Random coolant leak from front driver's side

[DaraSue]

So the problem I was trying to fix when all this started is still going on.

Every so often after I drive, the next morning I'll find a small puddle of antifreeze up near the left side of the radiator. The last time it happened was after I drove it a straight 35 miles after letting it sit for several weeks, but the previous time it was being regularly driven, and it didn't noticeably happen before or after that until last week. I drove the car again yesterday (about 25 miles) and didn't notice any leakage but I did wash the undercarriage afterward so it's possible it did it and I couldn't tell.

My radiator was replaced, with this kit AFAIK, last winter. About 10000 miles have been put on the car since then. I'm now hearing that this can be a known issue with the OEM radiators and even some vendors don't use them anymore.

Has anybody else had this issue and fixed it without having to replace the radiator?

I found this thread http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?93...light=radiator and it looks like this might be the closest to the issue I'm having. He ended up replacing his.

After all that futzing with my coolant system I did over Thanksgiving, I never did actually manage to replicate this leak. I'm loath to try the pressure tester again since last time it leaked from everywhere but the radiator. Are there any other things I should check?

There isn't any overheating that I've seen.

[David T]

Raise the car and look for dampness or staining on the radiator, the hoses, pipes, and clamps. It is going to be a joint where a hose connects to a pipe or the radiator or the radiator itself. You might get by with just tightening up a hose clamp but you really have to see what is leaking.

[AugustneverEnds]

My radiator is five years old. At the end of November I had a leak on the front driver's side. Somehow the drain valve worked its way a little loose. Tightened it up and no leak since.

[opethmike]

First thing to do is to make sure that the hose clamps are nice and tight. Cheap (as in free), easy to do, and my experience has been that it is simply a loose hose clamp frequently.

[DaraSue]

I finally caught it leaking after driving to work today(about 14 miles, temps in the upper 40s Fahrenheit).

When I found it dripping the puddle was small enough that I could stand my flashlight in it and follow the beam to where it was dripping, which was off the corner of the tank (?) next to the bleed valve(?)

20180115_173033.jpg

Taking a closer look the coolant appeared to be running down this black plastic (?) part from the right side of the top hose, although it doesn't show up well in this pic:
20180115_173513.jpg

It was getting dark and cold so I didn't do too much more investigation but I'll try tightening that clamp tomorrow.

When I saw the leak, it had been sitting for about 2 hours, and on my previous break I didn't notice any leakage. An hour later it didn't appear to have leaked much more. Does this pattern sound like it could be something other than a loose clamp?

[Rich]

You're right, hard to tell from those photos.

Get out your cooling system pump and try again after you wipe everything dry on that side of the radiator. Pump it up and look for first signs of leakage, go from there.

If it won't leak when cold at 15-16PSI then get her out there for another hot run, wipe it clean as soon afterward, then observe for leaks while warm/hot.

[Iznodmad]

I once had the exact same issue Dara. It was a pinhole in the top of the radiator. I hope that isn’t the case for you.

[dn010]

Trick is to sell it as, “After this you get to tell everyone you worked on a DeLorean”. Works like a champ


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[DaraSue]

Thanks, everybody. After all that I ended up taking it to the shop to see if he'd spot anything I was missing. I wasn't really looking forward to trying to do it myself in a freezing cold garage and I don't have very many mechanically inclined friends (plus my work schedule makes it difficult to sync up with even the ones who aren't mechanically inclined).

I had Danny hold off on sending the replacement radiator til I get a second opinion but I'm wondering if I should go with a different vendor even if there is something warranty-fixable wrong with this one. If there's a chance I might have to deal with this same issue this time next year I'd almost rather just spend the extra money on a new and hopefully better one.

[opethmike]

Thanks, everybody. After all that I ended up taking it to the shop to see if he'd spot anything I was missing. I wasn't really looking forward to trying to do it myself in a freezing cold garage and I don't have very many mechanically inclined friends (plus my work schedule makes it difficult to sync up with even the ones who aren't mechanically inclined).

I had Danny hold off on sending the replacement radiator til I get a second opinion but I'm wondering if I should go with a different vendor even if there is something warranty-fixable wrong with this one. If there's a chance I might have to deal with this same issue this time next year I'd almost rather just spend the extra money on a new and hopefully better one.

Just get the DMC supplied radiators. They are perfectly fine.