PLEASE help with massive coolant leak! (1 Viewer)

[Dozer18]

Gents, hate to admit I've been lurking here for a while, but still learning the FJ62 and my Jeep CJ experience does little good here. In any case, I've learned a lot so far from all of you and hope to be of help in the near future.

In the meantime, I need to ask for your help. I've done many thorough searches of this forum but can't seem to pinpoint an answer to my problem. I'll start from the beginning:

Had my 3FE FJ62 (1988) for a couple months when, after parking at work one morning, notice that I have a rain forest of coolant coming from the engine. Try as I might, I can't see exactly where it's coming from. It drips down directly over the tie bar/sway rod area, but seems to be directed there. Anyway, I experiment a little, and it's doing it every time I run the engine (takes about 10 seconds to start leaking after a cold start) at first. So, after what I thought was thorough research, I determine that I have a bad water pump and proceed to replace it along with new belts and hoses (it has 240,000 miles on it and yes, I used OEM).

Now, many of you probably know the pain of installing a water pump, and now I do too (I did cut the shroud while it was out -- thanks for the tip!). Tried to reload the coolant system with antifreeze, but could only get it to take about 16 quarts vice the 20 or so the FSM states. Nonetheless, I fire it up, and there's no leak!! I was a very happy camper. However, when I started it the next morning, it started leaking like crazy again! The new water pump had absolutely no effect on the leak! So now I'm $400 and 6 hours of my life poorer and back on square one.

I decide to drive it around a little and find that it doesn't actually leak like a sieve every time I run the engine -- just most of the time. Also, the temp gauge is running at about 80% hot all the time -- traffic and freeway -- instead of the 40% or so it used to run at (never got those full 20 quarts in, and I burped it best I could). So, I take it to a local shop, and the boys there tell me I have a bad radiator. That may be so, but doesn't really explain the crazy leaking to me. That said, it may not have leaked on those boys at all. So I pick it up from the shop, and when the guy drives it around for me he tells me in a whisper that I should check the thermostat -- like he didn't want the others to hear. OK, but still doesn't explain the leak I can't completely see. And that's where I am now.

Sorry the post is so long, but wanted to get all the info out there. The leak is definitely coming from the front area of the engine block, but I just can't tell from where. When it leaks, it's like a garden hose, not like a trickle. Does it about every other time I drive it or start it, but the temp gauge runs pretty hot regardless of whether it's leaking. Can anyone help me? I want to get my baby back on the road. Thanks in advance,

Brandon

 

[HntWhtTail]

Maybe you have already done this but I just went through some leaking collant problems.
Check all hoses, pull thermostat and make sure you have both gaskets, and correct gaskets might as well replace while you are in there. napa gave me the wrong one the first time and forgot the other all together. look at your radiator drain plug, the o-ring on mine wsa bad and would occasionally leak, runs along the frame then drips on skid plate making it hard to tell where it was coming from.(always looks to be more on the ground than is realy there). I took everything off when I changed mine entire air intake, and vac line in the area and then all hoses wasn't real fun but only took a couple of hours moving at a snails pace. Wish I had more ideas, but I too am still new at this.

 

[2mbb]

See if one of your local auto parts stores will rent you a radiator pressure tester. Bring in your radiator cap so you get the right adapter. This is essentially a hand pump that is used to pressurize the coolant circuit without the engine running. If it's really leaking like you say when cold, it should be pretty easy to trace where the leak is coming from.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Leaks run all over the place and can be hard to track. Look at every hose on the truck. Tighten all of the clamps you installed with the WP. Look at the oil cooler.

On FJ60s there is a small and almost invisable 1/2 inch hose at the driverside rear up near the firewall. That rarely gets replaced since it's a pain and so leaks in older trucks. Don't know if the FJ62 has that same hose.

Tighten all your clamps first. That usually works.

 

[lovetoski]

The key to this puzzle is to figure out where the leakage is coming from.

What I would do is to thoroughly clean the engine/engine-bay. (Use gunk or similar, plus a local car wash.) Then run the engine to figure out where the leak is coming from. Once the engine is clean, this should be easy. Even if you have to run the engine for 12 hours to fine the source of the leak, it's worth the time. Just replacing parts is no better than playing the lottery.

Once you know where the leak is coming from, the solution will be clear.

 

[Dozer18]

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll try the engine cleaning first -- we have a steam cleaning bay on the Marine base where I work. After that, I think I'll put it on a lift and run it until I find that leak. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by something easy that I missed before. Keep your fingers crossed....

 

[cruiser88]

you really just need to make it easy on your self and drain the rad,pull it and start replacing those small hoses down around the water pump and the regular rad hoses also.it will save the headaches later.chances are if one of those hard to get to bastard hoses are leaking then its time to replace them all.while your in there replace thermstat,check to make sure your water pump is not leaking.also grap the water pumy where the pully bolts to and shake it around to make sure the bearing is ok

 

[Buckwheat]

Water pump good now but

The water pump bolts up to a timing plate on that engine, if I'm not mistaken. The plate has a gasket between it and the block. Did you check that for corrosion or a failed gasket while you had the pump off? It could be leaking between the block & plate. Pray that it isn't because you have to pull the timing gears to remove the plate. Some of the pump bolts may require sealer, too, as they screw into the water jacket. Get an FSM since they give you the locations where you need sealer. If you ain't got a pressure tester, get one. You can pump up the system to see where the leak is coming from. Definitely cheaper than a water pump or radiator job. Sometimes you need a mirror to see into all the hidden spots. Check the bottom of all hoses for coolant tracks - it has to be running down something. I think the thermostat is easily viewed and if the radiator was leaking, it would do so until empty to the leak point, so I wouldn't put a lot of faith in what that shop told you. Since it takes a few seconds to get going, it sounds to me it has to be circulating or under pressure.

 

[grant5127]

The water pump bolts up to a timing plate on that engine, if I'm not mistaken. The plate has a gasket between it and the block. ]
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