Temperature sensors leaking

[Mike92STX]

Well, when I took it for a drive today, I noticed some steam coming out behind me when I took off from a stop. It looks like the small hose coming off the top of the thermostat housing is leaking a little. Is there a way to seal it better the hose is new, and I didn't want to tighten it too much and damage the pipe coming out of the housing? I haven't cleaned up the coolant that is on the top of the block yet so some of the steam is from the leftover coolant.

 

[sgtsandman]

It is possible that there is a casting seam causing the leak. The only way to fix that, if it is the case, is to grind and sand it smooth.

Also, look at the hose and make sure it wasn’t cut or gouged if there is a raised seam.

 

[Mike92STX]

The hose is new but I will check it to be sure. The housing is aluminum and the pipe coming out of it looks smooth maybe too smooth. I'm concerned that the housing and pipe aren't sealed good enough. It's hard to tell because the coolant is forming right under the rubber that is close to the housing.

 

[DILLARD000]

On some Aluminum TStatHousings, the upper 5/8"HoseBarb is a seperate threaded piece, can be unscrewed from the LowerBody.
The one on mine looked to have some sort of white sealant on those threads from the vendor;
I unscrewed it & replaced white sealant with Permatex HiTempRedRTV.
Also used a smear of RTV on TempSensor ORings for good measure.

 

[Mike92STX]

Thank you that looks like the housing I have so I will give that a try later today. When I tried to tighten the clamp on the small hose it seemed like the hose was turning on the pipe, I was thinking it was because the wider part of the pipe was to big so it wasn't tightening down enough.

 

[sgtsandman]

Mine is one solid cast piece. I didn’t even know about some having a separate threaded part.

 

[DILLARD000]

Thank you that looks like the housing I have so I will give that a try later today. When I tried to tighten the clamp on the small hose it seemed like the hose was turning on the pipe, I was thinking it was because the wider part of the pipe was to big so it wasn't tightening down enough.

Be sure to use good worm clamps. The cheaps ones strip and wont tighten.

 

[Mike92STX]

I got it back together around 5:30 . I didn't run it to see if it was still leaking because I wanted to let the RTV dry. When I took it apart I was able to unscrew the pipe with my fingers. I tried to tighten it but couldn't get anything to it so it's just a little more than hand tight but with fresh RTV on it and the sensors. I really hope this works. I suppose the next step is to take the thermostat housing out to tighten up the pipe the small hose is on.

 

[DILLARD000]

Removing or tightening the 5/8"Barb can be done with the housing on the engine; a shop rag around the barb then channel lock pliers or pipe wrench over the rag should work.

 

[Mike92STX]

Dillardooo, I tried channel locks and I couldn't get them around the lower part of the pipe , I didn't want to damage the barb. It is leaking now but if it starts I'll use the rag. Thanks for pointing out that the pipe was screwed in that was the big issue with the leaking. Drove it about 10 miles today and it was dry when I checked it twice.

 

[DILLARD000]

Dillardooo, I tried channel locks and I couldn't get them around the lower part of the pipe , I didn't want to damage the barb. It is leaking now but if it starts I'll use the rag. Thanks for pointing out that the pipe was screwed in that was the big issue with the leaking. Drove it about 10 miles today and it was dry when I checked it twice.

"It is leaking now" means "It is NOT leaking now"?
May need to remove upper RadiatorHose &\or closer TempSensor to get a rag+wrench around that 5/8"Barb.
Hopefully the better sealant got you fixed.

 

[Mike92STX]

Oops, yes sir as I said near the end it wasn't leaking any more. Funny how to letters can mean so much
Thanks again for your advice.