Water/ coolant leak - new motor. Help

[isthatguy]

Ok so I installed my new motor primed it and put coolant on. I was just about to crank it and then I hear a water leak.... It's coming from between the transmission and block. Any ideas? I thought it may have been a bad gasket in the supecharger manifold... Replaced all of them and still leaks. It's definatly not coming from the top side or heater hoses.

 

[weather man]

Get a scope and look in all the tight spots for leak source. Gotta be big if leaking and not even pressurized.

 

[dysan]

When I built my engine last winter I didn't clean out and seal the freeze plugs good enough and I had the same issue. Had to pull the engine and re do all the damn freeze plugs again. I ended up going with deep brass ones...scuffed them and the block mating surfaces real well and sealed them all with jb-weld.

 

[tmcolegr]

...look under front of the intake manifold where the steel heater tube slides over the nipple. There are 2 orange orings on the nipple. If those seals are missing or cut, coolant will leak down the valley of the block and through the hole at the rear of the valley. Coolant will then leak out of the bell housing.

 

[skwerl]

...look under front of the intake manifold where the steel heater tube slides over the nipple. There are 2 orange orings on the nipple. If those seals are missing or cut, coolant will leak down the valley of the block and through the hole at the rear of the valley. Coolant will then leak out of the bell housing.

This.

 

[isthatguy]

That was my first leak Tmc. It was a damn waterfall. But now it's leaking and no water in the valley.

It was stream the first time, fixed the leak under the manifold but it's the same spot just a small dripping

 

[ArtQ]

The only plug in that area is for an oil gallery. If it is not coming from the top then you have a crack.

 

[isthatguy]

So I cranked it over and refilled it and the leak slowed but stil there.


A cracked block is not encouraging at all.... This is a fresh build

 

[Jkoogler]

What's the hoses at the firewall look like?

 

[Wild White Pony]

Don't turn it over just pressurize the coolant system and listen since you just have a small leak now. Should give you a location, add dye to coolant if needed.

 

[isthatguy]

Those hoses are dry. No water on top of transmission or in valley.

 

[Jkoogler]

Have you pulled your intake?

 

[isthatguy]

Yea I pulled it to replace all the gaskets.

 

[Jkoogler]

Did you test the lines with the intake off? Theres nothing else antifreeze wise on the backside.

 

[isthatguy]

There isn't any freeze plugs????

 

[Jkoogler]

There is but you won't unless you pull motor

 

[ArtQ]

There isn't any freeze plugs????

Freeze plugs on the back of the cyl heads and the head gasket surface but I would expect to see that coming out around the trans/block

 

[AutoXRacer]

Have you checked the coolant tube as tmcolegr mentioned...?

There is a port in the block, under the intake manifold on the back side of the block where the water pump installs. It has two o-rings that need to be replaced anytime the block is worked on. New o-rings come coated to facilitate sliding the coolant tube on. The coolant tube then bolts onto the backside of the block right below the RH cylinder head and above the bell housing. The only other possibility is a missing/leaky freeze plug.

The coolant pipe is slight different in my setup...but its the same routing.

 

[isthatguy]

i did not replace the o rings on that - it was leaking originally and I tightened down the hose clamp I have there. After that its a small drip, but i use a flashlight and could see to the area of the drain hole, and couldnt see any water draining or in the valley there. I will order those o rings tho just incase.

thanks!

I probably wont go work on the car for another week or so (I moved 3 hours away from my house, and the car is just sitting in my garage)

 

[AutoXRacer]

Oh so you are not using the metal tube?
You replaced it with a heater hose?

I bought replacements from Rock Auto; they were like 0.29 cents.