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First off, I’m not entirely sure of what I’m doing. I just started working on my van a week ago, so that is just how experienced I am mechanically. I can not afford many parts, I have $100 to my name for the next 2 weeks.
The first incident I noticed was last week. My son noticed a coolant smell, then we heard a pop and hiss sound. I pulled over immediately, and there was a small coolant leak. It was enough to leave a puddle the size of what would probably fit into a coffee cup. I also checked the oil, which looked fine. The oil dipstick broke while it was out of the engine (I have since had my oil changed by a place I trust, oil still looked healthy). After letting the van cool, I topped off the radiator with water (all I had), but it didn’t take much at all. Drove the van home, let it cool and cleaned it with a foam engine cleaner. I made sure to rinse it very well and let it dry before driving it again. The engine was dirty, like in these pictures, almost right away, but no more obvious emergency coolant problems that made me pull over right away.
My daughter and her boyfriend were using the van and came home to tell me that the van had a leak this morning. The radiator was empty this time. The van was still dripping. The hoses are “puffy” around the clamps. I am wondering if the seal/gasket on the part that connect the top hose to the engine(?) needs to be replaced as well as the hoses? I have only a small mechanics tool set that I purchased from Autozone, so if I need more than that for tools it is a factor for me.
I tried to use the paperclip method to read codes, but there is no check engine light, and I don’t have a tester.
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Looks like oil from the valve cover. Rent a coolant pressure
tester from an auto part store. find the leak. you may want to
change your hoses.I checked my local stores and the only hoses they have in stock are the flexible ones. Will they be alright, or do I really need to have them order the ones that look like my old ones?
I’d just like to say, THANK YOU!
Those flexible ones are not that good if I’m being honest.
Get the correct hoses that came with the truck.I went to Autozone and rented the pressure tester. Looks, so far, like both top and bottom hoses. I did get the cheezy ones, but I’m going have to drive it and I’ll replace them in a couple of weeks. Nobody has mine in stock. I kept the pressure tester so that I can check it again after I’m done. I also got the valve cover gasket, as well as break cleaner for the egr valve and line. I got the top hose off with a lot of wiggling and pulling. It looks like it was glued down. The bottom hose is much harder for me to get. I’m sure it’s been glued as well. It’s getting dark, so I’ll go back out in the morning.
Again, THANK YOU!
I just watched the video about Stop Leak. I’m thinking that is what is all over where I thought was glue? I dunno. I’ll take a picture tomorrow. I know I have an old car, but everything can’t be wrong with it! Is there some sort of Automobile Hypochondria? 😆
Couldn’t get a picture of what I thought might be stop leak, but other stupid problems. I can’t seem to get the bottom hose off the intake for the engine (is that right?). The clamp feels like it is just twisting, but not grabbing to unwind the clamp. Here’s a picture of what the clamp looks like. So I gave that a break and went on to the valve gasket. That stupid bolt is rusted into the cover on the inside of the van, and I cannot get to anything unless the bolt comes out! I’ve got it soaking in pbb, but I think I’ve either rounded off the head or messed up my socket. What do I do? I’m stuck….literally!
The stuck hoses: try GENTLY twisting the hose. Try to push the hose farther on. Take a right angle pick to get under it and part the hose from the fitting. Then PUSH the hose off by working it form each side a bit with a large flat screwdriver. once you get it to move it will usually come on off. Try these in different combinations. Be firm but gentle. REMEMBER: Time is cheaper than broken parts in our, I mean your, situation. These work on almost any size and type of hose. Use what seems to be appropriate the particular situation. The hoses can act like Chinese handcuffs when you pull on them. When that is coupled with the stiffening of the rubber and the crud it can be enough to hold them in place like a vise.
