL OF THE COOLANT WAS GONE! Obviously quite a leak, but I am curious: if the leak is right near the resivoir and can be accessed, how much would that cost versus the leak being under the engine and needing to have the engine taken out to fix the problem?

Oh and yes, I have witnessed the leak underneath the car. It is almost dead center, and my engine is located slightly to the left.

Answer 1

It shouldn't have to be taken out for repair. A visit to a good Saturn dealer is in order. If it is just a hose or frost plug, it should be a minor repair. If it is something more, chances are it should be repaired under their policies.

Answer 2

The engine does not need to be taken out so much as all the hoses and hose connections need looking at. Seems to me you might be missing one? or it is completely disconnected.....I am not talking of the overflow container(reservoir). Take off the rad cap and see if there is any coolant there(should be full right to the top). If not, that is where you fill (on a cold motor) right to the tip top.
The reservoir has two levels marked off one for cold the other for hot. You fill to the cold level. The "hot" is when you look under the hood just after the drive and you are wondering if there is enough coolant in the rad. Too dangerous to take off rad cap. The "hot mark" is the level the fluid should be at - that is how much get displaced as it is heated....so if it is up to the line, everything is OK. You don't add extra just to get it to the hot line, You worry about the addition when the engine is cold and is there fluid there at the cold level?

How it works is on the principle of expansion of a heated liquid.
Example: Lets say your engine completely full and radiatior full - the combination holds 2 gallons of coolant cold.
When the engine is running the engine heats up and the coolant keeps it from going red hot....so the coolant heats up too. Well now for hot coolant the 2 gallons(cold) would now fit into 2 1/2 gallon containers. Where is the rest suppose to go? It use to go on the ground.>>You would always be low every morning<<

// So the car designers made a reservoir to catch the excess. On the cap of the reservoir is a rubber straw that goes down to the bottom of the reservoir to suck it back into the radiator as the coolant cooled and shrunk when the engine was off for extended periods.(overnight)
So the radiator always was full because there was extra in the reservoir so air wasn't sucked in instead of coolant.

That is how it works.

All you need(most likely is a screwdriver and a willingness to get your hands dirty and a sharp eye and look under the hood and tighten all the connections that hold a rubber hose.(10 at least)Big hose/heater hose
If the rubber hose is cracked when you move it or squeeze it, it could be your problem for leakage. They are rubber - they should be flexible somewhat.
Why are they rubber? Because the motor vibrates and the radiator(which is mounted to the car) does not.

Put coolant in again and take for a short run or just let it idle in the driveway for 15+ minutes and see if you can spot any puddles forming underneath and where they are coming from.
Fix it with a new hose and clamp. Tire patch kits will not hold back the pressure, neither will hose clamps.

Answer 3

Depends on what is leaking. Possibilities:

1) Hose. Replacing a hose is simple and cheap.
2) Radiator. If the radiator is leaking, it's quite likely that it will need to be replaced or recored. Modern aluminum radiators can't be soldered, as the old copper ones could. This is a moderately expensive job.
3) Water pump. It's possible that the water pump seal is leaking. Replacing the pump is a moderately expensive job.
4) Headgasket. If the headgasket is leaking, coolant will appear in the exhuast as white smoke. If this is the problem, it's going to be a very expensive repair, as they will need to disassemble the motor, and fix any damage in addition to replacing the leaking gasket.

Answer 4

given the question as asked, it is hard to answer. you might refill it with half water and half antifreeze, then start your car and let it run until you see a leak forming, could be under the cas engine area. leave the car stationary until this happens. the point of the leakage should be directly above the puddle. in most cases. the cost of repairing the leak, if there is one would depend on what it is. hard to put a figure. however, it would not normally require the engine to be pulled to repair a water leak. hope it helps. oh, if the engine was smoking, you just MAY have another problem also.

Answer 5

Assuming the engine didn't overheat, the worst case scenario is that the radiator will have to be replaced, a few hundred dollar repair.

Best case scenario is a hose, if it's really easy to access maybe as little as $70 with new fluid and all.

Answer 6

You might be looking at a lot of money. I have a feeling that your head gasket is getting rady to blow. but then again I might be wrong. Take it to a mechanic and have it checked out.

Answer 7

YOU SAY "OBVIOUSLY QUITE A LEAK", BUT YOU HAVEN'T ACTUALLY SAID THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THE LEAK. AND IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE SINCE YOU HAVE GIVEN TWO POSSIBLE LOCATIONS FOR THE "LEAK".
HAVE YOU WITNESSED THE LEAK OR IS IT OVERHEATING FOR ANOTHER REASON.

ADVISE PLEASE......