said by svolsted :Okay All Great Answers Ty all I'm sure it is the cheap plastic Gasket as For Dexcool omg i went through that as the Van always was running Hot but never overheated.I Flushed out that Dexcool junk and put in Prestone 50/50 mix and that it never ran in the Red only mid way normal area
There is no problem with dex cool. It has similar cooling properties as the green (or yellow) stuff. If your problem went away after switching, it was because the system wasn't properly maintained, too low, air trapped, or something other then what the coolant was made of. You can blame dex cool, but that was NOT what the problem was.
So I Thought the problem was solved Now I Seen on Google about the cheap Gaskets used so I'm 99% sure thats the Problem! Ty All"
How much coolant was on the ground? What was the relative location of the puddle as compared to the engine compartment? The LIM gasket almost always leaks into the inside of the engine, mixing with the engine oil. A tell tale sign of that now that colder weather is starting is a whitish brown mayonnaise-like substance in the top of the oil fill cap. If it's leaking internally, you won't have a puddle outside.
If it's leaking to the passenger side front, I would suspect your water pump seal/bearing is shot and it's weeping coolant as it was designed.
If it's towards the passenger rear of the engine, #1 cylinder head gasket would be where I'd look. I've seen and chatted with more then a few people that have had head gaskets that went at that cylinder, myself included.
If it's towards the back drivers side or towards the middle, then I would suspect coolant hoses going to the heater core(s).
If it's towards the driver's front, I would look at the hoses around the throttle body, t-stat housing, and upper radiator hose.
Autozone has a coolant pressure tester that you can borrow for a deposit that will pressurize the system to help find where the leak is at. Napa also sells a UV tracer dye that can also help pinpoint where the leak is coming from with a black light.
