Seeping Coolant Leak- Any Suggestions?

[CREGAN]

Hey all. It has been a while since I posted a problem thread but in the last week I have had a caliper sieze, valve cover oil leak, and now this. There is a slight drip of coolant from the bottom mount of the radiator. It seems to speed up when I loosen the bleed screw on the bottom of the rad (right above where it is leaking). I have tried to tighten the piss out of it but since it is plastic I don't want to reef to hard on it. Any suggestions on how to get it to stop? Is there an O-ring that might be failing there? Am I missing something? Here are a couple pictures:

IMG_9477-Optimized.JPG (38.7 KiB) Viewed 4645 times

IMG_9479-Optimized.JPG (40.8 KiB) Viewed 4645 times

I can't seem to get it to stop. Help?

Craig

[Big-Bird]

Yep there's an o-ring on that plug. Had mine out in the fall when I replaced my coolant tank.

I noticed a bunch of crud on my Deli's rad plug so I cleaned it with soapy water and used a soft modellers brush to clean the drain port on the radiator just to prevent a leak. Part Source and Napa usually has a selection of o-rings in a case behind the counter

[CREGAN]

How would I replace that ring without draining all the coolant? I know, besides "carefully". Is the coolant supposed to come out of that spot on the bottom when you drain it, or just come directly out of the plug hole?

My rad is only about 2 years old so it seems weird that it would be failing. F-ing cold weather has reeked havoc on my van.

Craig

[Big-Bird]

In the event you were not aware, Parts Source has a free loan-a-tool program. Go and ask for a Pressure Tester for coolant systems and be sure you get the adapter that fits the expansion tank and pressurize your Deli's system to the limit stamped on your radiator cap before you tear into this just to confirm the source of the leak. This could save your engine if the leak is something more than just a bad o-ring, i.e. Small crack in the lower rad-tank, leak in one of the coolant tubes.



That area where the coolant appears to be dripping from is the drain hole for the valve which if the drain plug is the culprit, makes for an easy fix even in the cold.

No this repair can't really be done without draining the coolant via the drain...(big mess if you just pull the plug out entirely before the coolant is drained). 8-10 liters of coolant is in the 2.8L.

O-rings can fail with no warning but thankfully they are cheap. Slim chance that there might be a second O-ring in the drain port, flashlight and inspection mirror will be needed here given the viewing angle.

Don't wrap teflon tape around the threads of the plug thinking that will help. The radiator tanks are plastic and the teflon tape will only put stress on the drain port which could cause a crack.

[CREGAN]

Is it hard to drain the entire system and refill? Do I have to be careful not to get air pockets in the system? Could I just re-use the coolant or should I invest in some fresh stuff?

Sorry for all the questions- just overwhellmed with having to drain the system. Had a Celica that was a bitch to refill because we kept getting air pockets.

I am pretty sure it is the only place it is leaking BUT I have been known to be wrong. Looks like a job for Monday. I already have an O ring kit so i don't need to source that out. What are you using for coolant? I think I have the Mopar stuff that Mardy puts in.

Thanks for your input.

Craig

[Big-Bird]

Draining is simple, grab a couple of dollar store pails to catch the fluid.
Open the drain plug first.
Then remove the radiator cap ....if you have the pressure tester you can pump up the expansion tank to speed up the draining process.

Save the fluid but test it with a hydrometer (also from Parts Source) to make sure its good to -35 to -38 C, any lower than that and the coolant will gel which is as bad as freezing.

Toyota and Nissan have that air pocket problem and they have release plugs on the intake systems for that very issue. I did not notice such a device on my L400 when I did my service work and the expansion bottle has an 3rd hose which is presumably for air pockets to escape the engine.

Refill the system with the coolant you drained, its not a bad idea to have some extra on hand if needed. Once the system can't take any more start your engine and top up until operating temp has been reached. You should have no fluid left over which is a good indicator of zero trapped air and that the thermostat has opened allowing full circulation.

Cheers!

Is it hard to drain the entire system and refill? Do I have to be careful not to get air pockets in the system? Could I just re-use the coolant or should I invest in some fresh stuff?

Sorry for all the questions- just overwhellmed with having to drain the system. Had a Celica that was a bitch to refill because we kept getting air pockets.

