coolant leak between engine and firewall.. (pics)

[General Geoff]

These are the best shots I could get in the dark.. basically it's spraying mist of coolant around this area, at first I thought it was that sensor (whatever it is, not sure yet), but the first pic here seems to show it spraying out of somewhere nearby. There's very little visibility back there so I'm kind of groping in the dark as to what else could be leaking nearby to cause it. Suggestions?

 

[TimboSHO]

There are many small coolant hoses in that area, as well as the thermostat housing and the coolant transfer block between the 2 heads. You might need to take the intake tube off to get a better look. If you have a coolant pressure tester, even better. We can't help you on the internet, because we are not there looking at the car. You'll just need to find the leak.

 

[General Geoff]

To be honest, the biggest thing in the way of getting a better look is the brake master cylinder and reservoir. I'll try and get a better look during the day to see what's what...

 

[rubydist]

if it is behind/under the brake booster, then it is likely one of the hoses or lines for the heater core. I have had both the lines and the hoses leak.

do you have access to a pressure tester? that is the easiest way to find it without having to scald yourself.

 

[General Geoff]

Sorry to say I do not have a pressure tester, and of course it only sprays when the system is hot/under pressure...


I honestly could not see any actual hose near where the leak appears to be coming from, though.

 

[Irish Pride]

Looks like one of your heater hoses has cracked. Very common. Look at the upper firewall near the middle and you will see 2 hoses coming out of the firewall and running to the lower driver side of the motor. You will need to remove the air intake and the throttle body to get to these hoses. Follow them from the firewall and you will be able to see where the hose is cracked. I'm gonna say it will be the lower hose coming off the block at the clamp. Thats the same spot i've had to deal with on 2 of my cars.

 

[General Geoff]

Is the lower hose, the one shown in the blurred foreground in the pictures with the screw-down hose clamp? It only has a bit over an inch of actual hose, then it seems to couple with a hard line.


It looks OK but old from where you see it, but I suspect that it's got a pinhole leak coming from the hidden side, which may be what's spraying and causing mist as the stream bounces off the engine block.

 

[General Geoff]

Good news, I think I found exactly what I'm looking for. This thread and included diagram describes exactly where I suspect mine is leaking from.

 

[Irish Pride]

Good news, I think I found exactly what I'm looking for. This thread and included diagram describes exactly where I suspect mine is leaking from.

Looks like one of your heater hoses has cracked. Very common. Look at the upper firewall near the middle and you will see 2 hoses coming out of the firewall and running to the lower driver side of the motor. You will need to remove the air intake and the throttle body to get to these hoses. Follow them from the firewall and you will be able to see where the hose is cracked. I'm gonna say it will be the lower hose coming off the block at the clamp. Thats the same spot i've had to deal with on 2 of my cars.

:wave:

 

[Irish Pride]

Post #5 - http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=117165

 

[General Geoff]

Yep, I just picked up that exact Dayco hose (B87612), and I'm just waiting for the weather to clear up before I drain the coolant and bust out the dremel...

 

[Irish Pride]

Yep, I just picked up that exact Dayco hose (B87612), and I'm just waiting for the weather to clear up before I drain the coolant and bust out the dremel...

Make sure that you do not damage the steel part of the hose. Take the dremel and start to cut the band(clamp) off the end and then use some snips if you can to finish the job.

 

[BlooDSMeaR]

Auto zone has loner tools, including a coolant pressure tester.

 

[General Geoff]

After much cursing and swearing, I got the old hose off without damaging the hard line and managed to get the new hose on along with one shiny new hose clamp (I reused the old one on the engine block side because I cleaned it up and looked at the markings, high end stainless steel clamp it is). Topped up the coolant, ran the car for an hour or so and took it for a ~5 mile drive, wound it out a bit, no overheating, no dripping. Just have to let the car cool off and check the coolant level again, and I'll declare this problem solved. Thanks for your help guys!

One other question though, is there any trick to bleeding the coolant system? I'd guess that almost half a gallon of coolant came out of the hose when I pulled it, but the radiator only took an extra quart or so after I installed the new hose. How would I go about getting the other quart in there?

 

[Irish Pride]

Fill the overflow bottle a little over half way and it will suck in what it needs. After a few days of driving top off the radiator and you should be good to go.

 

[General Geoff]

As an FYI, I was able to complete the job without removing the air box or throttle body assembly at all; there's apparently just enough room to thread one arm in from above the master cylinder, and thread the other one underneath the air box, to do the work without removing anything.