I have a bad antifreeze leak in my 02 camry le it doesnt seem to be from the cap because its not pink around the surrounding part of the cap I thought it was the hose that went from the reservoir tank to the radiator but i changed that along with the clips. Anyway I wanted some suggestions before I take it to the toyota dealer and pay $40 an hour to possibly diagnose the problem. what do oyu guys think??

 

How do you know its not the cap? Have youcheck the seal under the cap. Is it torn? rotting out? Is the radiator cracked at all?

Id start off by filling the radiator and letting it sit overnight. When you go to take a look the next morning see if you can find any wet areas. It should all be dry!Considering it sat overnight andany excess water would have dried off the radiator.If you do thats the point of orgin. If its the radiator thats leaking your best bet would be to replace it and have it fixed the right way. However there are other ways of taking care of a leaking radiator. They sell sealing tabs, and other numerous sealing agents. Which work but eventually the problem could reaccure. Be sure the radiator cap is in good shape. The rubber seal should be intact and in good shape. If your unsure replace it, its fairly cheap. The cooling system is vital to the engines performance and overall life of the engine, most of these things can be repaired or fixed by yourself with little knowledge of cars and skills with tools so dont be afraid to get dirty.

I wish i could help find the leak for you but im not there, picture may help us but for the most part your on your own finding it. Once you find it we can help more.

Maybe a running car could help pin point it easier do to the pressure and heat loads that will demand coolant flow? Good luck give us updates

 

well i dont htink with it sitting overnight itll leak it seems to only leak while the car is on i never notice any pink residue on the ground either i only see the residue on top of the radiator and all over the radiator fan as it seems that is where its leaking on. tomorrow i will check around a little and take another look at the cap.

 

Are you stating the leak appears to be at the top of the radiator and the coolant flows down?

A few things to check:

There cars typically have plastic upper and lower radiator tanks that can crack and leak. Look carefully at the front, top and back of the upper tank for a crack(s) and slight leak. Check the upper tank pipe where the radiator hose attaches to as this can crack at the pipe/tank joint joint or along the pipe. Check the seam where the tank is clamped to the radiator core.

Check the radiator core. A pin hole leak can develop, the result is coolant leaks out but evaporates before it goes to far.

Check the upper radiator hose for leaks and a loose clamp.

If not luck here, check all the radiator and coolant hoses. Something like a bypass hose can start to leak but be difficult to find because it is hidden within the engine parts.

Keep in mind a leak can increase in size as the coolant pressure builds up. Some leaks are only evident when the pressure reaches 12+ psi.

And take a look between the engine and radiator down at the bottom plastic air shield. Often if a leak coolant will build up in this area.

 

Check the back right part of the head. If it is wet that is your problem. If it is you may have more wrong than you would like. Possibly head bolts have pulled out of the block.