I am pretty sure it is the only place it is leaking BUT I have been known to be wrong. Looks like a job for Monday. I already have an O ring kit so i don't need to source that out. What are you using for coolant? I think I have the Mopar stuff that Mardy puts in.

Thanks for your input.

Craig

[MardyDelica]

hi, cregan,
try to just tighten it up the screw just little bit and see front there.
now check the clamp again maybe needs a new clamp,
also sometime the joint between the lower radiator plastic tank and the aluminum clip that hold the plastic tank got loose all you need it to just punch it little with flat screw to tighten it up to hold the lower radiator plastic tank.
usually sometime this could be the problem.
you can used mopar green antifreeze the the commins diesel truck use.
try to mix it with 70 %antifreeze/30% water if possible to maximize the coolant temperature range.
thank you,
Mardy

[CREGAN]

Ok- sounds straight forward. Thanks! One last stupid question though- when refilling do I poor the coolant into the expansion bottle or undo the hose on the top of the rad and funnel it back in there?

I think I can do this.... on Monday.

Craig

[CREGAN]

hi, cregan,
try to just tighten it up the screw just little bit and see front there.
now check the clamp again maybe needs a new clamp,
also sometime the joint between the lower radiator plastic tank and the aluminum clip that hold the plastic tank got loose all you need it to just punch it little with flat screw to tighten it up to hold the lower radiator plastic tank.
usually sometime this could be the problem.
you can used mopar green antifreeze the the commins diesel truck use.
try to mix it with 70 %antifreeze/30% water if possible to maximize the coolant temperature range.
thank you,
Mardy

Hey Mardy. I tried to tighten the screw up really tight and it did not seem to make any difference. I used an inspection mirro and the wetness is most concentrated below the bleed screw. It must be something to do woth it sealing. The clamp on the lower rad hose is a bit wet too, but I assumed it was from the leak at the bleed screw. I tightened it up as well but I think I will loosen it right up and re-position the clamp. The clamp seems to be kind of wedged on the little plastic fin on the rad outlet so it could also be seeping from there.

I will go pick up some mopar green on Monday before I start in case I need it.

Craig

[MardyDelica]

craig,
try to replace new radiator clamp on it not expensive around 1 dollar or 1.50 each.
now as per putting the collant again you have to put the coolant thru expansion bottle.
and from there it goes to the radiator.
cheers;
Mardy

[CREGAN]

Well, I have the plug out and the system drained. The O-ring is very compressed and obviously not doing the job it is supposed to be doing. I am having a bitch of a time finding a replacement for it though. Does anyone know off hand if it is a round O-ring ior a flat O-ring? All I have been able to find here in Leduc so far have been way to small and skinny to fit the groove in the drain plug or way too big and I can't even fit the plug back in. Just going to whip into Edmonton to Partsource and Napa to see what they have. If this doesn't work I may have to see if I can find a new drain plug (with a new O-ring already in place).

When I replace the coolant and mix it 70-30 do I use distilled water, or tap water?

Craig

[mararmeisto]

One last stupid question though- when refilling do I poor the coolant into the expansion bottle or undo the hose on the top of the rad and funnel it back in there?

Pour it back into the radiator cap. Run the engine for a bit, continue to top it up. The air will work itself out of the loop. If you still have some left at the end, pour it into the expansion bottle.

[CREGAN]

Searched high and low around Edmonton today and the Southside Mitsu dealership found me 2 old drain plugs off a toyota and something else. One of them had an O-ring very similar so I vultured that one and have put it in and refilled. Now I sit and watch for leaks. I hope this works because nobody around here seems to have any o-rings. I guess the oilfield has stolen them all.

Now I have to find a way to clean off my driveway. A little spilling went on when I removed the plug.... and ALOT of swearing.

Craig

[Dino]

That plug looks very similar to most Toyota rads I've seen so you should be good to use that. As far as the driveway goes, coolant is very easily washed away with water but doesn't mop up very well. Since it's probably not a whole lot of coolant your best bet woupd be just to hose it down for as envrionmentally bad as it may seem

[CREGAN]

Just gonna have to wait for a day above zero to bust out the hose. Not a lot of it but enough to get all over youor shoes. I have a 2.5 year old so I don't really want her to eat the green snow, or yellow for that matter.

Craig