2002 2.5 AWD/auto..hopefully located coolant leak....left hand side of engine....a pool of coolent sitting below where the two metal pipes join..{just beside intake manifold}...not sure if coming the pipe joint?....where else could be the leak be from?...... Could it be the Intake Manifold Gasket or the dreaded Head Gasket ? ...Any thoughts most welcomed!

 

It sounds like you describing the pipe connected to the upper radiator hose. If that is correct you most likely have a crack in the pipe. It is plastic not metal it TEES down and goes to the thermostat. They crack due to thermal cycling of the engine heating up and then cooling down. Below is a picture of the assembly (looking from the bottom up) from the SNG Barratt web site. It comes complete with a new thermostat. When changing it "be careful" the radiator connection is plastic also.

 

these pipes are metal......coolant pooling below.....pipes are dry when not running shall lool again today...where else could be the leak be from?...... Could it be the Intake Manifold Gasket or the dreaded Head Gasket...where would coolant drip out from head gasket?









...Any thoughts most welcomed!

 

There are no metal coolant lines on the left side of the engine as you sit in the passenger seat. There is a rubber hose running from the reservoir to the water pump on the side of the engine. On the right side of the engine as you sit in the drivers seat there are some metal cooling system components but no metal pipes.
It is difficult to determine from the picture where you are looking under the hood. If it is the left side it could be the hose from the reservoir or the water pump.
The best way to locate the leak is by pressure testing the coolant system with the engine off. Most auto stores have pressure testing kits you can borrow or you can take it to a radiator shop and have it pressure tested.
If you download the free parts catalog from SNG Barratt (forum sponsor) you can see the blowups of the entire cooling system parts list.