Coolant & Clunk questions

[RedDog]

First non-introduction post- figures it's in regard to fixing my car...

I have two problems I haven't yet figured out. Just for reference, things I've done already since buying the car a month or so ago-

• New ball joints
  New outer tie rod ends
  New wheel bearing
  New strut bearing
  New sway bar links (both were broke, boy did that make a difference)
  New tires (had 4 different tires on it, 2 new tires, one goodyear one continental, and two mismatched wore-out tires)
  New lights in radio

Did an oil change (synthetic), haven't got to plugs and wires, tranny oil and filter, or air filter yet.
Things to do:

• Front tranny mount
  3 windows to fix
  Steering Wheel Position sensor
  Fix the steering 'clunk'

She's got 100k on her, and she ain't named yet. That'l come in time...

Now the problems.

I have a coolant leak. I know it's most likely my intake manifold- I've already replaced gaskets on two non-supercharged bonnie's, my first one had hydro-locked. But here's my question- I have no obvious coolant leaks outside the engine- I also don't notice any discoloration of my oil, and I don't notice any vapor in my exhaust. Am I crazy, or should I be noticing something, somewhere? It goes from full reservoir to empty in about 3 months, according to the last owner. I don't have a lot of time to tear down the whole top of this engine right now if it's not a problem- if it's not leaking, I'd rather wait til fall or so to replace those gaskets. How do I tell? And, anything special I need to be aware of in this engine as opposed to my L36's for changing the gaskets?

2nd question-
When I accelerate from a dead stop (not spirited, just normal driving), I get a 'clunk' or 'crack' noise coming from somewhere in the front end. Is that related to my bad tranny mount? Or is there something else I can look for?

tl;dr version:
Coolant leak- how do I know it's gaskets?

'clunk' on acceleration, is it my tranny mount?

Thanks folks!

[Trinity]

Yo Dog!

If there are no signs of leaks and the oil is clear you are burning it... (period)=(Gaskets)

Clunk: Yes most likely bad MM, but probably the front one. (right in front of radiator, but could be any of them) There are other things that can cause a clunk, but you have had the front end apart, so you are probably good on those.

If I missed anything, the guys who know more than I will chime in and help too.

[nos4blood70]

Sounds like the LIM gaskets to me. I wouldn't wait with that. Also, check your coolant elbows.

For the clunk, is the gear change from neutral to drive or neutral to reverse rough? If so, that's a good indication of a bad front motor mount.

[RedDog]

Neutral to drive is a heavy engage, hence my plan to change the mount. Good to know it should fix my other clunk too. I'm the IT guy for a shop that manufactures urethane parts, so I'll probably make up my own using some of that wonderful plasticky compound.

[nos4blood70]

That's a good idea. Even the replacement mounts like to fail in short order.