I am looking for a diagram of how the hoses are supposed to be routed on a 92 bonneville SE. I just got off a 10 hour drive (from denver to Kansas City) and while it'* in the garage it springs a leak, radiator completely drained.

I don't see any hoses where the drip is coming out (dripping from the base of the block with engine off. I don't see anything coming from the WP, tho I can't see very well unless I want to lay in a pool of antifreeze.

Diagram needed just to know how it'* supposed to go once i go farting around in there.

Incidentally, it only ever seems to do this when I add coolant to the overflow tank. Once cracking a _plastic_ nipple against the engine block and another time simply a hose springiing a leak after adding more coolant.

Which end of the block is the coolant dripping off of?


Passenger side:
You should be ablet to reach down to the water pump and feel the weep hole on the bottom side.
The heater hoses are a possibility especially if original. I wouldn't suggest trying to change them yourself unless you have a spring clamp tool. They connect to the heater core behind the passenger side strut.
I believe right above the water pump is the bypass inlet and hose.

On the driver side, the only item should be the upper radiator hose.

It is also very possible that your intake gaskets need to be replaced if the leak seems to be coming from between the block and intake.

Turned out to be a simple water pump ($400 installed). I had ruled it out previously because the fluid was coming out as soon as it was put in. Generally the weep hole is more of a trickle than a stream.

Thanks for the input.

Brian

I helped change a motor in a truck. Guy had changed everything supposedly for an overheating problem.

Wanted to keep costs low and asked for us to reuse the water pump. Refilling system water gushed out the weep hole. That was a $1600 water pump by the time the motor got swapped from blowing it due to a bad waterpump.

I got 3 different quotes and that was the cheapest from a shop I've used before .. others were about $40 less but with a 1 yr warrenty.

Unfortunately, my automotive repair abilities are somewhat limited .. about the most I can pull off is reassembling brakes or maybe swapping an alternator .. I'm the kind of car person who can mentally visualize how things are working and come to a conclusion on what needs doing based on the information, but the actual execution doesn't work .. good for not getting talked into unneccessary repairs .. bad for saving $$ by doing it myself.

And yeah, it'* not an expensive part .. I think the breakout was 3.5 hours @$82/hr labor and rest parts and "environmental fee" (the kind which I hate because they didn't dispose of anything (trace coolant) and didn't throw anything away (what, the box .. if they didn't use that box to get a credit for the returned core). part = $100

Since you commented on it, I did a little more checking and found something interesting. One shop quoted 2.9 hours from the standard book, the other quoted 3.5. When asked the shop indicated the difference was the removal of the engine mount on that side (maybe I won't go there if this kind of thing happens again .. what'* the point of a standard time quote for a given service if it varies from shop to shop) .. e.g. if there is time involved in disconnecting the motor mount .. wouldn't the time be included in the quoted time rate?

Sorry, this is getting off topic and probably the wrong audience, most people on these forums do the work themselves .. I used to do my own oil changes and some maintenance work .. but that was also on my ancient 79 datsun B210 .. the one where is never broke down because there wasn't anything to break down .. no AC, no power steering, no power brakes / locks / windows, manual transmission .. and a whopping 1liter engine .. pretty easy to work on, if not a deathtrap in a collission.

Brian

I suppose on some level, every person with a car will have some bad mechanic or experience to speak of (this water pump isn't too bad .. it works, although I'm about at my maximum threshold for $$$ on this car .. more than $500 or so and it'* going to the auction.

My one extreme example of a bad shop (or individual in this case) was at a Sears auto place several years ago.

For background, I keep 3 cars active .. currently a 92 Pont Bonneville SE, 97 Buick Skylark custom and a 94 Chevy Cavalier (daughter'* car).

The one in question was a 84 Chevy Celebrity .. My wife drove this one for several years. She never talks about her car unless it dies on her. I made sure it had regular fluid changes and the like, but in general she is the only one that drives it.

Anyway, she was driving home one day and I hear her car'* brakes "clicker" going off .. the sound they make when the front disc brakes are needing replacement .. followed immediately by a loud grinding sound. I check it the car once she gets in and find that the front pads had worn through and were stopping on the braces that hold the pad in place and the rears really were not doing anything.

Took the car to Sears (closest store as this is obviously very very dangerous). They indicated that it needed a complete replacement of the brakes .. new pads, rotors, shoes, hydrolic lines, mounting hardware and master cylender (because it leaked fluid they say) $850 repair job ..

No way I'm putting that much money into an 17 year old car with as many miles and problems as it had (iffy trans, engine never ran right after a rebuild when the intake manifold gasket failed, causing the antifreeze to enter the oil).

Anyway, on a lark I take it to Midas. $230 total .. for whatever reason the rotors are dirt cheap (~$25 including markup) and the pads are also dirt cheap. No problem found with master cy, brake lines or hardware .. just reground the drum and new shoes ..

.. outcome .. never going to sears auto (well, I still do for their weathermaster batteries .. for the warrenty I guess ..now if their batteries didn't fail as often so as to need the warrenty).

Anyway .. my bad experience, their lost business

.. now if I could just remember auto tech 1 and 2 from high school better

Brian