Coolant Leak, Alternator Died... NEED HELP!

[UWVX89]

My alternator died, what is a reasonable quote to get this repaired?

Also my coolant system is leaking with no sign of where it is coming from. Has anyone else had these issues? I have no leak when cold and sitting still but when the motor is running the leak begins and when hot the leak increases. Once the motor cools the leak subsides.....

I'm confused on what it is and I don't want to send it in to find out what is wrong because I don't have a lot of spare cash after getting this alternator replaced.

[VXorado]

You can get an aftermarket alternator for around $100 & I would bet labor would be another $100-$200. It's a very simply job, bolt on/bolt off.

The coolant leak... I would check the water pump area. It's inside the timing belt cover and designed with a weep hole that starts slowly dripping coolant when the water pump needs replacement. Typically the water pump is replaced with a new timing belt.

[circmand]

My alternator died, what is a reasonable quote to get this repaired?

Also my coolant system is leaking with no sign of where it is coming from. Has anyone else had these issues? I have no leak when cold and sitting still but when the motor is running the leak begins and when hot the leak increases. Once the motor cools the leak subsides.....

I'm confused on what it is and I don't want to send it in to find out what is wrong because I don't have a lot of spare cash after getting this alternator replaced.

Usually this is a sign you need to replace the serpentine belt, alternator, and the water pump. It is a not unexpected repair mentioned on the site and can run up to the high hundreds. The reason to replace everything at the same time is they all have the same wear and tear and they all are very accesible during the repair, If you donot replace everything now you are likely to replace the other parts in a few months and the repair will still be the same.

[Triathlete]

Circ...I think you were refering to the "timing belt" not the "serpentine belt".

[UWVX89]

Yeah I had the timing belt done a few months ago and the serp belt.... But I am going to do the water pump and alternator and spend about 150 on parts, Hopefully I can find some decent local to give me good Labor prices.

Hope that fixes the Problems and gets the VX rollin' again!

[Gussie2000]

I doubt the issue is water pump and/or timing belt.

Again,he says the coolant is going "somewhere" so my bet is head gaskets.

Do you have to refill the coolant ?

[Ldub]

I doubt the issue is water pump and/or timing belt.

Again,he says the coolant is going "somewhere" so my bet is head gaskets.

Do you have to refill the coolant ?

As an alternative...

Have your :_wrench: take a peek under the intake manifold with a flashlight, while the cooling system is under pressure...:_wrench:

There are more than a few leaky possibilities under there.

[atilla_the_fun]

The waterpump weep hole actually has the OPPOSITE symptoms: it leaks when the motor is off, never when it is on. It would "leak" through the weep hole, and it indicates that the bearing seal has been broken, and that the pump may seize soon. It would leave a stain all over the bottom of the engine (the grey reservoir in front of the oil pan)

I've had plenty a coolant leak! First the waterpump (through the weephole) at close to 100K, then the throttle-body heater hose (under the large dia. rad hose), now most recently is a broken clamp on the lower rad hose (replaced with the silicon rad hoses and new clamps!).

If you have a leak outside, I doubt that its the head gasket. Since its coming out when its hot, it should be pressure related. Check your upper and lower hoses with the engine running (get underneath the skid to check the lower hose - with blocks under the wheels). Next check the damn throttle body hose. Its a padded soft hose about 3/4" thick. After that, check your heater hoses. Is there an antifreeze smell inside? Is there any on the carpet. Is there any stain under the motor?

[Amnesia]

Definitely check under the intake with a flashlight like Ldub says.

I had a mystery leak too. Nothing was ever on the ground... There are a couple of metal pipes (heater tubes) that are routed beneath the intake. One plugs into the back of the thermostat housing and the other one plugs into the back of the water manifold "log". They each have a small o-ring on them that dries out over time and starts to leak. The valley under the intake makes a great bucket to catch this leakage. Then when you drive away it sloshes out, but in my case - didn't leak a bit (on the ground) when I was parked.

Give it a look & good luck!

[Gussie2000]

Definitely check under the intake with a flashlight like Ldub says.

I had a mystery leak too. Nothing was ever on the ground... There are a couple of metal pipes (heater tubes) that are routed beneath the intake. One plugs into the back of the thermostat housing and the other one plugs into the back of the water manifold "log". They each have a small o-ring on them that dries out over time and starts to leak. The valley under the intake makes a great bucket to catch this leakage. Then when you drive away it sloshes out, but in my case - didn't leak a bit (on the ground) when I was parked.

Give it a look & good luck!

That's what i had with my VX when i mistakenly left the radiator cap loose and my coolant spilled out and cause my engine to overheat for few minutes.

Found cooloant under the intake,the ring was busted

[BeeVenom]

Hey, sometime the water pump can leak a bit where the breather hole is for a while and you may not notice it for a while except when checking your fluid level. If it increases you'll see 'green stuff' (or redish stuff :mad:) on the ground.
If you're losing a good amount and can't find it....Geeeez, you probably have an internal leak like head gasket and it's being blown out your exhaust.
You could do a cooling system 'pressure check' too and see if the pressure drops significantly which will tell you, yup, you got a problem. Pressure gauges are cheap and good to have around for stuff like this. There are lots of kits out there.

[UWVX89]

I see plenty of green stuff coming out the bottom of the car when its hot. Puddle worth. But no hoses are leaking and nothing noticeable beneath the air intake so I'm guessing the issue is behind the timing belt covers.