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My car is leaking engine [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font], and I had Jorge try and find out what the heck is wrong with it. Well, he did, and the following are his findings (and his words):

Ok, The Paint drawings are the best I could do, sorry.



The top picture is what you would pseudo see if you opened the hood and looked straight down on the engine. The big grey block is the engine block, the green block on the left is the radiator fluid resivor, the black rectangle in front (bottom) is the radiator. The green circle is where the [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font] is dripping onto the ground, under the car.

The Bottom picture is what it would look like if you got under the car. The black thing is the frame thingy (sorry, not much of a car mech) that the engine block rests on. The green is where the [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font] is dripping FROM, but its just a big bolt so the [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font] is channeling to that bolt.

However, getting over the engine, I saw this:



It was behind the engine block, pointing toward the front of the car. It is a nipple of some sort with [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font] coming out... not good... Any ideas? Is that SUPPOSED to be there? Is there something sending [font color="#008000"]coolant[/font] to places it shouldn't?[/font][/font]

is it leaking very bad? also, can you see a line of coolant between the upper (or lower) radiator hose to the back of the car where it's dripping? something like it might be spraying out of one place and that's where it ends up. check to see if the engine is wet or looks like it's been hosed down somewhere.

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

For whatever this is worth: When I got home from work I parked the &$@% thing and waited. Less than a minute after I got out, I heard a sort of hissing sound. The best ways to describe it are: (1) the sound a running hose makes when you place your thumb over it to increase the pressure, (2) the sound of water from a hose hitting your car when you wash it, and (3) a sprinkler. However you look at it, that's what it sounded like. The sound seemed to come from the area that's circled in green up ^^^ there (the diagram, not the pic). The sound was (obviously) under the hood, so it was a little muffled. It sounded like the "hose" or "sprinkler" was a couple yards away, rather than right next to me. As the wretched vehicle was hissing at me, I looked on the ground under it, and sure enough, there was that dreaded green puddle *shakes fist angrily*

Might I add grrrrrrr!

Last edited by gartenzwerfe at 26-Aug-2005 14:42

Cracks in the radiator? is the engine overheating and causing the stuff to splutter out of the overflow?

In some of the cars i've seen they have a little 'bib' type thing to catch escaped fluids and funnel them out of a particular spot, so where you are seeing it come out may not be anywhere near where the problem is.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

exactly what i was trying to say calla if you hear it spraying out, you should check under the hood as fast as possible to see if you can spot the leak.

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

My hubby, who is a mechanic, says that nipple is a drain for airconditioning condensation. The reason you are getting coolant coming out of there is that you have a leaking heater core. There is not meant to be a hose connected to anywhere from/to it.

Thats all he could tell me from pics.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Thanks to everyone for taking a look and offering opinions. A BIG THANK YOU to Koi and Erik for helping me for a few hours in chat. My dad disconncted the 2 hoses from the heater core and connected them together, thus bypassing the heater core. We didn't even have to buy any connectors or clamps or anything It's a temp fix until I can afford a new heater core. I haven't driven it yet since he did it, but it should help immensely. YAY no more overheating and slimey neon green puddles in the driveway -- that could kill my dog

/:'

*cough* I told Jorge last night it was the heater core *cough*

Word on the heater core.

But the draincock for the AC doesn't come backasswards out the side of your engine block..so where is that picture located, and what kind of car is it?it usually sticks out the firewall..nowhere near your engine mounts, or what you call the frame thingy.

Most of the time when your heater core goes to shat, the interior of the car will start to "flood". Check your floorboards towards the firewall to see if they are damp.

Last edited by bryant at 27-Aug-2005 19:17