Coolant Leak on Passenger Side 2011 LT V6 - Page 3 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Wingerr · 11-18-2020, 05:19 PM

I'm working on a 2011 3.6L V6 with the same issue of the leak at the heater pipe. Got the loaner pressure tester from AutoZone and saw it spewing with 5psi.
The instructions I saw said to remove the manifold and engine covers, and heater outlet pipe, fuel pipe shield, but instead I ended up snaking my arm up from the bottom to take the bolts off securing the heater pipe to get to the seals. It wasn't too hard even though I was working completely blind, not being able to see the bolts.
I didn't want to remove the outlet pipe and deal with the seal on that, so I just worked with it with the heater pipe still in the car. Hardest part actually was trying to pull the heater hoses off the pipe, they were quite attached to one another after 9 years of togetherness.
I slit it a bit to help free it and figure on trimming the ends to reuse the hose. $15 shipped for the gasket and o-ring from Amazon, will see if I can get it together successfully when they come in.

Wingerr · 11-18-2020, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhrex

well, not sure which coupling you're speaking of, but here's a pic....

On the drawing, it shows #8 as some kind of plastic spacer or something. I'll have to look at the pipe again to see if it's just an insert in the pipe to center the mounting bolts in the holes.

The manual excerpt I have is for a 2010 rather than 2011, maybe that's why I didn't see anything like the fuel pipe shield that was referred to.

Wingerr · 11-18-2020, 05:31 PM

The culprits

oneshot51 · 11-18-2020, 09:56 PM

Yeah those were just inserts that go in the hole with the bolts. I kept the whole outlet/inlet pipe intact when I replaced the gasket and o-ring which looked just like yours. Its quite a squeeze up there yes, but I was able to place my phone and use my phone to record what I couldn't see. I almost had a heart attack because I broke a bolt when I tightened it back up. I tried so many techniques and even managed to get a drill and a long drill bit up in there to drill it out but didn't work, luckily just barely enough of the bolt was sticking out that I got vice grips on it and was able to turn it loose. This wasn't the only spot leaking for me, my water pump was leaking too. The water pump had a bad bearing first time. I have had to change the gasket on it twice now, because it keeps leaking still, can't get a good seal. Best of luck.

Wingerr · 11-19-2020, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneshot51

I almost had a heart attack because I broke a bolt when I tightened it back up. I tried so many techniques and even managed to get a drill and a long drill bit up in there to drill it out but didn't work, luckily just barely enough of the bolt was sticking out that I got vice grips on it and was able to turn it loose.

Yoikes, that would have been a nightmare. I can't imagine getting a drill on it unless there was side access through the wheel well. Good thing you had a stub to grab onto.
I'm going to be using a small socket wrench to tighten it, so I don't think I'll be getting anywhere near the torque needed to snap the bolts. It wasn't a big struggle getting the OEM bolts loosened, which may have been part of the reason the leak developed over 9 years and 70k. miles. It wasn't loose but it just took a 1/4" ratchet to break free. Tried snugging it up further first just to see if maybe it'd stop leaking but nah.

Wingerr · 11-20-2020, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneshot51

I almost had a heart attack because I broke a bolt when I tightened it back up. .

O. M. G.
I thought I'd be good and was using a 1/4"torque wrench to get the 16 ft lbs that the instructions said. I only had it set to 160 inch pounds as it was curiously turning and turning on the bottom bolt after the top bolt snugged up, and then the bolt snapped.

I thought it strange that they spec the same torque on the two smaller bolts as the larger third bolt; is it actually supposed to be 16 ft lbs? The spec I saw was for 2010 as opposed to 2011, was it the same?
The head of the bolt says grade 8.8- looked it up too late: torque for a 6mm 8.8 grade bolt is 12 N-m, which is 106 in-lbs or 8.9 ft-lbs.
So much for the shop manual spec of 16ft lbs-.

