Dripping a little green blood

[Whitefish]

I have a 94 mtx which, through my time of ownership, has had numerous coolant leaks. I am on my third radiator in 115000 mi. The last one, 12000 miles ago. Presently, it might leak for two days, then be fine for the better part of a week, then leak three straight days and stop again. All hose connections are tight and do not appear wet at the connector. I have noticed that each side of the radiator, from top to bottom, has coolant leaching over it. I had a local mechanic scratch his head over it, pressure test it and finally pour some stop leak into it ( is this going to fup anything up?) Any guesses as to where it may be and why there would be coolant on each side from top to bottom? Thanks for the response.

 

[Mans442]

I suspect it is your radiator. The intermittent leak could be from the bottom of the rad, and as is physically moves around while driving, the leak becomes more prevalent. Check to see if it is mounted tightly to all of its brackets, etc.
You can try the Bars Stop Leak stuff, but I have never had too much luck with it. Others will say it works well.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Most people (myself included) here are of the opinion that that stop-leak stuff usually does more harm than good. Others swear by it. My preference is to find the problem and fix it properly.

What I'd recommend doing is first get some rags and clean off as much of the coolant from the bottom of the motor, undercarriage, etc. as possible. Then park the car overnight with either an old sheet, a clean piece of cardboard, etc. underneath the engine to see if you can more accurately ID the source of the leak. You may have to do this for several nights until the leak reveals itself.

The recent addition of stop leak may prevent you from locating the problem, but you might want to spend the $$$ to have the system professionally flushed and pressure-tested. It's rare that a competent mechanic can't isolate a leak with a pressure test -- I've also never met a mechanic worth his salt that would use any kind of stop leak except in a true emergency.

Who has done your radiator replacements? As you may know, the SHO uses an aluminum core radiator with plastic tanks crimped to the side. Improper installation can often cause leakage along the tanks, even on a brand-new radiator. Any chance you have a local SHO-knowledgeable mechanic who might be able to help you out?

 

[sdpatt]

The Taurus radiators have a common source of leakage from the rubber seals between the composite end tanks and the metal tube section. Most aftermarket radiators have a lifetime warranty so you may want to check on that. Search for cheap radiator sources in the Forum if you are not covered by a warranty.