So I have been hearing a whining noise in the engine bay for a while now, but have been ignoring it thinking it was the intakes, but now I believe that it is a vacuum leak as my RPM's sometimes go weird on idle, maybe +\- 15 rpm, generally randomly, and the whole car would kind of pulse. The pulses are kind of random on idle, pretty bad on reverse, fine on drive and neutral, and when the A/C turns on it is pretty random too. I feel like this started when I installed Stillen Gen 3 intakes, but all the connections are tight and solid. Recently I tried spraying around brake clean around where I hear the vacuum leak, but I couldn't get a hit where the RPM would drop, so I doubt it is an intake related vacuum leak. Or maybe I missed the leak, but I am confident it isn't based on all the spots I checked and amount sprayed.

As for the coolant leak, I have a small suspicion it started around the same time, or after I changed my power steering pump after I blew it up (Upgrading the power steering cooler is something I would suggest to anyone that is a bit of a hooligan with these cars). But anyways, the leak is very small, I don't lose THAT much coolant every time it runs, and it does not leak from the bottom every time, but when it does, it is not very much, so I don't know what is going on with that. I also don't know exactly where it is leaking from, and won't be able to know until the summer or if I decide to bring it to a shop.

I am know thinking that the two are related and the vacuum leak is where the coolant is leaking from too. Any ideas on the situation or possible target spots?

 

Get an inspection mirror and a good flashlight. Look for the coolant leaking on the left/driver side of the motor, near the front by the timing chain cover, on the block right next to the thermostat housing. There's a little weep hole and if it's leaking from there then you need a new water pump. Better to change it out early as soon as it starts weeping rather than waiting for it to seize up and destroy stuff.

 

Today I was driving and smoke was coming from the hood. I checked it out and the back passenger side of the engine bay, around the transmission dip stick is soaked in coolant. This happened at around 10 minutes of driving. I popped the hood to find where it was coming from and couldn't. I am also very confident the vacuum leak is the same place.

 

Around this area, you can kind of see it is still wet

 

So I found the coolant leak, it was the heater hose adapter, I have changed it to a metal Z1 version. Still have a vacuum leak in the same area, it is pretty loud too.