small coolant leak

[NathanJ]

I have a 2003 With a small coolant leak. I got this truck 4 days ago and noticed this while doing the oil change. it has 100k miles and was a single owner with very little drive time in the past 8 years. at first it looked to me like the hose was not far enough down. but upon further inspection it looks like the clamp may not be tight enough. what should i do next? my thought is to replace the hose (maybe the hose has loosened up too much) and replace both clamps.

If i take this course will the hose ever be empty. I checked it in the AM after it had all night to cool and the hose appeared to still have fluid in it.

thanks for your consideration,
Nathan

 

[TXLX100]

You may not need a hose. Had a couple look like that. I pulled the hose back, cleaned it up, and adjusted the clamp to a new spot on the hose and fixed the leak. Or just replace the hose and clamps like you said.

 

[ton504]

You WILL need a hose. If you take off the hose and clean the corrosion, you will notice the hose is no longer smooth on the inside sealing surface. Don't be a cheap ass and not replace the old hose. Be sure the scrape/sand the aluminum necks really good to ensure a clean sealing surface.

 

[NathanJ]

are all hoses created equal? is this something i should buy online or try to pickup at autozone/Oreilly's same with the clamps

also will it be empty after the truck cools down or will i end up getting coolant all over everything?

-Nathan

 

[Sandroad]

The hose will not be empty (hot or cold) and you will get coolant all over everything if you don't have a pan under it. One technique is to make a chute out of some cardboard and tape it to the metal underneath the hose to funnel the coolant into a pan. There isn't enough clearance there for a pan directly under it. Those OEM hoses are tough. I might suggest buying a hose to have on hand when you do the work in case the OEM is not re-usable. If it is, just return the one you bought. If it isn't, then use new. I'm betting the OEM will be fine with a clean-up and re-clamp. I don't know about the quality of aftermarket hoses. Use Toyota brand coolant of the same color if you have to replace any.

 

[Ganndolf]

Aftermarket hoses are a total waste of money, in the heat and humidity(ie terrible terrible strain on the cooling system) that I live in aftermarket hoses expand and leak substantially more than the leak you already have.

 

[virafp]

Toyota hoses are the best option, and they are not that much money. I replace mine every time I do a timing belt service, and I also carry a spare set on long road trips. 210K on the LC and two sets of OEM hoses.

 

[timer00]

I had this situation with actual drops leaking onto the timing cover on my 97 4runner. Took upper radiator hose off and cleaned mating surfaces and still leaked... got new Toyota hose and voila all fixed. Get new hose

 

[NathanJ]

Thanks for the good advice. I ordered a new hose and installed it. to install it i removed the radiator drain and let the radiator drain about 1.5 us gallons of fluid (until it stopped.) then I removed the old hose and clamps. The neck was very rough. I plugged the opening with a paper towel. Then I used a flat head screw driver to scrape most of the build up off and then some sand paper (220) for a smooth finish. I was thinking i would get some goo off or some Windex and attack it that way but decided i did not want to introduce new chemicals to the system so i went for the manual approach. so far it has not leaked. ill post again if it does leak otherwise im calling it fixed.

 

[2003lx470]

Why not pressure wash the engine bay? Looks dirty. Before the wash, cover the alternator.

 

[NathanJ]

I have been looking for some post on this to see if it was a good idea or not.. also what precautions i need to take (like you said cover the alternator). I was going to make another thread and may still after it read more/wash it

pressure washer? or just hose and any detergent?


-Nathan

 

[blatant]

scrubbing bubble or kaboom works wonders on the engine as well as the undercarriage. Use some plastic wrap to cover the questionable area's. Spray it, have a beer, use the hose on shower setting and watch the engine sparkle. Post before and after pics. Costco / sam's sells 3 pks.

 

[NathanJ]

So far no more leak!
I also cleaned the bay as suggested see thread https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/cleaning-the-engine-bay.870209/