After a long contortionist session working by Braille, I was able to extract the stub and got it back together successfully. That was a lot harder than it should be for a maintenance service item, since they apparently fail with some regularity even if it's 70k miles.

oneshot51 · 11-21-2020, 04:47 AM

Oh man, wow! Glad you got it out! Yeah my research was from the 2010 service manual as well and I too thought 16 lb ft, so I did not even 15. One bolt just fine the other kept turning and snapped. Afterwards I found that the instructions part for the repair and two other sections in manual that lists bolts had different torque ratings. Lesson I learned is that for that small of torque and bolt I should have just ratchet it tightely or not kept turning ha. Not bragging or anything but my stub was smaller ha. My issue also happened in the 80k's maybe sooner. For that repair and my water pump, the dealer was going to charge $1200, so even though it was a headache, it was worth it.

Wingerr · 11-21-2020, 06:09 AM

The picture was actually after I started easing it out some already, there was a sharp spike left on the stub that I picked at with my fingernail and I could feel it had some play, which was encouraging. If someone was foolhardy enough to put sealant on the threads there'd be no hope of getting it out. It was a laborious process trying all sorts of things, pliers, vise grip, eraser head.I even had both arms wrapped around the transmission for a time to use the other hand as reference, as I was working completely by touch and couldn't see it at all. The picture of it was with a fiberscope, which would have been good if I could position it while working on it. The parts cost I had was $15 for the o-ring and gasket, 16 for a pair of replacement bolts (I was going to replace the other thinking they were weakened somehow over the years, but after finding out the torque spec was incorrectly double what it should have been, I went with the original, which was fine. I'd like to know if the 2010 manual is actually correct for a 2010 or if it was a booby trap for boobies like me.
Another $6 for another new gasket, since I wasn't sure if it's okay to reuse once compressed.
The gasket placement was a question too, it's not symmetrical, with the opening having a slight funnel profile to it. It wasn't obvious how it should have been positioned, or if it mattered. Not sure if there was a purpose to the excess gasket area with the squared off quadrant, the only purpose I could see for it may be to enable a hold on it to verify positioning during installation. I picked one of the four possible orientations, with the excess towards the inside, and funneling towards the engine.
$15 for the collection of PDF files that manuals4u sold that they claimed was applicable for 2011, but wasn't. They're completely unresponsive when asking them about the selling the wrong one, and it's a common complaint for them. They're making good profit getting money for electronic copies. $24 for the Haynes manual, which is even less useful, with no coverage of this at all. $20 for a gallon of dexcool, and I stubbornly refuse to look at the amount of time I spent, so the cost was about $100.

LukeCamaro10 · 04-05-2022, 06:49 PM

3 weeks ago I changed my water pump because of a leak. Now today I was driving home 40 miles. Then I stopped at the store. When I parked I noticed a 2ft by 6in puddle of the new coolant. So I took it to a penzoil my cousin works at. I went 2 miles maybe. My car temp was normal. But when we went in his pit. I had a little coolant on my trans pan and it looks like there is dampness coming from this area you are talking about but there i no longer any active leak. Does anyone have any suggestions why there would be a half a pint of coolant that would just drop and then suddenly stop? Is the coolant overflow tube coming from that area? There is no coolant in my oil, and when we opened the coolant fill it was nearly full.

oneshot51 · 04-10-2022, 08:35 PM

The system is pressurized so that's why the fill tube is generally always full, but I bet your reservoir isn't. Same thing with the leak, mine does it, when it first starts or runs hot, that's when the pressure is at its highest and the thermostat is open and closing. At least to my knowledge. Lol mine still leaks can't get good gaskets or sealant, I have done it three times. Doesn't leak much though at least for me and better than spending thousands at the dealer. Best of luck.

