Coolant leak? How do I find out?

mamoo · Post by **mamoo** » March 14th, 2005, 5:21 pm

I recently had to fill up the radiator with coolant, since it ran out. It's been a couple of days and working fine, but I'm still a bit nervous that I might have a slow leak in there.

Is there any way to find out if I'm leaking coolant, and if so where the leak is located?

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » March 14th, 2005, 5:44 pm

Napa & autozone have cooling system pressure testers available to either rent or buy. The way these work is you remove your radiator cap.. and attach the bladder cap in place of the radiator cap.. you then inflate the bladder (this will cause the bladder to seal at the radiator cap opening) then you slowly pump pressure into the cooling system. Best to do this while the car is warm (but NOT running) so the the thermostat is open to allow proper coolant movement. Careful you dont burn yourself on hot coolant though. Increase the pressure (there is a gauge on the tester that tells you your current PSI) Dont exceed 13-14 PSI. Once you have achieved 13-14 PSI.. watch the gauge and see if the pressure drops.. if it does.. you have a leak somewhere. You can then pump it back up to 13-14 PSI and listen around your engine compartment for a hissing sound.. this will be your leak and shouldnt be too hard to locate at this point.

Tunes67

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » March 14th, 2005, 5:45 pm

Or you can just take the car to a Radiator shop and have them test it.. More $$$.. but you dont have to worry about it. Always get a second opinion unless the shop can show you exactly where the leak is (you can see the coolant squirting out)

Tunes67

mamoo · Post by **mamoo** » March 14th, 2005, 8:09 pm

Oo ... seems a bit complicated. I think I'll just keep an eye on the levels (and tempeature) and take it in if it seems screwed-up.

The temperature was up a bit today, but not too high, and I was doing a lot of high-speed driving (on the highway, not the track).

One question; that small plastic tank beside the radiator ... is that just for overflow?

And does anybody know the capacity of the radiator? Like, how much should I be putting in there?

If the damn radiator's cracked, I'll just crap my pants!

mamoo · Post by **mamoo** » March 14th, 2005, 9:00 pm

Should I just be filling the plastic tank with water? How exactly should I be treating the coolant?