The water is being put in because it was overheating. We changed the thermostat and everything and it got better, but about a month later it started overheating again and now it is leaking water bad from underneath the car. Whatever is leaking is covered by a shield thing. Im not sure what it is, and I dont want to replace it before I know if thats really what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If the leak is on the passenger side of the car (near the tire) then it is most likely your water pump. It is driven by the serpentine belt that drives most of the visible components on the passenger side of the engine. (power steering, A/C, Alternator etc) To check it, you need to look UNDER the water pump, it has a weep hole. If this small (1/8) hole is wet, or shows signs of having been leaking (like discoloration or rust) then your waterpump seals or bearings are going. The unit must be replaced. This should also fix your over heating problems. If the leak is near the back-center of the engine, then it may be a frost plug (also called a freeze plug) these are designed to pop if the enging coolant freezes to prevent damage to the engine block, they can also be opened if the engine over heats. Be careful when replacing this plug, if you drive it INTO the engine, you will have to dismantle the engine to get it out again. On the plus side, you can get rubber plugs that are easy to install and quite inexpensive. I'd place the water pump as the most likely problem.
