If it is the heater core you can do a bypass by taking one of the heater core hoses off at the firewall and disconnect the other hose at the block. Then take the hose from the heater core and route it to the connection at the block for the other hose. This should really be done with the hose without the heater core flow valve on it as it might affect the bypass. When you do this you are running the coolant that would be going into and out of the heater core in and out of the block where the 2 hoses connect. So one hose stays connected at the block but disconnected at firewall. The other hose disconnects at the block but stays connected to the firewall, this one does not matter as this hose will no longer have fluid in it.
Then the hose from the connection at the block goes back into the hose you disonnected from the block looping the fluid in the hose and keeping it from going into the heater core. If that does not help, you probably do have a freeze plug that is blown out enough to leak and it is near the tranny block or it could be at the back of the block in the mating area, I just have not seen a block like that but I am sure some manufacturers put freeze plugs there. So, you can look around the block halfway in between the oil pan and head you will see dish shaped plugs about an inch or two in diameter that are press fit or actually beaten into the block with a special tool. Look for ones that look pushed out or past the edge of the block face or show signs of leakage. To check the tranny/block area, pull the tranny inspection cover and see if there is an accumulation of anti-freeze. You probably won't be able to see the plug but you might. You can bang in the plugs that have been pushed out with a rubber mallet. If you damage them or drive them too far you will make the situation so bad you won't be able to drive the car. You can buy cooling system leak stop or head gasket leak fix that sometimes works depending on the size of the leak. This will pollute your cooling system and if you ever get it fixed you will need to really flush it out. Do not buy a PERMANANT head gasket fix as they can cause other problems. Hopefully the sealant will clog the hole and you will be on your way. You can first try a raw egg directly into the radiator as it will act like radiator leak fix and seal small leaks for a while. Keep a carton with you. They won't pollute your system as bad either.
The real issue is that the coolant circuit froze or is corroded bad enough that the cre is rotten or a reeze plug has been puched out as they are made to expand out when coolant circuit freezes. When either happens you can expect other problems to show up like a bad radiator or a head gasket leak or the worst is a crack in the block which will occur at the lowest point in the sytem becasue water is heavier than anti-freeze. Anti-freeze will only last a few years or so many miles depending on what you use. Then it loses its ability to hold water and keep it from freezing. The water falls out of the Anti-freeze/water blend or freezes the fluid in place.
You have the options to get you by but you will be looking at a repair that needs to be thorogh in order to avoid other issues in the futire. Teh best thing to make sure you do in the end is a coolant system pressure test and try to get a, "leakdown" test as this will tell you how long the system can hold pressure. If it can't hold the pressure even if it can make it it still has a small leak somewhere.
Friday, December 23rd, 2011 AT 7:27 AM