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I recently installed a new radiator and thermostat and flushed the system on my '87 C4 convertible, and was running nicely for a while until I noticed a puddle under my car. Looked under the hood and found a puddle of coolant on the engine, circled in the picture attached.
I'm 99% sure it's not coming from the thermostat right above since I recently replaced that and the gasket and checked to make sure there were no leaks.
I'm curious where else this leak could be coming from?
I'm fairly new to repairing vehicles, so I'm not sure how difficult this repair might be and any advice towards that would be appreciated also. Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the Forum and congrats on getting your hands dirty!
The way to locate the leak is to put your system under pressure and look for the fluid flow.
The safest/best way to do it is to use a hand held pump to pressure your system while your engine is cold. You will see the drip quickly and not burn yourself.
Borrow/rent one from a auto parts store and return it later that day.
Welcome to the Forum and congrats on getting your hands dirty!
The way to locate the leak is to put your system under pressure and look for the fluid flow.
The safest/best way to do it is to use a hand held pump to pressure your system while your engine is cold. You will see the drip quickly and not burn yourself.
Borrow/rent one from a auto parts store and return it later that day.
Here's a couple of additional tips. I had the U shaped hose that goes from the block to the TPI crack and sprayed coolant so it was hard to track down.
On a side note. If you have Prestone or some of the other brands, they fluoresce under a black light. Helps tracking down leaks based on how it shows up under the light.
I'd start with pressurizing the cooling system and go from there.
(my 2-cents) -- question - did you have a leak before the new thermostat, or just after? if after, and from the location of the puddled antifreeze, I'd say the gasket/thermostat housing is the culprit. the only other possible source the IAC housing at the bottom of the throttle body, but my money is on the thermostat housing.
since you seem rather new to wrenchin' on the C4, I've got to ask - were both mating surfaces of the perfectly cleaned for this repair, did you use any type of sealant for this repair, or just a gasket, and, I probably know the answer to this, but did you torque the bolts to spec - 26 ft.lbs?
permatex makes an excellent RTV silicone for water pump/thermostat housings. if using a gasket, I suggest fel-pro. although not necessary, I do use permatex high tack sealant in combination with the gasket(s) in the cooling system. finally, clean all threaded hardware/bolt holes, and use a thread sealant.
06-14-2017, 11:40 AM
Help with repair, coolant leak location?
