Engine Where is this coolant leak coming from?
- Thread starter dqureshi06
- Start date
89ripper
Founding Member
Well, there is the thermostat housing right next to that, and also a heater pipe threaded into the lower intake also close to that. My guess is your thermostat housing.
89ripper
Founding Member
Yes i know. I was merely confirming what i hoped you already knew. I used to have coolant pool up there, I just couldnt remember what leaked on mine. Are you running a stock intake?
89ripper
Founding Member
Im just gonna leave this here. I seem to forget people dont all have cobra intakes but you might find some answers here
stangnet.com
Cobra lower intake question - coolant leak
Alright, I'd like to get my car out pretty soon, but it needs a repair. I put in new temperature sensors last year, and immediately after I did that it started leaking coolant around the front of the intake, like around the distributor (small amount where the intake meets block) and it's...
stangnet.com
89notchDude
Active Member
its the thermostat housing.. I had the same issue last week... took it off, threw away the new gasket that was on it and used rtv instead.... now I have no leaks....
Leaks develop from the T stat housing, front corners of the lower intake, upper hose at the T stat housing, corners of the timing cover. Old gaskets plus electrolysis eats at the aluminum and causes leaks. May be time to freshen up with some new stuff.
you are gonna have to take some stuff off to tell
you are gonna have to take some stuff off to tell
Sometimes (only sometimes) after driving my 1989 GT there comes a pretty big puddle of coolant under the car. When I look there seems to be drops coming off the bellhousing. I’m pretty sure that means the leak is somewhere behind the engine but where could it be from? Lower intake? The car runs fine as of now.
Yeah it was. Tightened the bolts and no leak. But now there’s a leak coming from the rear of the engine. Man are these cars fun.
Stock cooling system?
could be heater hoses, intake gasket at the back corners,
could be heater hoses, intake gasket at the back corners,
Is there a way to check without pulling the intake off? I have a new radiator, rest is pretty much stock hoses etc
You could pull the upper off, that might give you enough access that maybe you could see evidence. My guess is the hoses/connections at the heater tubes.
my 1989 mustang has had overheating problems in the past and has reached some pretty high temperatures. The overheating has somewhat been fixed since I installed a new radiator but I was wondering what temperatures would be dangerous enough to cause engine damage to a stock motor. Should I assume the red line on the coolant temp gauge is where engine damage starts to occur? I’ve never touched redline but I’ve come pretty close to it for maybe a few seconds.
89notchDude
Active Member
I had a leak just like that. Used a coolant system pressure tester so I could look over things in detail without the car being hot, and found it was leaking at the radiator hose to thermostat housing connection. It was leaking on the back side dead center and you couldn't see it at all from the front. The coolant was running down onto the water pump then getting in the O2/starter wiring harness and running all the way to the back of the engine then dripping off the bell housing.
Wow that’s crazy I might have to try that out. If it’s leaking from there I should be able to feel some wetness in that spot right?
Do you see any coolant between the valve cover and the lower intake? Leaks at the ECT sensor and heater hose tube to lower intake connection will run down the lower intake and drip off the back of the motor.
You can borrow a cooling system pressure kit from the parts stores and pump the system up to 15 psi and check for leaks.
You can borrow a cooling system pressure kit from the parts stores and pump the system up to 15 psi and check for leaks.
Blown88GT
Founding Member
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