Car Is Leaking

I am an Oldsmobile collector, displaying my vechicle in 1997 at the 100th Anniversary Oldsmobile celebration, in Lansing , Michigan. My vehicle was the lead vehicle in the motorcade. As to your question, it may very well be a manifold head gasket. Oldsmobiles are known to run hot. To test, either you or a mechanic can conduct a dye test by placing dye in the coolant. From there, engine has to reach operating temperature, before you can see exactly see where the leak is coming from. It really is a simple procedure. I am sure that you can identify a leak at the water pump, hoses, or radiator without the dye test. The dye test makes it much more certain to pinpoint the exact leak. However, if it is the manifold head gasket, which I am certain it very well could be, it will be a costly repair of about $800.00. The top of the motor has to be disassembled, and you must remove the manifold to replace the gasket. The price of the gasket, about $15.00, the rest labor. If you do replace the manifold head gasket, make sure someone machines the bottom of the manifold. This is important for the fact that the heat from the block sometimes warps the bottom of the manifold, in turn not having a flat plane, in which to reseat the manifold. It really does not matter what year Olds it is, they run hot and love cold weather, regardless of fuel injected or carburetored version. If you would like to e-mail me with further questions, please feel free to do so.