help! coolant leak

[maurice coryea III]

1996 chrysler cirrus 2.5l v6 mfi

For the past several months i have had a coolant leak, the source we have no idea. i had it pressure tested overnight and it held all night no leaks no nothing. that being said there is a dripping of coolant from the bottom of the car but from no specific area. it looks like its dripping from some hole/welded bracket in the frame directly under the engine, but every hose and connection is completely dry. since the weather has been so hot lately i normally check it every day…… i forgot for like three week. when i checked it there was nothing in the reservoir but an inch of sludge, but the cooling system was full. my dad wants to put stop leak in it i said no cause ive heard it can destroy your engine, but is it a good idea?

What the hell is going on, please help. :S :dry: 🙁

Topic

[drthrift035]

Here are some pointers.

1) Stop Leak is a waste of time because it does not properly address the problem.

2) When was the last time you had a coolant flush and changed your hoses ?

3) Clean down your engine, jack up your vehicle, get under it and have someone run the below tool to locate where the leak is coming from.

Also review the following videos:

In addition, to be proactive. Change all of your hoses and clamps to avoid the possibility of future leaks in the system related to hose failure.

[Bill]

You will need to get the car up so you can get safely underneath. Start the engine when it’s cold and let it run for around 2 minutes. Get under the car and try to pinpoint the area of the leak.

I suspect the water pump is leaking and it’s behind the timing cover.

[maurice coryea III]

its been replaced already

[maurice coryea III]

it was flushed two months ago the leak got worse after the flush, the hoses are original i think but arnt dry cracking or anything

[Bill]

There is a tube that runs under the intake manifold from the water pump to the lower rad hose connector that has “O” rings at either end that are notorious for leaking.

[maurice coryea III]

i kinda figured it was but since there is no wetness that that wasnt it, but i havent seen it with the manifold off

[Dustin Hicks]

[quote=”mauricecoryea” post=67503]1996 chrysler cirrus 2.5l v6 mfi

For the past several months i have had a coolant leak, the source we have no idea. i had it pressure tested overnight and it held all night no leaks no nothing. that being said there is a dripping of coolant from the bottom of the car but from no specific area. it looks like its dripping from some hole/welded bracket in the frame directly under the engine, but every hose and connection is completely dry. since the weather has been so hot lately i normally check it every day…… i forgot for like three week. when i checked it there was nothing in the reservoir but an inch of sludge, but the cooling system was full. my dad wants to put stop leak in it i said no cause ive heard it can destroy your engine, but is it a good idea?

What the hell is going on, please help. :S :dry: :([/quote]

Okay, let’s start with this
1. check the coolant for signs of oil/fuel, your eyes & nose or something like this may help here: http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Leak-Detector-Kit-Engine-Block-Test-Tools-Inc-/_/R-BK_7001006_0361165456 (should verify or eliminate internal leak)
2. reverse flush the cooling system again (not everything may have come out the first time)
3. pressure wash the COLD engine top and bottom, then inspect (never wash a hot engine, that can crack the block or heads)
4. reinspect all coolant system hoses and connections, including the tube that runs under the intake manifold, also all expansion/freeze plugs (I’ve seen these rot out, not often but it happens)
5. pressure test the cooling system again (including the cap, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed this, just to find out it was the problem)
6. if you still haven’t found the leak, or can’t trace it, something like this may help: http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Dye-UV-Fluorescent-Dye/_/R-BK_7652663_0361100754 (if you have a UV light & goggles)or http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Leak-Detector-Kit-Multi-Purpose-LED-Flashlight-UV-Dye-Tracer/_/R-NTE784733_0282517238 (full kit)

also-look & smell for the heater core leaking in the passenger compartment

I never use stop leak, I’ve seen it clog things like radiator tubes, thermostats & heater valves

[Author]

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