Coolant leaking 2001 dodge strauts

[Brandon]

Hello!

I am working on my mother in laws car it is a 2001 dodge stratus 4 cylinder 2.4 dohc.

When i pulled into my driveway this evening my family had the car running trying to get a charge on the battery.

I noticed a puddle of coolant under the car, and immediately shut it off.

The coolant came from somewhere around the thermostat housing/radiator cap.

Could a failed radiator cap cause a leak like this? I have attached a picture of what i am referring too. (disregard the red circle)

Thanks!

Attachments:

• photo1.JPG

Topic

[Matthew]

Do the simplest thing first and make sure the coolant level is correct before you start testing things.

If the cap is leaking it could be a few issues.

1. There is too much pressure in the cooling system and the valve on the cap is venting, which will expel coolant. This can be caused by a clog in the system or an overheating issue, which could stem from a number of things.
2. The cap could be faulty and is leaking

If the car was left running for a long period of time at a standstill it may not have been getting enough air flow over the radiator to keep the system cool and the pressure cap could have vented the excess pressure from overheating. Check and see if the radiator fan is functioning properly (cycling on and off). If there is a coolant temp gauge, what was it at when you noticed the leak?

If the fan is functioning properly and the temp isn’t reading high, then I would suspect a faulty pressure cap or a clog. I’m pretty sure you can rent a tool to test the pressure cap at several auto parts stores and if it won’t hold pressure, just get a new cap. If the cap is holding pressure, you may have a clog and may need to flush the system out at least.

[John B Kobberstad]

Does the radiator cap fit on a plastic thermostat housing? If yes then check the housing for cracking. Do a pressure test on the cooling system to check for where the leak is.

[college man]

A bad cap can cause a leak. check that the radiator neck is not cracked.

[Steve]

Yes, a bad radiator cap COULD cause overheating/loss of fluid. Cheapest thing to repair so you might try that first. Next would be bad thermostat. Fairly easy to repair your self and thermostats are cheap. Does the car run hot while driving? Does the heat blow out hot air? Any leakage around the hoses?

[Matthew]

Plastic parts that coolant flows threw is a no-no replace that thing in the picture with a metal version

[Author]

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