Very odd coolant leak
#1
02-20-2019
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From: Saint John
Very odd coolant leak
So. Not sure if this has happened to anyone before but here goes. I went out to my driveway this morning and noticed that there was a wet patch under my truck. It’s been -15 to -20 Celsius for the last few days. So I plugged my truck in yesterday morning and left it plugged in overnight. Coincidentally I had a wet area under the ranger. Truck runs fine, coolant in the res was a little low. I have heat and of course I tried to find the leaky area. It looks like it may be coming for the passenger side near the front of the motor. So I took the truck out for a drive let it get up to temp and watched for a leak( it’s damn cold out). Nothing. Went to a buddy’s house to give him a hand with some electrical stuff small drip underneath. Less that the size of a dime. I was there over 2 hrs. Back home left the truck running no running coolant on the engine just residue from what I can tell. Could this be because of the block heater? Any ideas what it could be? No coolant in oil, I have plenty of heat. Truck gets to operating temp. Engine runs smoothly. It’s a 2006 ranger sport 3.0 rwd.
#2
02-20-2019
Leak is probably on/near a part that gets warm, and is a small leak
So it doesn't leak when there is no pressure in the cooling system
Pressure in system comes when coolant is above 140degf and get to about 14psi or so, and thats when it starts to leak
But its being evaporated before it drips to the ground
After shut down the engine cools down and a little might drip to the ground as parts cool down below the evaporation point, but this depends also on how fast pressure drops in the system.
You can rent a cooling system pressure tester, basically a Rad cap that has a gauge and hand pump attached
When engine is cold you pump system up to 20psi and then watch for the leaking coolant to come out
There is also UV Dye kits, you add a UV dye to the coolant that can only be seen using UV Light, then run the truck for a few days
Then use the UV Flash light that comes with the kit to see the trail of dye that leads back to the leak point
But with a small leak I would wait til it warms up a bit, lol.
So it doesn't leak when there is no pressure in the cooling system
Pressure in system comes when coolant is above 140degf and get to about 14psi or so, and thats when it starts to leak
But its being evaporated before it drips to the ground
After shut down the engine cools down and a little might drip to the ground as parts cool down below the evaporation point, but this depends also on how fast pressure drops in the system.
You can rent a cooling system pressure tester, basically a Rad cap that has a gauge and hand pump attached
When engine is cold you pump system up to 20psi and then watch for the leaking coolant to come out
There is also UV Dye kits, you add a UV dye to the coolant that can only be seen using UV Light, then run the truck for a few days
Then use the UV Flash light that comes with the kit to see the trail of dye that leads back to the leak point
But with a small leak I would wait til it warms up a bit, lol.
#6
02-21-2019
Sure, most "stop leak" products are fine for small leaks
AC Delco(GM) "tabs" are good for this, they come in a 5 tab pack, 4grams per tab
Recommended use is 1 tab per 4 quarts of coolant
2006 3.0l has about 15 quarts of coolant, so 3 tabs should be OK
These are organic not chemical based, basically ginger root and crushed walnut/almond shells, they do have a strong smell
Just drop them in the radiator and they will dissolve, and when exposed to air again, at the leak point, it swells up blocking the leak
As the engine heats up and cools down repeatedly the this plug will fail and then be replaced by a new "plug"
They do work
Barr's sells a similar product, and also has it in power form instead of tabs.
AC Delco(GM) "tabs" are good for this, they come in a 5 tab pack, 4grams per tab
Recommended use is 1 tab per 4 quarts of coolant
2006 3.0l has about 15 quarts of coolant, so 3 tabs should be OK
These are organic not chemical based, basically ginger root and crushed walnut/almond shells, they do have a strong smell
Just drop them in the radiator and they will dissolve, and when exposed to air again, at the leak point, it swells up blocking the leak
As the engine heats up and cools down repeatedly the this plug will fail and then be replaced by a new "plug"
They do work
Barr's sells a similar product, and also has it in power form instead of tabs.
Last edited by RonD; 02-21-2019 at 10:55 AM.
#8
02-21-2019
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From: Saint John
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