Rusted Bolts:
BEFORE you try to remove them strike them sharply in line with the centerline of the bolt using a drift and hammer. This will break the bond the rust has with the sides. I learned this at a turbo shop I worked at, and from growing up on Hatteras Island, NC.(salt air… good stuff!) Be careful with small bolts as you can bend them. What constitutes ‘small’ and the force needed to bend the bolt gets less the farther you get off center/angle. I also love a product called “PB Blaster”. It stinks, but it works. I am reluctant to include this, but it does work. Tighten the bolt first. It takes almost no rotation to ‘break’ them and there is usually room to tighten them enough to break them loose. But be careful!Sometimes you will have to work the bolt out, especially if it is exposed out of the ‘female’ part. Unscrew until it binds then tighten a bit. You may have to tighten several turns to clear the threads for every half turn gained. Makes for a good speedy time on the repair.
To all the engineers that are screaming that a ‘bolt’ is an assembly of a screw and a nut, SHUD-DUP!
I just came back in to cool off….getting frustrated. I struck the bolt, and any grip that was left just completely shattered right off. I tried to use a screwdriver to at least pry up on the slits in the clamp, no dice. The hose is swollen OVER the sides of the clamp, both sides. This is where my biggest leak was coming from.
try to use a small pick to intrude between the lip of the hose and the coolant inlet (i don’t know if i am saying that right), and work in a circular motion to break up the rust or whatever that is causing the hose to stay on there so tightly. you might have to rip the hose up if it’s stuck that badly
The problem is the hose clamp. It’s on there really tight. I can’t get right up where I can see it, but that clamp will just not loosen. Should I cut the hose away, then just start prying at it? I do have a pair of pliers that I bought for the fuel filter. Maybe I can try those on both the bolt and the clamp? Not so worried about the bolt anymore, but I can’t drive the van with that hose….especially now that I’ve split the other end. I just don’t want to break something else, and I HAVE to drive it come Monday morning.
[quote=”Crystalof9″ post=55641]The problem is the hose clamp. It’s on there really tight. I can’t get right up where I can see it, but that clamp will just not loosen. Should I cut the hose away, then just start prying at it? I do have a pair of pliers that I bought for the fuel filter. Maybe I can try those on both the bolt and the clamp? Not so worried about the bolt anymore, but I can’t drive the van with that hose….especially now that I’ve split the other end. I just don’t want to break something else, and I HAVE to drive it come Monday morning.[/quote]
what is that picture of? there’s so much grease around the area that i can’t make out the image. i thought you shattered the clamp off? if not, you’ll have to cut the clamp out then. a dremel could do this
That would be the bolt inside the van on the engine cover. It’s covered in PB Blaster. Any grip left on it just shattered right off when I struck it. I saw some of the tricks online involving a torch, but I don’t have access to anything like that. I wonder if I somehow scratched a groove into the center I might stand 1/2 a chance?
The hose clamp is covered on both sides by the swollen hose and will not untighten. I thought maybe it was loosening up, but it isn’t. The tiny screw on it will turn, no problem, but it doesn’t seem to be engaging the little grooves. I tried to dig into the grooves with the tip of a flathead screwdriver, but couldn’t get in there. In the morning I think I’ll try to remove the hose from around it and see if I can somehow clip it (all we have for that is Gerber/Leatherman type tools). I tried to include a video of it in my last post, but it didn’t show up. I can’t really see it myself, so it was kind of a flyby. 😆
Tomorrow is another day. I might have the help of a couple of teenagers too, so I’m gonna stay positive!
posting up a video will definitely be a great help in visualizing the situation.
you can buy torches at home depot or you can drill out that bolt on the valve cover gasket. you can try making a groove on the bolt to see if you can get it to budge.
and with the clamp, it really sounds like you might have to cut it off. a pair of dikes should be able to snip off the clamp.
Ok, trying to upload the video again. Hope it works!
The bolt in the picture isn’t on the valve cover, thank God! It’s on the console-type engine cover thing-a-majiger inside the van. I have to get that out in order to open the space up to work on the back of the engine. Changing the spark plugs would have been MUCH easier if I could have done that sooner, but I reached them from underneath the van. I won’t have that option with the valves, I would never get the cover off!
edit: The video won’t upload. Is there a certain way I need to upload? I’ve just been taking video/picture with phone, emailing to myself, downloading, going to “documents” and double clicking to add file. It worked for all of the pictures, but won’t work for video.
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