Random coolant leak from front driver's side

[DaraSue]

So the problem I was trying to fix when all this (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15985-Not-this-!*-again!-(Coolant-leak-at-rear-of-engine)&highlight=radiator) 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 (https://store.delorean.com/p-10208-complete-hose-kit-w-radiator.aspx) 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?9311-OEM-Plastic-radiator&highlight=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(?)

55096

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:
55097

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.

[DaraSue]

I pressurized it a few times while troubleshooting the last time (when I had the intake off) and never actually managed to duplicate the problem with it cold.

It did it again last night after I got home, and that time it dripped a bit on the way into the garage so it wasn't waiting until it was cool to leak. When I poked around underneath I found greenish residue on that black plastic piece again but it only looked like it went about halfway up and it didn't feel wet near that top hose. About 10 mins had elapsed between shutting the car off and feeding the cats/changing out of my work clothes, if it was leaking from that hose could it have evaporated that fast?

[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.

[Rich]

It did it again last night after I got home, and that time it dripped a bit on the way into the garage so it wasn't waiting until it was cool to leak. When I poked around underneath I found greenish residue on that black plastic piece again but it only looked like it went about halfway up and it didn't feel wet near that top hose. About 10 mins had elapsed between shutting the car off and feeding the cats/changing out of my work clothes, if it was leaking from that hose could it have evaporated that fast?

Best bet is to get under there and see where the leak starts after you wipe it down. If it has to be hot to leak then arrange for that.

Guessing how fast the coolant might evaporate isn't enough to go on if you need to narrow it down to a bad hose, loose/leaky connection or a new radiator.

[DMC-81]

Just a note on that DMC radiator kit. The radiator is not the original OEM plastic. It is all metal (aluminum I believe). I have the same one installed in 2016, and it seemed to be high quality:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=44576&d=1468632782

I agree with the other advice. Clean the area and try to get access to the spot to determine whether it is a loose clamp or a rarer pinhole in the radiator. What is that hose in your picture with a non-standard crimp style clamp on it?

Does the leak only manifest itself in cold temperatures?

[dn010]

If you say the plastic is getting damp maybe try taking the shroud off and looking at it (it is a pain in the ass to remove but if you can't find where it's coming from you may have no choice). Even if your coolant "evaporates" on the radiator, it will leave behind a dried trail so you can follow it. Warm it up, park it on ramps if you have them and then see what you've got going on under there. Even with all aluminum, it is possible to have a pinhole develop.

[DaraSue]

After tightening the clamp I took it out for another test drive (about 10 miles) and it was dripping again when I pulled into my driveway. This time I had my shop clothes on so I felt around under there as soon as I got in the garage and I didn't find any moisture up by the hose. I took it out again for another short drive (about 5 miles) and got the same results (poked around with a paper towel to see if it came back damp that time). I'm still not sure where it's actually coming from but it doesn't seem to be the hose.

When I called Danny at CA (where it came from) and sent him some pictures of it, he offered to send me a replacement radiator. How big of a job is it to replace it? Now I'm just debating whether I want to try and do it myself or dump it at the shop and let some other sucker deal with it. I took the intake manifold off and got it back on in some semblance of working order myself, but the time I tried to bleed the cooling system it wasn't exactly a resounding success (I was in a Motel 6 parking lot at the time, but still...)

[opethmike]

After tightening the clamp I took it out for another test drive (about 10 miles) and it was dripping again when I pulled into my driveway. This time I had my shop clothes on so I felt around under there as soon as I got in the garage and I didn't find any moisture up by the hose. I took it out again for another short drive (about 5 miles) and got the same results (poked around with a paper towel to see if it came back damp that time). I'm still not sure where it's actually coming from but it doesn't seem to be the hose.

When I called Danny at CA (where it came from) and sent him some pictures of it, he offered to send me a replacement radiator. How big of a job is it to replace it? Now I'm just debating whether I want to try and do it myself or dump it at the shop and let some other sucker deal with it. I took the intake manifold off and got it back on in some semblance of working order myself, but the time I tried to bleed the cooling system it wasn't exactly a resounding success (I was in a Motel 6 parking lot at the time, but still...)

