97 chevy silverado has coolant leak from some where and no heat

Before you go replacing a radiator, you need to check out why the quick overheat. Most likely due to low coolant which indicates a leak. Yes the core could be leaking...but it is not the most likely problem. If there is coolant dripping from the lower hose, it could be a simple matter of the lower hose clamp just needing to be tightened. They do work loose occasionally. Check the clamp, and tighten if needed. With the vehicle cold, check and refill the coolant in the both the radiator and the reservoir bottle. Run the vehicle to normal temperature and observe all connection points. IF no leaks are seen, use the vehicle normally and monitor coolant level for a week or so to ensure that you have solved the problem. If you are still loosing coolant, but have no visible signs of loss (drips or puddles under vehicle), then the problem could be a worn out water pump. They often tend to leak only when running and the lost coolant often evaporates on the engine block out of sight.

You have a heater core leak inside the dash behind the firewall.

your intake manifold gasket is leaking .

could be leaking from your brake master cylinder or if not brake fluid could be water from heating system

Hi,
Please specify wut kind of puddle it is, either oil or coolant?

if you have no external leaks then it sounds like you could have a possible leak into the oil system(you would have a milky look to the oil) or the head gasket may have a small leak and the car is burning coolant but not big enough to overheat yet.you should have the system pressure tested as you could have an external leak small enough that the heat of the motor could be drying it before it accumulates enough to drip off the motor and yet smell.also the heater core could have a small leak in it and not show a leak.

sounds like you have a coolant leak, if coolant is low it will cause both of your symtoms as to where it is coming from, there are many places but common ones are hoses/clamps, water pump or radiator.

First- When was the last time you checked it & it was full?
Second- Is a lot missing (1/2 gallon)?
Third- check the oil dipstick for any antifreeze in there or any white smoke from the exhaust,that would indicate a possible head gasket leak.
Fourth- Do you smell antifreeze inside the truck? Look for a small leak under the glove box in the dashboard for the heater core.
Hope this helps

could have a blown head gasket or cracked head or worse case scenario, a cracked block letting oil into the combustion chamber and out the exhaust. if it is letting coolant into the oil then pull the dipstick and there should be a milky white look to it where the oil tried to mix with the coolant. but its normal to have water alone drip from the drain hole in the exhaust from condesation. for every gallon of fuel your vehicle uses, it produces about a gallon of water thru the exhaust

It could be as simple as a leaking hose, but it may also be a corroded alloy hose fitting nipple.

Get is seen to by a mechanic before it fails completely, causing complete loss of coolant and expensive cooked motor.