2006 Pontiac Grand Prix - Starting issues and leaking antifreeze

[kcota15]

My wife's car is giving us some issues. Off and on for a couple of weeks now it has been acting up when starting. It sometimes will not start and it sounds like the starter is clicking as if the battery is dead. Turn the key off and try again and it will start. It also acts as if the power has been completely cut off (the clock resets, etc.) I have checked the battery connections and they are ok.

She drove it today and it had the same issue. Along with that it has a antifreeze leak. It appears to be coming from the water pump but is a very slow leak. I checked it when she got home because she said the fan was running even after she turned the car off. She was correct. I started the car and the heat began to climb. Am I correct in assuming this is a water pump issue. In my past experience when a water pump goes the coolant dumps and is pretty obvious. This seems to be a slow intermittent leak.

Thanks for the help.

[delcecchi]

My wife's car is giving us some issues. Off and on for a couple of weeks now it has been acting up when starting. It sometimes will not start and it sounds like the starter is clicking as if the battery is dead. Turn the key off and try again and it will start. It also acts as if the power has been completely cut off (the clock resets, etc.) I have checked the battery connections and they are ok.

She drove it today and it had the same issue. Along with that it has a antifreeze leak. It appears to be coming from the water pump but is a very slow leak. I checked it when she got home because she said the fan was running even after she turned the car off. She was correct. I started the car and the heat began to climb. Am I correct in assuming this is a water pump issue. In my past experience when a water pump goes the coolant dumps and is pretty obvious. This seems to be a slow intermittent leak.

Thanks for the help.

My experience is many moons ago, but as I recall when my water pump started to go it just leaked a little around the shaft, and you could wiggle the fan (which was attached to the water pump shaft). It was a good idea to fix it at that point since if the shaft broke or came lose the fan took out the radiator.

There I was in a motel parking lot in reno, nevada on 4th of july weekend, 1973.....

[Jeremy airjer W]

What engine?

[kcota15]

3800 series III - supercharged.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There is a plastic coolant elbow right above the water pump. Make sure that the leak is not coming from that.

If the car is overheating and there is heat coming out of the HVAC system than the thermostat would be more likely the problem as the heat indicated fluid is still being circulated.

If there is no heat than check the coolant level. If it is low than top it off and/or repair the leak.

It is unlikely that the waterpump is not circulating fluid.

[kcota15]

Thanks for the advice. I am totally fed up with car issues right now and made an appointment to have it looked at. This will be helpful information though.

Any thoughts on the starting issue? Not much of a car guy and wouldn't even have a clue where to start with that one.

Thanks again.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Single click, starter is bad.

Rapid clicking, the battery is dead.

Single click and everything else goes dead, battery connections are bad. Either loose or corroded.

[kcota15]

I can't say that it fits any of those situations. It's more like hard starting...sometimes. Not sure what it is and it isn't consistent so it will be interesting to see what is diagnosed.

I started it tonight and let it run to check the 90 degree elbow. Prior to starting I checked the area over and there is evidence of a leak there. There was also a puddle of fluid in an area behind the alternator. I can't see any other possible source of a leak other than the elbow so it very well could be the source.

I let it run until it got pretty warm. There is plenty of coolant so I am guessing that the thermostat is bad. I didn't actually see any active leaking from the elbow only possible evidence. Pretty sure my initial thought of water pump is incorrect.

Would love to hear some more opinions.

[Jeremy airjer W]

So you turn the key, you hear the starter cranking the engine over, but the engine will not start?

[kcota15]

No. It always starts. Sometimes it starts momentarily then shuts off. Just before it shuts off there is the clicking sound very similar to what you would hear when the battery is dead. Try it again and it will start. It does seem that it starts harder than it used to. Another symptom that started a few months ago is that the car will not start with the factory remote start. It clicks once and does nothing. It does this every time.

Sorry if I am unclear. Keep asking questions and I will try to answer them. Or I'll make a video and put a link to it. Maybe it will help someone else.

[Jeremy airjer W]

a video would be great!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Quote:

There is a plastic coolant elbow right above the water pump. Make sure that the leak is not coming from that.

Very common failure on the 3800. There's actually 2 plastic elbows. One of them you can't see very well. To replace both take off the idler pully arm and you'll see the other. Most auto parts stores will sell both elbows as a kit. Do yourself a favor and get the aluminum ones and not plastic. I just had to replace mine a few months ago on my 02 grand prix. Costed aboot 15 bucks.

[Jeremy airjer W]

We are currently replacing them with the aluminum ones at the shop and absolutely can say enough good things about them at this point.

[kcota15]

I dropped it off at the shop yesterday. I will report back when I find out what is causing these two issues.

[kcota15]

Feeling a bit foolish after getting the diagnosis and the repair today. Turns out it was the battery causing the starting issue.

The coolant leak was one of the 90 degree plastic elbows. Both were replaced with the aluminum elbows.

Got the car back and it's running good as new. Not too expensive but certainly could have saved some money by replacing the battery myself. But the wife is happy and as we know happy wife = happy life.