coolant leak

[THC420]

My car is dripping coolant. it doesnt do it all the time. only sometimes, and the dripping stops a few mins after i turn the car off. Also it does not drip while its running, only after I shut the car off. the coolant ends up dripping down where the transmission meets the engine. where are the possible places that it could be coming from?

 

[DMAN302]

Hard to guess..powerwash the engine, then go looking around. Could be a heater hose, intake leak...could be anywhere.

 

[THC420]

i recently changed my pcv valve, could i have knocked something back there loose? its impossible to see back there so i cant really tell where it is coming from.

 

[DMAN302]

There are no lines around the PCV but you may be leaking from the heater hoses off the intake, or from the back of the intake if the seal is all done. It CAN even travel from various places and SEEM like it's from one place to another.

 

[TheUser]

given the location, I would check and make sure the heater hoses are tight where they connect to the metal pipe by the passenger side firewall. That's all I can think of and I don't know why they'd be leaking when the car is off, but not while it's on.

 

[THC420]

where is it easier to see where its coming from? from the top of the car? or from underneath?

 

[Sicarius428]

Top. Check to see if it may be leaking between the intake and the block/head area in the back of the engine too.
Kevin

 

[DMAN302]

powerwash, take car home..pop the hood, put her up on jackstands and let it run. If the leak is bad enough it won't take you long to find it. Note though fluid can travel all over from origin to where it finally drops. I found coolant on my cross member, but infact it was leaking just under the waterpump..you never know.

 

[jackchan]

put her up on jackstands and let it run

just make sure you are in a well vented area.........carbon monoxide will kill ya!


also some areas it could be coming from are the heater core, freeze plugs are also located in the back of the block and heads. But hopefully you will find your problem to be something minor , like a heater hose or maybe the radiator over flow......is cracked or something.
good luck
Jack

 

[THC420]

its weird tho, it only does it periodically. like one out of every 7-8 times i drive the car. and not while its running. once i shut it off it will drip about 100 ml's. it did it earlier today. the last 3 trips out not even 1 DROP. i dunnno what it could be, why would it only do it sometimes?

 

[THC420]

i was out tonight driving around for about 20 mins, stopped the car and turned it off for like 10 while i was at a buddys. not a drop. then i drove home about 20 mins and i drove pretty hard, got home and once again not a drop. this is driving me nuts.

 

[89 Saleen#455]

Get yourself some UV leak dye (made for cooling systems), add it to your cooling system, drive the car for about 30 mins (getting the engine temp. real warm). Pull the car into a dark garage or wait until it gets dark outside and search the engine compartment with a UV light. Check all the hoses, waterpump, radiator, freeze plugs, firewall drain plug, everything associated with your cooling system..... If you don't find the leak in the engine compartment, try the UV light on the passenger compartment rug up behind the glove box. Could be a sign the heater core is failing.