daytripr69 · 07-20-2022, 07:30 PM

I've found many mistakes in quite a few factory manuals, hard copies purchased from a dealer so no possibility of a PDF being accidentally edited. Good rule of thumb is your can easily disassemble with 1/4" drive tools then always question a torque value in ft/lb and not in/lb. Doesn't mean it's wrong just look up the proper values from the bolt manufacturer. Tip for removing a bolt broken by over torque, cut a slot in it with a die grinder with a flexible shaft and turn it out with a flat blade screw driver even works with sealant on the threads if you work quickly and didn't go insane with the sealants or really screw up and put red loctite on it. When I have something that won't seal with regular gaskets I use right stuff gasket maker and that usually works if not loctite 510 or 515 seals anything.

2010sgm · 12-12-2022, 10:37 AM

just had mine done on my 2010 last week was covered under my warranty since i just bought the car

11-18-2020, 05:31 PM	#31
Wingerr Drives: 2011 Camaro v6 Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Ny Posts: 9	The culprits Attached Images

11-21-2020, 04:47 AM	#35
oneshot51 Drives: 2011 Chevy Camaro 2LT/RS Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mt. Hood, Oregon Posts: 6 View My Garage	Oh man, wow! Glad you got it out! Yeah my research was from the 2010 service manual as well and I too thought 16 lb ft, so I did not even 15. One bolt just fine the other kept turning and snapped. Afterwards I found that the instructions part for the repair and two other sections in manual that lists bolts had different torque ratings. Lesson I learned is that for that small of torque and bolt I should have just ratchet it tightely or not kept turning ha. Not bragging or anything but my stub was smaller ha. My issue also happened in the 80k's maybe sooner. For that repair and my water pump, the dealer was going to charge $1200, so even though it was a headache, it was worth it. Attached Images

11-21-2020, 06:09 AM	#36
Wingerr Drives: 2011 Camaro v6 Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Ny Posts: 9	The picture was actually after I started easing it out some already, there was a sharp spike left on the stub that I picked at with my fingernail and I could feel it had some play, which was encouraging. If someone was foolhardy enough to put sealant on the threads there'd be no hope of getting it out. It was a laborious process trying all sorts of things, pliers, vise grip, eraser head.I even had both arms wrapped around the transmission for a time to use the other hand as reference, as I was working completely by touch and couldn't see it at all. The picture of it was with a fiberscope, which would have been good if I could position it while working on it. The parts cost I had was $15 for the o-ring and gasket, 16 for a pair of replacement bolts (I was going to replace the other thinking they were weakened somehow over the years, but after finding out the torque spec was incorrectly double what it should have been, I went with the original, which was fine. I'd like to know if the 2010 manual is actually correct for a 2010 or if it was a booby trap for boobies like me. Another $6 for another new gasket, since I wasn't sure if it's okay to reuse once compressed. The gasket placement was a question too, it's not symmetrical, with the opening having a slight funnel profile to it. It wasn't obvious how it should have been positioned, or if it mattered. Not sure if there was a purpose to the excess gasket area with the squared off quadrant, the only purpose I could see for it may be to enable a hold on it to verify positioning during installation. I picked one of the four possible orientations, with the excess towards the inside, and funneling towards the engine. $15 for the collection of PDF files that manuals4u sold that they claimed was applicable for 2011, but wasn't. They're completely unresponsive when asking them about the selling the wrong one, and it's a common complaint for them. They're making good profit getting money for electronic copies. $24 for the Haynes manual, which is even less useful, with no coverage of this at all. $20 for a gallon of dexcool, and I stubbornly refuse to look at the amount of time I spent, so the cost was about $100. Attached Images

04-05-2022, 06:49 PM	#37
LukeCamaro10 Drives: 2010 Camaro LT1 Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Mid West Michigan Posts: 45	It has been a while since I have been here 3 weeks ago I changed my water pump because of a leak. Now today I was driving home 40 miles. Then I stopped at the store. When I parked I noticed a 2ft by 6in puddle of the new coolant. So I took it to a penzoil my cousin works at. I went 2 miles maybe. My car temp was normal. But when we went in his pit. I had a little coolant on my trans pan and it looks like there is dampness coming from this area you are talking about but there i no longer any active leak. Does anyone have any suggestions why there would be a half a pint of coolant that would just drop and then suddenly stop? Is the coolant overflow tube coming from that area? There is no coolant in my oil, and when we opened the coolant fill it was nearly full.

