Need some help with a small coolant leak

[Yeti_Owner]

And that's a perfectly round hole like its supposed to be there....it appears that that hole isn't in the radiator itself, but where it's mounted into on the bottom...maybe...haven't worked on one of these in years

Right,IIRC there is a metal "exoskeleton" around the bottom of the tanks. Odds are it's leaking from somewhere on the tank seam down, and draining through there. It's going to be tough to troubleshoot beyond that without being there. Make sure your cap isn't leaking (go have it tested), make sure the hoses aren't leaking, and beyond that, you may have to pull the radiator out and look for signs of seepage (it will be pretty obvious).

 

[BlueSuit82]

That's what it's looking like....hoses are definitely intact. Not a drop of wetness around them. And the cap appears to be fine. Will probably just replace the rad. It isn't that much. Thanks for the help, all....

 

[Yeti_Owner]

Sorry it wasn't a super-quick fix, buddy.

 

[great white]

I would suspect the hose has either swollen and gone soft or the clamp has come loose since it looks like it comes from around (what looks like) the hose....

 

[Yeti_Owner]

I would suspect the hose has either swollen and gone soft or the clamp has come loose since it looks like it comes from around (what looks like) the hose....

You have a point - it's a 93 with 22K miles on it, there could be lots of dry rotted stuff on it.


Wait - hey BlueSuit82

...the motor is shot, you are out of blinker fluid. I'll buy it off you for a thousand bucks. Deal? 8-D

 

[BlueSuit82]

Hahahaha....Nope, filled up the blinker fluid, greased the muffler bearings, replaced the flux capacitor, and adjusted the continuum transfunctioner........fixin up the rad next week, easy enough. Now....on to these 20 year old Uniroyals!

 

[Yeti_Owner]

Oh yeah - need to swap those dry rotted things out, for sure!

Did you figure out what was up with the leak?

 

[BlueSuit82]

Yup. Once I pulled off the fan shroud, the problem was staring me right in the face. Corroded out and leaking basically where the core meets the passenger side tank, about midway up. Got the new rad and hoses, just waiting until I have time next week to do it. Should be an interesting experiment. One thing I didnt come across in the maintenance records was a flush and fill of the cooling system. Lube, oil, and filter changes were done religiously, but its appears that the green stuff is "vintage". On the upside, it still looks bright green and doesn't have weird crap floating in it, soooooooo.......who knows?