It can be a bit of a pain in the butt, particularly so if have fasteners that are rusted in place, or spinning in their captive nuts. It is also quite awkward lowering and raising up the radiator assembly, especially if alone.

I think that by doing the intake manifold job yourself that you have shown you have a good foundation for doing your own work. Since you did that successfully, I would say that you should try the radiator replacement yourself. I would recommend having a friend available to help lower the old radiator out, and put the new one into place.

[dn010]

I think bleeding, while it's a big part of the process, is the least of your worries. The hardest parts of removing the radiator in my opinion is removing the nuts holding the condenser and fan housing on at the top of the radiator, kind of hard to access it up there. The other part that was a pain was removing the plastic radiator shroud as I called it above, but on the store page it's called the radiator duct 105506. You will have an easier time since your radiator was replaced more recently than mine was - the rivnuts spun with the bolts making it a challenge to remove the "duct" and then you kind of have to bend it a certain way to clear the AC hoses and everything else in the way.

If you can do all the intake work yourself, I don't think there is any problem replacing the radiator. You'll need something to drain the coolant into and again, get ramps if you don't have them. It makes it so much easier unless you have a lift. When you're done and the radiator is replaced and filled up, while bleeding the system I found it most helpful to jack the back of the car up and occasionally feel the front passenger side of the radiator (the tank), if it is cold and the other side is hot you know you have an air bubble. Once the radiator is hot on both sides you know you've got the air out (of the radiator)

I say you can do it, but if you don't want to deal with it, by all means - drop it off!

[Mike Griese]

Another option is to get some ultraviolet responsive dye. Put it in your coolant system, get some leaks and check them out with a black light. There will be a glow wherever there was coolant.

[dn010]

Another option is to get some ultraviolet responsive dye. Put it in your coolant system, get some leaks and check them out with a black light. There will be a glow wherever there was coolant.

At this point, if Dara ruled out the hoses and drains, it can only be something with the radiator itself.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

The supply of OEM radiators was depleted years ago so yes thos one is aluminum. From the location of the leak I can safely assume it's either a loose or striped hose clamp, or bad hose or radiator. Based on the information so far I'm a defective or damaged radiator if the hose and clamps are good. If you have the skill to pull you intake and reassemble it properly you probably can handle a radiator install with one caveate. The radiator/condensor assembly is quite heavy and hard to manage without help from an assistant....either human or mechanical.
Rob

[opethmike]

The supply of OEM radiators was depleted years ago so yes thos one is aluminum. From the location of the leak I can safely assume it's either a loose or striped hose clamp, or bad hose or radiator. Based on the information so far I'm a defective or damaged radiator if the hose and clamps are good. If you have the skill to pull you intake and reassemble it properly you probably can handle a radiator install with one caveate. The radiator/condensor assembly is quite heavy and hard to manage without help from an assistant....either human or mechanical.
Rob

Yup, 100% agree with Rob. Have a friend and make a day of it. Wrench, drink some beers, eat some junk food, wrench some more.

[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.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

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

I agree as I've been using the same ones for a few years with no problems. If they'll warranty it go for it if confirmed it's leaking. If not we sell it for less.
Rob

[dn010]

Instead of spending more money it would make sense to go with the offered replacement radiator.

For what its worth, I got my radiator from what is now DeLoreango, I believe at one time Rob told me he could get the same radiator for me but by then I didn't know this and it was too late. It is unpainted and has been trouble free.

[mr_maxime]

I read the thread where you took out the intake cause I *was* about to change out the water pump hoses in mine this weekend, but I think I'll save that until the next meetup now. I did change the radiator entirely by myself though. The only time you would need 2 people is when you get the condenser/radiator/fan shroud loose. It is MUCH simpler considering there are far less things that can mechanically go wrong. Completely understand not wanting to do this in a cold garage though.

[DaraSue]

Well, after all that, when I took it to the shop the mechanic pressure tested it and said it was just a loose clamp on the upper hose after all. :banghead: Still not sure how it was always dry up by that hose when I'd see it dripping, unless the leak actually wasn't actively occurring when I saw the drips and so the top part had already dried out. I swear I'd already tried tightening that clamp, but I guess I didn't put enough elbow grease into it.

[dn010]

Well that is one of the easiest fixes ever. Glad it wasn’t anything worse!


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