Troubleshooting Coolant Leak

[ant.xlt.96]

Hey guys,

I'm pulling out what's left of my hair trying to pinpoint a small coolant leak on my 96 4.0 OHV. I'm leaning towards it being a pinhole or loose fitting that I haven't found yet, but would love input from anyone who's dealt with a similar problem.

I'm finding a small puddle on the driver's side, basically below the filler tube of the radiator. It only seems to happen after the engine has cooled down. I just replaced the water pump last week (it was squealing a bit and leaking from the weep hole) and was hoping this would fix all the leaks. Nope. I also replaced the O-ring on the radiator petcock after seeing that drip a bit too. The radiator stays full and I'm still getting heat in the cab. I do notice a loss of coolant from the overflow, but it's never completely dry.

This doesn't seem like a HUGE issue, but I'm tired of cleaning up the mess in my garage and driveway. Especially with having our dog around the area. Appreciate the help.

 

[pentode]

Dang, if you had the 3.0 I could tell you where it is. All I can say is I feel your pain because coolant makes more of a mess than you'd think. I got sick of cleaning my driveway too. And couldn't park in certain friends' driveways.
Someone here will have the answer for sure.

 

[RobbieD]

It sounds to me that it might be coming from your radiator overflow hose. It's exposed to suction and pressure as part of it's normal working life, and if it's compromised the coolant will follow the path of least resistance.

Check your overflow hose real good. That it's not restricted, cracked, and especially that the two ends internally are clean, not cracked or split, and still pliable.

Or, if you want to spend just few a bucks and preemptively nuke it, so that this can be eliminated as your leak source, buy a length of new replacement overflow hose, and 2 spring clamps to ensure a good seal on both ends.

 

[mperry]

I don't know if the radiator is similar, but I just located a similar leak on my '94. On mine it's the upper fitting for the transmission lines. At first I suspected the lower radiator hose and/or water pump. The only fix for mine is a new radiator.