Hey all, I have a '96 Firebird with a 3.8L v6 SFI. Just recently it started leaking.. So we were thinking hose at first but I checked all the hoses, not leaking, then checked the water pump.. It looked like it was the water pump but we replaced it and its still leaking. So I was looking and it looks like the section from the block is leaking.. Its kind of difficult to explain. The water pump is really small, it doesn't have a nozzle or anything that hooks into a pipe or anything, it just bolts on to this other aluminum piece and that aluminum piece is bolted to the block. Well, it appears the aluminum piece that connects to the block its self is leaking. I went to several parts houses and nobody has a gasket for that. One person told me I'd have to go to the dealership to get the gasket. My question mainly is, is there anything else in that immediate area that would be leaking? Also, it seems to be running a little hot since and it doesn't leak all the time, just when you first crank it up in the mornings, it poors out but after it warms up it stops leaking. If anyone needs pictures I can take some or I can scan pages from the book I have.. Sorry for the long post, just alot of information.. Thanks!

 

Ok, I just checked it and it kinda looks like its coming from right above the water pump connections, maybe the throttle body? Anyone have any ideas?

 

This is a sign of water pump failure. There is something called a "weep hole" on the top of the water pump. When a seal inside of the pump goes bad, your water/antifreeze mixture will start to leak out of this hole. I would suggest getting a new water pump fairly soon, and keep an eye on your antifreeze level until you get it put on. It won't be long before you start overheating! BTW: I found advance auto parts has water pumps pretty cheap.
-John

 

hmm, I don't know if I mentioned it in a previous post but I already replaced the water pump.. I checked and it looks like its coming from the throttle body. Last night I flushed the cooling system and added the S & W ???? Block Sealer and going to see how good it works.. Otherwise, it looks like I'll be tearing apart the top of the engine and replacing all of the gaskets..