So ... not confirmed yet, just poking to see if anyone has any input/suggestions ....
Car has been regularly losing coolant for a while now - I replaced rad late last summer, so I thought nothing of it for the first little while. Just thought it was gradually filling everything up heater core, etc.
After a while I figured it should be good as far as everything being full..... and it kept on going down consistently. So I placed cardboard under the car for a week and parked in the garage to avoid wind from evaporating any possible minute leaks ... after 1 week the cardboard is still perfectly dry and clean - not a single drop on it.
I have kept my eyes on the oil, and never any bubbles or milky white goo in there....
Last Weds I topped up the reservoir to the Cold Fill line.
Saturday I changed oil and checked - down approx. 1 litre of coolant since Weds...... thus has me questioning where the loss is...
No leaks within cabin - heater core is not leaking, no leaks under car, no leaks in reservoir or while parked... only thing I can notice is there seems to be a bit more condensation in the exhaust than usual .... not sure what is usual but idling for 5-10 mins can leave a 1-2" diameter puddle under the tailpipe. But I do NOT smell antifreeze in the exhaust.
I talked to GM dealership this morning, they suggested a Cylinder Leakdown Test - ~$150 for diagnosis.
Furthermore, after describing symptoms to him, he had his own thoughts as to what is wrong ... likely the intake manifold gasket - High Country Chev says it will cost approximately $800 to $1300 to get this replaced ....
Any suggestions to narrow this down? Obviously multiple options for what is wrong...
Also any suggestions for getting the parts and/or work done cheaper? Bit more of a task than I feel like biting off myself to attempt to repair.....
***Note it's a 2005 Pontiac Pursuit 2.2L Ecotec - same as the Cobalt / G5
Car has been regularly losing coolant for a while now - I replaced rad late last summer, so I thought nothing of it for the first little while. Just thought it was gradually filling everything up heater core, etc.
After a while I figured it should be good as far as everything being full..... and it kept on going down consistently. So I placed cardboard under the car for a week and parked in the garage to avoid wind from evaporating any possible minute leaks ... after 1 week the cardboard is still perfectly dry and clean - not a single drop on it.
I have kept my eyes on the oil, and never any bubbles or milky white goo in there....
Last Weds I topped up the reservoir to the Cold Fill line.
Saturday I changed oil and checked - down approx. 1 litre of coolant since Weds...... thus has me questioning where the loss is...
No leaks within cabin - heater core is not leaking, no leaks under car, no leaks in reservoir or while parked... only thing I can notice is there seems to be a bit more condensation in the exhaust than usual .... not sure what is usual but idling for 5-10 mins can leave a 1-2" diameter puddle under the tailpipe. But I do NOT smell antifreeze in the exhaust.
I talked to GM dealership this morning, they suggested a Cylinder Leakdown Test - ~$150 for diagnosis.
Furthermore, after describing symptoms to him, he had his own thoughts as to what is wrong ... likely the intake manifold gasket - High Country Chev says it will cost approximately $800 to $1300 to get this replaced ....
Any suggestions to narrow this down? Obviously multiple options for what is wrong...
Also any suggestions for getting the parts and/or work done cheaper? Bit more of a task than I feel like biting off myself to attempt to repair.....
***Note it's a 2005 Pontiac Pursuit 2.2L Ecotec - same as the Cobalt / G5
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