Electric Blue Vette

I have spotted an engine coolant leak coming from of all places, a small drain hole in the bottom of the automatic transmission bellhousing, how can this be????

I have checked for the obvious, e.g. leaking around the back of the engine such as intake and head area, heater core area and associated hoses and found nothing. I just can't understand how coolant could get in the bellhousing to begin with.....

I did have a transmission rebuild a few weeks ago, could anything have been damaged during re-installation? Any thoughts?????

Any help would be appreciated.

WVZR-1

There are expansion plugs on the rear of the engine block. The transmission housing would certainly cover them. Your leak is out of the small hole in the "sheet metal" convertor cover?

It could be an upper engine leak that maybe is collecting and just running down the outside of the case and dropping.

Needs to be on a lift and inspected closely to find the source. If you remove the convertor cover and there's a collection of coolant inside the cover it's not going to be a pleasant experience. Good luck!

zr1fred

There is a bypass hose on the back of the intake on the passenger side.......

Electric Blue Vette

The leak appears to be coming out of a very small hole in the "sheet metal" cover below the convertor. I guess I will take it back to the transmission shop and put it on the lift. Are the expansion plugs equivalent to freeze plugs on older Chevy small blocks?

Electric Blue Vette

I will inspect this area again, I was hoping to find the problem in this area where it would be an easy fix. With my luck I will have to have the trans" pulled again.

Thanks for the reply.

Electric Blue Vette

I finally found the source of the leak, right head gasket at the back of the head near the automatic trans dipstick tube. Thin stream coming out once the system pressurizes (I actually heard the hissing before I saw it). The coolant then follows the trans bell housing down to the bottom. The only way to see the leak is using an inspection mirror and a lot of light.

Thanks everyone who replied to my post.

Could re-torquing the heads possibly stop the leak or is it an automatic head gasket replacement?

bangbgC6

That would be highly unlikely.
Most likely you need to do the head gaskets. L98's definitely are know for that issue after they started putting aluminum heads on them midway through the '86 model year.

Electric Blue Vette

I was afraid that would be the consensus. Thanks for the input.