New guy with a upper coolant elbow leak!

[dabears]

Hey guys I'm new here and I have a 03 prix 3.8. So I get home today after work and notice steam coming from the engine bay, I pop the hood and i see the upper elbow leaking. So I figure it's an easy fix just go to the zone get some elbows and bam I'm done...yeah right...i notice its a little more in depth than I thought so I call the local mechanics and they quote me 300 bucks!! They said the intake has to come off to replace it but doing some searching on here I find a thread that makes it sound like a walk in the park
http://www.grandprixforums.net/how-c...ows-49779.html
Here's the thread, is this factual or I'm a being decieved by the car gods? If so I can definitely do this job but to pull the intake I'm kinda iffy cause I've never done one but I'm sure I could tackle it. Thanks guys

[dsmuts]

You don't have to pull the intake to do the coolant elbow.

[dabears]

Really?! Wonder why the shop said it's gotta come off??? Oh yeah to get my money!

[Scottydoggs]

on the flip side, a lim job for 300 aint to bad. as they would have to change all the gaskets.

so if you have the plastic lim gaskets it may be worth it to let them do it. un less your up to it yourself, with some smart shopping i just did my lim for 60 bucks, and that does include a new upper elbow lol

[jakobkay]

Hello and welcome to the forum! If its just your upper coolant elbo and not the intake gasket leaking I reccomend these coolant elbos - Aluminum Coolant Elbows #ZZ-ALCE. They are aluminum and work great I had several problems with the crappy Orielys elbos I went through 3 elbos in the past year until I bought the new ones. The process isnt to bad just pull the serpintine belt off and the alternator and then remove the tensonor with 3 bolts pretty strait forward IMO also Id flush your coolant system while your at it. Good Luck!

[dabears]

thanks guys going out to the garage to do it now

[dsmuts]

make sure you get all the pieces of the elbow out of the lim and alt bracket. Also lube up the new elbow before sliding it in.

[nik12937]

If anyone purchases those aluminum elbows, buy GM o-rings for them, the ones they come with tend to rot out/fall apart quickly.

[dsmuts]

I have aluminum ones to go on when i ic but that won't be for a while yet.