'88 FJ62 with strange coolant leak (1 Viewer)

[GWNIVR]

I pulled my 62 into the garage the other day to replace a few cables, battery, ground, starter, etc, and a day later noticed a sizeable puddle of coolant just below and behind the radiator. I've never seen it leak before, only when I pulled into the garage. I pulled off the rock guard (or whatever it's called) directly beneath the radiator to take a look, but haven't had time to really inspect it yet to see where it's coming from.

The weird thing is, it only happened when I parked in the garage. When I park on the street or driveway, no leaks. The only difference, and feel free to call me crazy, is the driveway and street are at an angle. So the fluids can slosh fore or aft and maybe pool in an area that doesn't include the leaky hose location. Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Unless something happened the day I drove it in the garage and it was just a coincidence.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Michael

 

[g-man]

Maybe the seam at the top of the radiator. Where the solid metal meets the fins. I've had them leak here and it's hard to see sometimes. So if you were parked uphill and tilted the coolant maybe is not resting on the seam until its on level ground. If this is the case you should see some greenish streaks/stains running down the fins.

 

[GWNIVR]

Maybe the seam at the top of the radiator. Where the solid metal meets the fins. I've had them leak here and it's hard to see sometimes. So if you were parked uphill and tilted the coolant maybe is not resting on the seam until its on level ground. If this is the case you should see some greenish streaks/stains running down the fins.

Thanks, I'll check it out. When I did a quick peek, there was so much fluid it was hard to tell where it was coming from. I'll start at the top like you said and see what I see.

 

[2mbb]

also check the overflow rant and the hose between the cap and tank.

you might be able to borrow/rent a pressure tester from an auto parts store. This can be helpful to locate leaks.

 

[Kleatus]

The location thing may be a coincidence. Or maybe it doesn't want to be garaged . There are a lot of paths to the ground for coolant that aren't easy to see; hoses, water pump, side of the block, thermostat housing, and radiator seams come to mind.. not that mine has ever leaked from any or all of those places

 

[Gretsch]

You said below and behind the radiator. Drivers or passenger side? I had mine leak at where the mounting tabs for it are welded to the radiator. Could see it leak out slowly from behind the welds and drip. Was not easy to see until I got under there and looked real close. It flowed across the radiator and dripped on the other side so was pretty deceiving as to where it was actually coming from. Testers are a great idea. Get one and all your answers should be revealed. HTH.

 

[Apagee83]

Bad internal water pump seal will cause leaking out of the weep hole when not running. Wish I had a garage.

 

[GWNIVR]

You said below and behind the radiator. Drivers or passenger side? I had mine leak at where the mounting tabs for it are welded to the radiator. Could see it leak out slowly from behind the welds and drip. Was not easy to see until I got under there and looked real close. It flowed across the radiator and dripped on the other side so was pretty deceiving as to where it was actually coming from. Testers are a great idea. Get one and all your answers should be revealed. HTH.

Thanks, everyone. Gretsch, it was pretty dead center, but that doesn't mean it was leaking from dead center. It was coating the pulleys and belts before it dripped to the ground. I'll have a chance next week to pull it back into the garage to make a more detailed inspection. It's been on the street and in the driveway for five days and there have been zero leaks. So at least my observations are substantiated.

Kleatus, I think you're right, haha, it doesn't like the garage. I'd keep it there full time but we have a 1941 Packard Clipper that my wife wants garaged instead.

After buying the FJ62 in Feb, I've only recently had time to start to working on it. There were some crappy aftermarket lights installed on the bumper (with double sided sticky foam tape...), and when I went to remove them today, I found the worst wiring and electrical tape jobs I've ever seen.

Thanks again, everyone, for your input. I'll check everything that was said above sometime next week and hopefully report back with a definitive leak location.

Michael