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Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.
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Author:  racertracer [ Mon May 23, 2011 8:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.

I am puzzled by a coolant leak that drips just under the passenger side from the firewall.


This began after I replaced the thermostat.
I checked and retighened hose clamps around the bottle and the heater hoses.

Replaced the cap with revised 17lbs OEM instead of the old 16lbs, and there isn't any coolant dripping on the rug inside the vehicle so the heater core seems to be good.

I am thinking of replacing the 5/8" heater hoses leading to the heater core, to see if that maybe the problem and retighten all the clamps again, other than that, I am stumped.

Any Ideas?

Author:  camo [ Mon May 23, 2011 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.

looks like you are doing the right thing, but man.... that kind of sing generally means bad fins on the heather core :roll: I've had couple of vehicles with that problem. can you smell the coolant inside? if not it could also be the small hose that evacuate the moisture of the AC through the firewall right by the heater core, I fix mine last weekend as I was seeing a bit of water on my slush mats, took me like 20 min and I didnt post it because I didnt think it wasn't a big deal. Now, if it smeels coolant inside...... well, good luck.

Author:  racertracer [ Mon May 23, 2011 10:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.

No coolant smell and none inside.

Author:  Wobbly [ Tue May 24, 2011 9:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.

Pressure testing the cooling system will tell whether there's a leak. Harbor Freight might have a test kit.

Have you ruled out condensate from the a/c?


Heat shrink bands made by Gates are a great replacement for hose clamps. They are one-use, though, and must be cut off for removal.

Author:  papaindigo [ Tue May 24, 2011 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Coolant Leaking from the passenger side firewall.

Several thoughts. Confirm that the fluid is actually antifreeze. Simple although probably not "approved" method is to touch a bit of the fluid to your tongue; typically antifreeze has a very strong taste. Rinse mouth with clean water either way. If the fluid is plain water you probably just have a drip from the AC condensation drain (as mentioned in passing in camo's post; plain water on the passenger mat = plugged AC drain but coolant on passenger mat=bad heater core). If it's antifreeze - 1) find the AC drain and check if antifreeze is dripping from there, if so bad heater core; 2) keep in mind that the radiator overflow container on the firewall is designed to popoff excess radiator fluid particularly if overfilled cold and that fluid likely drains in this area; 3) did you spill some antifreeze in this area when doing the tsat replacement; if so you might try a gentle (be careful not to use lots of water pressure as others have had electrical problems after a pressure wash of the engine) clean water rinse to see if that helps wash away any residual surface antifreeze; 4) to the extent that you can reach hose connections use a dry kitchen paper towel or toilet paper to touch the bottom side of the connection; any dampness will immediately show on the paper; 5) I could be wrong but I seem to remember forum comments on coolant tubes to the EGR? cracking and dripping. Pressure test is a good idea but will only tell you if you have a leak not where it is.

Any decent parts store can provide a leak detection additive that you can put in the coolant system; drive a bit; use UV light to look for leak

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