My vet has now taken to leaking antifreeze when its sitting in the garage, it does not appear to be from the block the oil is clean.

Any one have a clue on this one? Radiator? Water pump? it only leaks when its been sitting in the garage whe i drive it to the store its dry as a bone underneath?

 

You need to get under the car to see if you can spot a leak. Even though the leak can appear in a certain spot under the car, coolant can travel along surfaces and drip away from the actual leak.

I would certainly check under the water pump ends where they attach to the block. Check around the thermostat housing. It's hard to see/get to but check the "weep hole" at the WP snout where the pulley attaches. Check where the lower radiator hose attaches to the WP and to the bottom of the radiator.

You can feel the undersides of the heater hoses to see if there is coolant present. Other places to check are the freeze plugs on the sides of the block, where the knock sensor(s) thread into the block and if the car is an L98 and has the "oil cooler", check all of the hoses and fittings.

 

Not a clue, can be many things. My Crystal ball is broken at the moment..

Get your self a strong flashlight and hunt it down..

 

My "91" had that same leak...

After driving home from work, I would see a small puddle of coolant right under the middle of the engine. I looked under the engine to see where the leak was coming from but, could not find it.

It didn't look like it could be from the Water pump since the puddle was behind the water pump but, after taking it to my mechanic he found that the leak was coming from the water pump.

 

Run your fingers under the pump. You should not feel any moisture. If you do, it is most likely the weephole. Time for a new pump in that case. If it is the pump, attach a fitting to the weephole of the new pump, and run a small hose away from the pulleys and motor. I did this for my 1992 to prevent a weephole leak on the Opti. Since you don't have the Opti to worry about, this would just be to troubleshoot at a later point should the pump go bad again. The weephole would not drip on to the block this way and make it harder to find the culprit. Good luck!

 

Me Too

 

I'll bet you a nickle it's your water pump. When the weather gets cold it shrinks everything down , if the pump is borderline and the seals are getting worn the cold weather makes them leak by letting coolant seep by the seals.... I've had it happen to my cars, it doesn't do it while running, only when sitting in the cold garage...WW

 

Ok will start checking Thanks gents

 

My '89 was leaking at the back, passenger side of the intake manifold, running down the head and dripping on the catalytic converter. I could smell coolant, but didn't spot a leak until it progressively got worse.
When I began the disassembly process, the two intake bolts on that side, rear - were only finger tight.

 

But his is leaking when it's sitting in the garage cold , the intake shouldn't do that.. Dave , the best way to tell if it's your waterpump is to take a few sheets of paper towel, fold it up and wedge it under your waterpump, if it's the pump leaking the towels will be wet when you check.......WW

 

Damn good Idea I will try this for sure Thanks for the advice!

 

Go to your local parts store that loans tools and get a coolant pressure tester. If it only leaks cold the leak should show up better under pressure.

 

This is the only way I got mine to show up/ and yes it was the water pump.

 

There are two decent ways to track down coolant leaks...

As RWDsmoke said - probably the best way is to get a cooling system pressure tester - they typically run about $100 - but you can sometimes borrow one from an auto parts store - or rent one. Pressurize the cooling system to 10 - 15 psi and start looking around with a flashlight - the leak should be pretty easy to find - unless it's the heater core, or an internal engine leak.

The other way is to get some fluorescent dye from a auto parts store (you will need to find a pretty well stocked auto parts store - many of the box stores won't carry this stuff). They make a dye specifically for cooling systems, and another dye for oil leaks (engine oil / trans fluid etc.). Pour it into the cooling system, and drive the car for 10 - 15 minutes. When it's dark, look under the hood with a blacklight - the area around the leak will be quite easy to find. That should lead you to the problem area.

While many of the posts have suggested that a water pump is a likely culprit - it's surprising how many leaks are due to hose clamps that have loosened over time. It can't hurt to give each of the hose clamps (worm screw type clamps) a check and see if they're a bit loose - after all - it's free...


GOOD LUCK !!!

 

Need to get a mirror and flashlight in there to check the weep hole on the pump to confirm.



Its a guy thing . .