2006 Coolant leak

[Revtap]

I'm just starting to get into DIY car repair, so apologies if this is a really basic question.

My 06 Vibe has had a slow coolant leak for a while now, and I'm trying to track it down and see if I can take care of it on my own. From what I've been able to see without disassembling anything, the leak is at or near the back of the engine block, slightly to the passenger side. So far I haven't been able to find any particularly illuminating diagrams to indicate what in that vicinity to be looking at. Running the A/C or heat doesn't have any effect that I've noticed on the rate of the leak, it's just a slow constant drip whenever the system is up to pressure. Just wondering what's back there that may be leaking and if a noob who's never done anything more intensive than replacing the alternator might be able to handle it.

Thanks!

[MacGyver]

Probably the water pump, but it's on the belt side of the engine. There are YouTube videos showing how to replace it.

[circuitsmith]

There's a spigot back there to drain the block. Could be what's leaking.

[Revtap]

Thanks for the tips. Finally had a chance to crawl under there today, and determined the drain spigot is not the culprit; the leak is further to the passenger side. It looks like it's directly underneath the passenger side edge of where the exhaust manifold connects to the block. The photo is more or less centered on where it's dripping; the spigot is off-camera to the left. New thoughts?

[jolt]

I would let the engine run until it is heated up and has pressure on the cooling system. Then shut it off and go under there and look for leaks. If you have driven down the road, stuff blows all over the place and finding the source is very hard. You may have to clean up the back of the engine and then just run it in the garage until you find the source of the leak.

Check hoses and tubes for pin hole leaks that may be spraying on the back of the block. The exhaust manifold bolts to the cylinder head, not the block. If the leak is coming from the under the exhaust manifold as you say, it could be a blown head gasket on a coolant passage or a cracked head. Either way, you would want to repair it as soon as possible because it will only get worse and cause more damage to other components.