Coolant elbow leak?

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

So my Buick is very, very slowly losing coolant. LIM gaskets and UIM were done by the SEBF crew last October. The area behind the coolant elbow into the LIM is wet with what looks like coolant. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow afternoon. Is that more likely the coolant elbow, or the water pump weep hole? It's recently dropped half an inch of coolant with wetness in that area.

[myfirstbonnie]

The water pump weep hole is on the bottom and would leak under the car. If it is by the elbow, then it is probably the elbow.

[00Beast]

If it were the WP it would be all over the balancer, subframe, etc.

[Jrs3800]

Funny... I just had to fix that issue on the 03 before I went to WV... I had an Elbow leaking... Now its dry as a bone.. The van has had no issues at all with that Elbow..

[stevew9983]

Most likely the elbow, I sell alot of them at Advance Auto Parts. I have already done mine as well in the 2 and a half months I have owned my 00 SSEI.

[myfirstbonnie]

One thing that helps is to put a thin layer of sealant around the end of the elbow before the o ring. This sealant will do 2 things. It will act as a pre-lube as the oring is slid in across the dry aluminum manifold. Then it will act as a sealant once it is in place. Make sure both bores are clean and free of any debris.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

All right. I'll replace the elbow this weekend when I have time to fix it. Good time to put in a new T-stat and coolant hose heater since the radiator needs draining to get the elbow out.

[enslow]

BTW, I have found that a radiator pressure tester kit is invaluable in these situations. Often a small developing leak may evaporate before you can see its source, or evaporate at the point of the leak but pool below it making it harder to find the source. Remember though, use it on a cold engine. As the water cools in a warm engine, it will contract making you think there's a leak when there is none.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

There's no pooling there now as the engine's warm and it's a warm day out. I'll check this evening once it's cooled down.