Anyone have coolant leaks? Water pump? '03 3.0 V6 FWD

[johnbasler]

Guys/gals,

after resolving my oil leaks by replacing both valve cover gaskets, now I am confronted by a sporadic DexCool puddle under the Vue when parked. ('03 V6 FWD). It seems to occasionally puke a bit of coolant after shutoff, but not every time.

I looked underneath and it likely looks to be coming from the front of the engine somewhere but it could be virtually anywhere....

anyone have coolant leaks on the 3.0 motor? I know it could be anything from a water pump to a hose or anything, but just looking for ideas. Has anyone needed a water pump or anything related?

I really hate to dump stopleak in there, but I really don't want to have to disassemble the front of the engine to look for the leak.

Any advice appreciated!

thanks...

[scotted73]

I just had the water pump on my '03 AWD V6 replaced under warranty (5 yr/60,000). I have about 56,000 miles and also noticed the sporadic drops on my garage floor. First it began with the familiar coolant smell and then the occasional drops. Sounds as if you have the same problem. The service department also replaced the belt tensioner under warranty. I would recommend they check that also and the belt while replacing the pump.

[johnbasler]

ok, thanks for the heads-up.

will investigate further. I will be doing the repair myself, so hopefully it is not a horrible job...

[ssicarman]

The water pump is the big leak source on the front of the 3.0. That said the thermostat and oil cooler cover can seep enough down the front to fool you. best way to find out for sure is to get the timing belt cover off to see if the pump is actually leaking. If the coolant at the front of the engine is wetter than dry the chance is that most of the coolant is from the water pump.

[johnbasler]

thanks!

will get cracking on replacing it.

[PortugalFocus]

There is a cooler plate that crosses between the heads to keep them cool. There is a TSB out for coolerplate failures on the 3.0 VUE and the L. Take it to Saturn if they would fix it for you at no charge, before you throw parts at it.

[ssicarman]

Saturn will only repair for free if the car is still under warrenty.