How do I stop antifreeze from leaking in my 1998 Pontiac Grand Am?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yada Yada
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Yada Yada

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I bought it used from a lady last week. Now reality has squashed me. Bad brakes. Other things. Today the temp gauge seemed really high so I looked in the antifreeze container and saw none at all. So I went to the gas station and bought a gallon of it. I poured it in thinking it would take only part of it but all of it went in. I did spill some, and there was a little dripping underneath. So I turned the engine on and got out and shit the door. Then discovered the doors lock themselves! So i had to call some place to unlock it. So the car was running with the doors locked. I looked underneath and there was a steady trickle of antifreeze coming from somewhere. It was nighttime so I couldn't see anything. The gas station didn't have ANY flashlights! The lock guy came and opened the car and told me maybe a hose sprung a leak or something. That would be okay, I could replace a hose. I asked if he thought it might be leaking out of the engine and he said he thought it would be mixed with oil if it was coming from the engine. _That sounded like a good thing_ So I went to a grocery store to find a flashlight. NONE. Hmmm... So I went to a pharmacy because they ALWAYS have all sorts of junk flashlights for sale, right? BZZZZT! All they had was an expensive windup kind; good idea but impractical to look underneath a car! So, I bought another gallon of antifreeze to put in when this leaks out. But I asked the cashier if he ever had a car with an antifreeze leak. He said of course he had, that it was the water pump that had gone bad and it was leaking out. **gulp** I asked him if it leaked out of the pump itself or out of a hose. He looked slightly puzzled but then said it _could_ leak out a hose but his had it leak right out of the pump. **GULP**
SO.
I cannot see what is leaking or where. But a stream comes from off the metal underneath the car beneath what might be underneath where the antifreeze tank is.
What do you think is likely to be leaking and how do I fix it myself? I am as poor as you can be, I guess, so I need as cheap as I can!
 
you can't trust electric locks, always wind the window down if you get out of that car and those keys aren't in your hand.

could be a bad hose, if it's coming out that fast, nothing will stop it. you need to get some light and look and see where it's coming from.

there is a hole in the water pump and when that bearing goes bad, it will leak, and usually you will hear some noise coming from the pump. They go out quick, so fix it fast, or it will get worse fast, if that is the problem.
 
The antifreeze tank? reservoir,over flow...or are you talking about the radiator itself.There are three hoses hocked to the radiator,check to see if they are clamped tight,and obviously for leaks,the lower that goes to the water pump the upper that goes to the thermostat,the third is the smaller that goes to the reservoir.If it is leaking out of the reservoir,I would say it has a crack....You may need a new water pump,or just the water pump gasket,you may need a new thermostat housing gasket,or even a new radiator
 
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