1990 Coolant Leak
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Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 33
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1990 Coolant Leak
The past few times I have taken my car out I have noticed fluid on the garage floor that I believe to be coolant. The reason I say believe to be coolant is that it is in a garage that had previously housed a car with an oil leak. It has had a small leak for a few months but after a longer trip with several days of use it seems to have worsened. The leak appears to be near the front towards the driver's side. I don't plan on working on this myself but would like some idea of possibilities before I take it to a mechanic. Also any suggestions for a good mechanic in the South Jersey area. Thanks for any input.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 610
Likes: 12
From: Seattle Wa
Mine was leaking from the petcock. Its on the passenger side, but it was running along the core support , and dripping on the drivers side. Could just be a matter of tightening. After that take a look at the hoses, and if I remember right there are 2 small ones at the bottom of the throttle body. Lastly look at the bottom of your water pump, there is a weep hole there, and when the pump fails, it will run, drip, or seep from this hole. If there is nothing visible, then its probably the radiator, which after 25yrs you can expect all these parts to be at the end of there life cycle. You can pick up a nice aluminum radiator for under $200 off ebay, that will be twice as good as your factory piece. h
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,491
Likes: 748
I have a 1990 six-speed coupe and I had to replace the water pump last year. It took all day. The water pump itself was around $40. I went ahead and replaced the hoses that attach to the water pump. The leak started off small and got worse and worse. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have to remove the A/C bracket. It definitely must come off. There were over 30 nuts and bolts that had to come off and I put them in several zip lock bags with labels.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 768
Likes: 22
From: California
FL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor'13
The past few times I have taken my car out I have noticed fluid on the garage floor that I believe to be coolant. The reason I say believe to be coolant is that it is in a garage that had previously housed a car with an oil leak. It has had a small leak for a few months but after a longer trip with several days of use it seems to have worsened. The leak appears to be near the front towards the driver's side. I don't plan on working on this myself but would like some idea of possibilities before I take it to a mechanic. Also any suggestions for a good mechanic in the South Jersey area. Thanks for any input.
Also they sell kits that you can buy for a good price that you can use to detect the leak if you can not find it.