12-12-2022, 10:37 AM	#40
2010sgm Drives: 2010 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 510 View My Garage	just had mine done on my 2010 last week was covered under my warranty since i just bought the car __________________ David Vianu 2010 Synergy Green 1LT

11-18-2020, 05:19 PM	#29
Wingerr Drives: 2011 Camaro v6 Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Ny Posts: 9	I'm working on a 2011 3.6L V6 with the same issue of the leak at the heater pipe. Got the loaner pressure tester from AutoZone and saw it spewing with 5psi. The instructions I saw said to remove the manifold and engine covers, and heater outlet pipe, fuel pipe shield, but instead I ended up snaking my arm up from the bottom to take the bolts off securing the heater pipe to get to the seals. It wasn't too hard even though I was working completely blind, not being able to see the bolts. I didn't want to remove the outlet pipe and deal with the seal on that, so I just worked with it with the heater pipe still in the car. Hardest part actually was trying to pull the heater hoses off the pipe, they were quite attached to one another after 9 years of togetherness. I slit it a bit to help free it and figure on trimming the ends to reuse the hose. $15 shipped for the gasket and o-ring from Amazon, will see if I can get it together successfully when they come in.

11-18-2020, 09:56 PM	#32
oneshot51 Drives: 2011 Chevy Camaro 2LT/RS Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mt. Hood, Oregon Posts: 6 View My Garage	Yeah those were just inserts that go in the hole with the bolts. I kept the whole outlet/inlet pipe intact when I replaced the gasket and o-ring which looked just like yours. Its quite a squeeze up there yes, but I was able to place my phone and use my phone to record what I couldn't see. I almost had a heart attack because I broke a bolt when I tightened it back up. I tried so many techniques and even managed to get a drill and a long drill bit up in there to drill it out but didn't work, luckily just barely enough of the bolt was sticking out that I got vice grips on it and was able to turn it loose. This wasn't the only spot leaking for me, my water pump was leaking too. The water pump had a bad bearing first time. I have had to change the gasket on it twice now, because it keeps leaking still, can't get a good seal. Best of luck.

04-10-2022, 08:35 PM	#38
oneshot51 Drives: 2011 Chevy Camaro 2LT/RS Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mt. Hood, Oregon Posts: 6 View My Garage	The system is pressurized so that's why the fill tube is generally always full, but I bet your reservoir isn't. Same thing with the leak, mine does it, when it first starts or runs hot, that's when the pressure is at its highest and the thermostat is open and closing. At least to my knowledge. Lol mine still leaks can't get good gaskets or sealant, I have done it three times. Doesn't leak much though at least for me and better than spending thousands at the dealer. Best of luck.

07-20-2022, 07:30 PM	#39
daytripr69 Drives: 2010 RS Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: lakeland fl Posts: 7	I've found many mistakes in quite a few factory manuals, hard copies purchased from a dealer so no possibility of a PDF being accidentally edited. Good rule of thumb is your can easily disassemble with 1/4" drive tools then always question a torque value in ft/lb and not in/lb. Doesn't mean it's wrong just look up the proper values from the bolt manufacturer. Tip for removing a bolt broken by over torque, cut a slot in it with a die grinder with a flexible shaft and turn it out with a flat blade screw driver even works with sealant on the threads if you work quickly and didn't go insane with the sealants or really screw up and put red loctite on it. When I have something that won't seal with regular gaskets I use right stuff gasket maker and that usually works if not loctite 510 or 515 seals anything.