Catera coolant leak

[graphicsman]

I thought the 98's ran DEXCOOL or compatible... Why is your fluid green?

[whereditgo]

It's actually my dads car, this is the first time I have worked on it.

Do I need to flush/replace the anit-freeze????

Thanks

[graphicsman]

DEXCOOL is the orange stuff. I was surprised to see green antifreeze in your pictures, but maybe only the 99+ engines are dexcool. Anyone know if the older engines, or current for that matter, are happy with the green stuff? Supposedly

I know prestone sells an antifreeze that is supposed to work with either color fluid, but I thought that was yellow in color. Maybe there is a green one as well.

Interesting articles http://www.imcool.com/articles/antif...l-macs2001.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/cooli.../aa052601c.htm

They mention corrosion issues that suggest a full coolant flush if you see oxide buildup on components.

[graphicsman]

Interesting response from Chad in the other Catera forums:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...s/message/4732

So, maybe running green is okay if you are sure the coolant was flushed completely.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Over in the Uk many of us have now converted across to the long life red stuff......including units as old as 95.......nothing realy changed on the cooling setup throguhout the manufacturing life of this power plant and hence the red is fine. (it was factory fit in the UK as of 2001)

Just make sure its a 50:50 mix and changed every 2 years!

[whereditgo]

Well, it appears the leak is still present after the thermostat has been replaced . I would like to investigate option 5) Coolant pipe to rear of block seal.

What is the best way to gain access to this part of the engine (any tips/hints)?

Thanks in advance

[Marks DTM Calib]

Pop the plenum off and remove the inlet system so you can see the valley. At the the rear of the valley you will see a large stainless steel pipe that travels around the 1-3-5 cylidner head to the rear where it attaches with two torx headed bolts (T12 I think), access to them is easier if you remove the heater bypass valve and associated pipes (two faston connectors to the bulk head, one clamp to the coolant bridge and one to the stainless coolant pipe plus a single vaccum connection).

There is an additional fixing screw on the 1-3-5 head into the lifting bracket and then two coolant pipes to remove, one to the header tank and the main return pipe from the rad. It should now move enough to get to the O-ring and allow it to be replaced. Do clean the block surface with some fine carboundrum paper (emery) before re-fitting.

Whilst its stripped inspect the vallet for signs of leaks paying attention to the stat to block seal, oil cooler plate and coolant bridge seals.

[whereditgo]

I appreciate the clear/detailed instructions. I will do this shortly (today/tommorrow), as I plan to replace the oil cooler in the process.

Thanks

[Marks DTM Calib]

If doing the cooler......disconnect the oil pipes at the block end first....dont bend them as it can result in oil leaks and they are a swine to refit once bent!

Also make sure the block etc is fully clean before applying the grey sealent, I also us this sealent on the thermostat to block interface to.

[whereditgo]

I was a little late in reading your post ...

Oil cooler replaced, looks like my coolant leak is solved. Will need to drive for a while. I did not seal the thermostat with the RTV, gasket should hold for the remaining expected life.

I did bend the oil line slightly near the front of the block a bit to get the oil cover off. During installation, I started block/oil line nuts then tightened cooler/oil line nuts, then went back and tightened block/oil line nuts.

I did notice smoke on the drivers side exhaust manifold (burning oil). I have my fingers crossed as there was some spillage when topping off the oil, time will tell. Your warning on the bend has me a bit concerned. (Is the leak resulting from bending due to a kinked/cracked line, or poor seal at the block/oil line nut???)

I replaced the Heater Control Valve even though it was not leaking (precaution).

Flushed radiator, and purged until water ran clear, replaced standard green anti-freeze with DEX-COOL.

Added a container Techron Fuel Injector cleaner and a filled-up of High Test...

Also checked the records and the timing belt tensioner recall was taken care of in 2002 at ~40K.

Anything else that will need attention on a 98 CAT with ~75K miles, or should I start a new thread...

Thanks Again ...