leak found

[sseaman]

i found my coolant leak, it seems to be coming from atleast 2 hoses and maybe as many as 4 it is hard to tell if the upper ones are leaking on the lower or if they are leaking also. It looks like the 2 from the thermostat to the 2 metal lines bolted to the passenger side of the engine block for sure are leaking. the others are coming off the drivers side of the water pump. i top the coolant off every couple of weeks, do you guys think it would be fine to wait till spring for warmer weather? also it is green coolant, after i drain everything out for this should i stick with the green as to not shock this aging but reliable engine?

thanks for the input

 

[sdbrassfield]

I would not wait. You must be a gambling man. You are dramatically increasing the odds of being stranded on the side of the road. Fix the cooling system now, do not wait...Stick w/ the green...

 

[sseaman]

thanks sdbrassfield, i do not drive this much, mainly taking the kids to school and the 2.5 mile drive to work, i do check the coolant (its a ritual know) after each trip it doesnt use much, as it takes 500 or so miles to really notice the drop in the overflow tank, guess ill see how ambitious i feel the next couple of weeks, it doesnt look like a hard job just time consuming with the drain of coolant and all

 

[GXO]

When I got my 91 it had leaks in almost every piece of rubber. I replaced it all over time and it runs a LOT better.

Sounds like you might be in a similar situation...happen to buy it out of the desert?

 

[DTAYLOR]

Be cautious here....

i found my coolant leak, it seems to be coming from atleast 2 hoses and maybe as many as 4 it is hard to tell if the upper ones are leaking on the lower or if they are leaking also. It looks like the 2 from the thermostat to the 2 metal lines bolted to the passenger side of the engine block for sure are leaking. the others are coming off the drivers side of the water pump. i top the coolant off every couple of weeks, do you guys think it would be fine to wait till spring for warmer weather? also it is green coolant, after i drain everything out for this should i stick with the green as to not shock this aging but reliable engine?

thanks for the input

When you drain the coolant, be sure you flush out all the old coolant. This means radiator, block, front heater core, rear heater core. The advice I've been given from everyone is to be sure and NOT MIX GREEN WITH RED!

So if you now have green, stick to it, unless you can COMPLETELY flush all the green out.

 

[sseaman]

no it wasnt in the desert, i think its just the heat from the engine and 15 years of time, i believe ill stick with the green, there is no telling how long it has been in there, btw i learn last night how to best climb all over the engine and i am not 7 feet tall to just lean over the front

 

[sdbrassfield]

Be careful leaning on the radiator especially if you have the OEM style w/ plastic tanks. They crack easily...

Are you are going to re-rubber it or just replace the leaking hoses? If you are going to do them all, and have an unlimited budget , replace the 16 year old radiator as a pm while you are at...It can save you alot of hassle down the road...just a thought....