hey all, have had a slow coolant leak for about a week and last night it got worse. looking for help on what to take apart first.

symptoms - coolant temp gauge went from 200 to about 150 real fast and did that a few times. as soon as i got home i hear a hissing noise and i lost about all of the coolant in my overflow tank.

it was dark but i tried to narrow it down where the leak was coming from but was unable to see it through the front grill or with the hood open.

anybody ever have this happen to them? dont know where to start! not sure if its water pump, thermostat, or just a hose.

thanks

 

 

What you need to consider is if you can't see the leak while right there with it, what are the odds that we can see it while looking out over the internet.


Did you hear the hissing noise after you turned off the engine?


How do you know you are losing coolant if you cant see where it is coming from?


Did the coolant in the overflow bottle pour out on to the ground?


Have you replaced the radiator cap with a quality 16# unit?

 

i know i am losing coolant because there was a giant puddle on the ground and i know what coolant smells like. yes the noise was after i turned off the engine. not the cap either that appeared to be fine.

just was seeing if anyone had a similar problem and what their fix was before i took apart the whole front clip.

and of course i know you cant see it, I remember when people on this site tried to help and werent pompous *******s.

 

How does a cap appear to be fine.........or am I being too pompous?

 

the area around the cap is completely dry

 

Not meaning to be a Pompous Person, just trying to get you to consider that we can't see what is going on. I personally wouldn't leap in first thing and take apart the whole front clip but that is, of course, your choice to make.

 

Hey, that looks like a great way to get help!

I'll have to try it sometime.


Silly me, I thought the best way was to describe a problem as completely as I can, tell what I've done so far, you know, that kind of thing. Sort of, put some effort into it instead of waiting to be spoon-fed.

I guess I've been doing it wrong!


Oh, by the way, yes, a lot of people have had the same symptoms.


NO, that doesn't mean that their problem was the same as your problem.

 

Mine leaked. I traced it down to the first 12 inches of my upper hose. Use a good light and look till you find it. Btw there is a "weep hole" in the bottom of the water pump that will drip when the seal in the pump fails.

 

That's good to know. Do u know if the 2 valves in the rad cap r functioning correctly? There r 3 sealing surfaces in the rad cap......the one that prevents coolant from leaking outside seems to be good since u said the area is dry but do u know if the 2 internal sealing surfaces r sealing properly?

The cap can appear to be fine on the outside and totally trash on the inside. A properly functioning rad cap is critical to a coolant recovery system functioning correctly.