Oldsmobile/Buick Repair: 98 OLDs INTRIGUE/ Heat/Radiator, blown head gasket, transmission oil cooler

Question
Good Afternoon,
History-- Replaced water pump--no problems two months.  Wife calls me-this moning the low-radiator light came on, and she has no heat.  She stated that very low air was flowing from the vents and that the air was cool/cold.  Is this the heater coil, or could this be something else.

Thank you  

Answer
Hi Jay,
Possible that the heater core is leaking, but also possible the water pump, or some other part is leaking. You must be loosing coolant somewhere.
If there is no external leak, and look real good, then it is going someplace else.
Two places it can go.
One is a blown head gasket or leaking intake manifold gasket. Both would loose coolant through the engine. Usually the head gasket would cause overheating, but depending on the size of leak, it might not yet.

A leak in the transmission oil cooler would allow coolant to enter the transmission. That is easy to check for. The fluid will be overfull, and may be milky.

Van