antifreeze leak by oil filter???

[mickelke]

ok so my car (97gst) is leaking antifreeze after squeezing under the car i found from where which is a plug that requires an alen wrench and it is right behind the oil filter? could someone tell me what this is because i cant seem to find it anywhere... im pretty sure its just a gasket that ill need to change on the plug but what is the plug too trying to expand my knowledge incase i or a friend runs into the problem again

 

[miguelmcv]

There was a thread with the exact same problem, It was a couple of months ago.

It end up being the water pump O ring, which it is located right on top of your filter housing, check that spot and you will see the leak from under the water pipe.

Edit.

Forgot to suggest.

Check if you have coolant in the oil, if you don't have coolant then it should be just the O ring.
If for any chance you don't have a leak and it is coming from the oil filter housing, I would suggest to change it, It might be crack and will allow coolant to pas to the oil.

 

[synthetek]

i found from where which is a plug that requires an alen wrench and it is right behind the oil filter?:

Those plugs are oil not water. There are two coolant lines lines that go to the oil filter housing, check those for leaks. Its also possible to crush the oil cooler by overnighting the oil filter and that would cause coolant to mix with the oil. You can also check above the oil filter housing to see if its dripping from above from the water pump.

 

[mickelke]

Well there is not a drop of oil just coolant it's not attached to the oil filter its separate and behind it

 

[Ravenous]

There was a thread with the exact same problem, It was a couple of months ago.

It end up being the water pump O ring, which it is located right on top of your filter housing, check that spot and you will see the leak from under the water pipe.

The o-ring is a common coolant leak location and a cheap fix. A lot of times the place you think is leaking is not where the actual leak is. I have my car up for some heavy cleanup/modifications and I noticed a big puddle right underneath the steering rack. I looked and looked and couldn't find anything on the rack. I checked to make sure the oil pan/pump wasn't leaking and it wasn't. I checked the puddle and it was oil like but way to clean to be my oil. I thought it had to be power steering fluid and the reservoir was empty so I looked over the hoses and they were all good and triple checked the rack and it was good. I started to clean it all up and I noticed a little amber drop on the bottom of the Alternator so I checked the hose connections at the pump again and they were solid and dry. Then I touched the pulley and it was wet with fluid. The front seal had leaked, dripped onto the Alt, which dripped on the inside of the subframe rail and ran back to the steering rack where it all finally dripped off.

Not saying that it is a 100% the O-ring but 80% likely that it is.

 

[synthetek]

Well there is not a drop of oil just coolant it's not attached to the oil filter its separate and behind it

Behind it on the block? Or where the filter screws on?

 

[mickelke]

on the block i believe it was a real tight squeeze so it was hard to see very well but im bout 90% sure its on the block

 

[panda_gsx]

can you get a picture of it to give us a better understanding

 

[gieri002]

Are you sure its not dripping from the water pump itself? There is a hole on the bottom of the water pump that water leaks out of when it goes bad. Maybe its dripping from there onto your oil filter housing?

 

[mickelke]

gieri002 you are correct it was the water pump going to order a new one and do it when i replace the timing belt and do the balance shaft eliminator kit so ik everyone says go oem but how bout the gates brand water pump i mean they make good belts so wouldnt it be alright??? it would save me quite a bit of cash

 

[gieri002]

Sorry to hear the bad news, but I'm glad I could help. The gates water pump is very good quality, I've been using one for the past 60k. I'd recommend it, as well as many others on this forum.

 

[silent1jt]

i believe i have a similar problem... i have a coolant leak coming from the bolt that looks like allen wrench (top right hand corner of picture) and from the metal line below where the oil filter screws into. would this be just an O-ring or water pump? anyway to confirm?

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[MylesB]

Silent1jt, from my experience when a water pump is bad and leaking it will generally be worse after the car is shut down.... Maybe move the car, run it for a while, check for leaks while running, shut it down and see if it gets worse.

 

[silent1jt]

ok thanks Myles, im going to spray some degreaser in there to try and take off all the excess oil and gunk around that area to get a better look at the leak. right now it is leaking just a few drops here and there but definitely going to look at it.