OK so a friend of mine called me saying his 1999 3.8 Camaro was leaking water from the engine so I was thinking it was the water pump. So we ordered a new water pump and put it on and after we had it back on started to add water, it started to come behind the water pump. It was not coming from around the bolt's but behind the water pump. What could this be?

 

It look's like it is leaking behind the pump, by the hose that come's in right behind the water pump. He said that the car overheated on him yesterday also.

 

There is a plastic elbow just under the intake, I think I have a pic. The issue is vert common. Anytime a coolant system will not hold pressure it will oveheat.

The shinny part is where the water pump mounts

 

OK on the plastic elbow, how hard will it be to get to it to replace it, and what part name will I tell them at the parts store.

 

its called a coolant elbow, i believe the 3800 is the only car to use them. you can get a pack in the help section of your parts store.

 

Ok thanks and will I have to take a lot of stuff off of the end to put the new coolant elbow on? Or can I just pop the new elbow into place

 

It is going to be either the lower intake or the belt tensioner. If it was my car I would do the lower intake IF the car has never had an intake gasket done. The lower intake gasket failure is a weak spot on these 3800's.

 

Thanks, for all the help, I will be going sometime today to put the new elbow in. and I will let you know if there still is a leak or not.

 

OK so it was the elbow, it was very bad cause there was not elbow. But after we got that fixed and after driving it for about 5 min. the gauge was getting a little hotter than usual, pulled over and looked but no leak. I let it get the air bubble's out before we put the cap on and started are drive. Why could this be?

 

Did you bleed the air out of coolant system? Next step is to do a coolant pressure test.

As I said before coolant systems need ot build pressure. Without pressure the coolant can NOT cool around the cylinder heads very well. If he drove the car any distance without coolant pressure he may have blown a headgasket.