97base balancer install and coolant leak
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 776
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
97base balancer install and coolant leak
had to stop the install because of cold weather for now (central Ohio). i'll be tracking down a coolant leak when I get the balancer off so here is my question. what Chinese water pump would you all recommend? seems they are all china made so it seems like a crapshoot to me. prices are from about 60 bucks to about 200 and they all look alike. I know it's buyer beware but I have used some of the offshore stuff before and had good luck with them but have also heard some of the horror stories. what have you used and what do you think?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,470
Likes: 1,170
From: Dyer, IN
had to stop the install because of cold weather for now (central Ohio). i'll be tracking down a coolant leak when I get the balancer off so here is my question. what Chinese water pump would you all recommend? seems they are all china made so it seems like a crapshoot to me. prices are from about 60 bucks to about 200 and they all look alike. I know it's buyer beware but I have used some of the offshore stuff before and had good luck with them but have also heard some of the horror stories. what have you used and what do you think?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 776
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
quick update. I think I finally found the coolant drip. I don't drive in cold weather so I installed a heater by-pass last summer to boost the cooling effect in the cabin. although i'm not a huge a/c guy the wife is. with the suggestion of a forum member I used a Gates #28470 hose and routed it right up to the coolant tank and avoided the long run of the existing hoses. after several times using a flashlight and my fingers I saw a very small drop of coolant right on the hose clamp I installed last summer. hose goes from the water pump right to the coolant tank. I got a full turn on that clamp before it started to get tight. can't believe I did not have it tight when I did the mod. maybe it's because those hoses are a weird diameter from the factory. anyway i'll double check the water pump when I get the hb off. bty my mechanic friend told me that he has seen the coolant leak from the thermo. housing only when it's cold. makes a little sense because I only saw it the next day when it had cooled down. anyway thanks for the reply lucky
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,470
Likes: 1,170
From: Dyer, IN
quick update. I think I finally found the coolant drip. I don't drive in cold weather so I installed a heater by-pass last summer to boost the cooling effect in the cabin. although i'm not a huge a/c guy the wife is. with the suggestion of a forum member I used a Gates #28470 hose and routed it right up to the coolant tank and avoided the long run of the existing hoses. after several times using a flashlight and my fingers I saw a very small drop of coolant right on the hose clamp I installed last summer. hose goes from the water pump right to the coolant tank. I got a full turn on that clamp before it started to get tight. can't believe I did not have it tight when I did the mod. maybe it's because those hoses are a weird diameter from the factory. anyway i'll double check the water pump when I get the hb off. bty my mechanic friend told me that he has seen the coolant leak from the thermo. housing only when it's cold. makes a little sense because I only saw it the next day when it had cooled down. anyway thanks for the reply lucky
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 776
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
according to the little walmart temp. gauge i keep in the console l have seen a 4-6 degree drop.in that console. hard to be on the money because i had installed a four seasons ac compressor kit and done a little heat shielding under the floor and above the cats.at the same time. wife says it's very comfortable and thats good enough for me. if it gets above 97 around here I don't want to be in any car. I'll be in the ac house with a Miller highlife in my hand. these c5's can be hot and my 71 was hot.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,470
Likes: 1,170
From: Dyer, IN
according to the little walmart temp. gauge i keep in the console l have seen a 4-6 degree drop.in that console. hard to be on the money because i had installed a four seasons ac compressor kit and done a little heat shielding under the floor and above the cats.at the same time. wife says it's very comfortable and thats good enough for me. if it gets above 97 around here I don't want to be in any car. I'll be in the ac house with a Miller highlife in my hand. these c5's can be hot and my 71 was hot.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,722
Likes: 138
From: Florida
St. Jude Donor '09
I had a C-3, and the AC on it was marginal at best. I've never had an issue with elevated cabin temps. with any of the three C-5s I owned. That includes driving across southern Texas in the summer time with 110 deg. F ambient temp. on my way back to FL from CA. You may want to have your system checked out by an automotive AC shop.
