Chevy Impala No Heat At Idle

Question:
My 2006 Chevy Impala with the 3.5l v-6 has no heat. Especially when sitting at an idle. I checked the antifreeze, and it was low. I dont see any leaks on the ground. I had a pressure check done, but they did not find anything. Can you help, it is quite cold by me this time of year. Thanks for any help.

Answer:
Thank you for your tip/donation. The first thing would be to have a cooling pressure system test done to see why you are low on coolant. Low coolant will cause air pockets, and that is the most likely cause of no heat in the car, as long as the engine temp. is up to normal.

Some common areas are of course water pump, hoses, coolant pipes. There is a technical service bulletin on this car for no heat at idle. There is a procedure to remove air pockets that could be done. I will send that to you in a moment. The problem with this bulletin, is where did the coolant go to begin with. We have seen several of the 3.5l, and 3,9l engine have leaking head gaskets causing this condition. There are several places that are common for them to leak. I will send a picture of these areas, so you can check it out yourself. If you need more assistance, just let me know,


Problem with my 2004 Chevrolet Impala SS.
Engine size: 3.8 SC. Water pump was leaking-replaced. Replaced thermostat also.
Question: The hard plastic "L" (bypass)tube that goes from the intake/supercharger base to the support bracket for the Idler pulley and P/S pump(or is it the timing cover) has a leaking O-ring. What is the best way of replacing? Removing the supercharger/intake, or pulling the whole front of the engine apart (water pump,a/c,p/s,etc).

Or is that support bracket that the Anti-freeze passes through just bolt on piece and not part of the timing cover. Thanks in Advance,Dan

Answer:
Yes, what are you describing is known as a coolant 'elbow'. The bracket that it goes into does come off of the engine and is not part of the timing cover. It's a fairly easy repair. You'd have to remove the serpentine belt, alternator, and associated bolts/brackets, and then it just pulls out of the tensioner bracket and lower intake manifold.

Make sure mating surfaces are clean and use a bit of lubricant on the o-rings before installation of the 'elbow'. Once everything is back in place, fill with coolant and check for leaks. Should be ok after that.


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