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Coolant Leak

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Old Jul 10, 2010 | 06:47 AM
  #1  
sfellows13's Avatar
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Default Coolant Leak

So here is the deal. I traded some guy my ****ty 95 Blazer for a 1994 Camry 2 door. It drove great on the way home, I loved it. Got home and my friend pointed out that coolant was leaking. I could not define the exact spot. But the Coolant reservoir was full when I left it in my drive way, got home and it was empty. Could the leak have been caused by there being too much coolant, and the system was just relieving itself. Cause I drove it last night and it was fine.
 
Old Jul 10, 2010 | 02:55 PM
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If too high in the reservoir some may have pushed back out. There is a fill line on the side of the reservoir. The reservoir tank is plastic and can start to leak.

If you continue to lose coolant start looking for a leak.

Check for signs of coolant on the plastic shield below the radiator. The upper and lower radiator tanks are plastic and can crack, causing very minor to major leaks.

When the engine is cold, feel the coolant hoses for coolant leaks.

Check the lower part of the timing belt cover for signs of coolant-water pump leak.
 
Old Jul 11, 2010 | 10:31 AM
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Need more info. When do you notice the leak? Does it leak when it's cold or when it's running? Or only when you shut it down? When you fill the reservoir do you notice a leak? and if not does it empty out? The deal with the reservoir is that when the engine gets hot, it creates pressure as the liquid expands. Then when it cools, the pressure comes back down and if your cooling system is low on coolant, it creates a vaccum and draws it from the reservoir tank therfore emptying it out, but that would mean that your system is pretty low on coolant. This is probably due to the leak. First thing is first, find out where the leak is. Clean everything up and start drying everything and pay attention to when it leaks and what temperature the car runs at, and of course where it leaks from. If it is leaking only when you shut the vehicle off then its may be overflow boiling over which means that your car is running hotter than it should. Few things could cause this. Low coolant level, clogged radiator or radiator fins. Fan not operating properly, thermostat failure etc.. Don't forget that when filling its 50/50 coolant and water. Ideally you should use distilled water but if you must, you can use tap water. Tap water is not recommended because it contains minerals and things in it and causes scaling and corrosion in your cooling system...hope some of what I've rambled on about helps lol.
 
Old Jul 12, 2010 | 07:09 AM
  #4  
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Pretty sure I found it. I got underneath the car, and where a hose runs underneath the radiator I saw some kind of tape wrapped around the hose, and remnants of coolant. I put in some radiator stop leak. But I'm just going to replace the hose. Thanks for all your help!
 
Old Jul 16, 2010 | 09:19 AM
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I think its the radiator. I am just going to replace it, lots of the fins are bent, and it looks pretty dirty. The fans are running, ive been using a 50/50 mixture. I am going to replace the thermostat also
 
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