Chrysler Repair: 99 3.8L van: coolant leak at rear of engine manifold, coolant leaks, coolant leak

Question
Coolant leaks from rear of 3.8L engine. The repair shop says it's the "Octopus" pipe that's attached to the engine and feeds the rear heater lines. He said it's about a $650 fix! Assuming I don't care if the rear heater works, what's the least expensive repair? Any diagrams or illustrations would be appreciated. Thanks, Kyle

Answer
Hi Kyle,
The latest manual I have is a '98 and it is completely opaque on the coolant distribution manifold at the rear of the 3.8L engine required to supply the rear heater. I believe that if you stopped at the parts counter of a dealership you could view that part on their parts computer. The price of the part may be the issue in which case you might try looking for a used one at wrecking yards particularly one you can pull off yourself. I suspect another approach would be to use a pipe that is designed for non-rear heater vans, which would likely be cheaper either new or used. My suspicion is that if your pipe has a structural leak that it will have to be replaced one way or the other as there is likely no way to seal off the rear distribution effectively, short of a replacement pipe.
Even if there were a diagram, this service is not equipped for posting of same.
I would be interested to learn how you work this out.
Roland