Water Leak

[sean9721]

So 2 weeks ago my dad noticed that there was a puddle of something up under my truck. That night while my truck sat in the garage, it leaked out a nice 6 sq ft puddle of water. When I have the engine running it doesnt leak that bad but it still drips down. So yesterday I was cutting grass, and when I got done there was a puddle of water under my truck. I bought some radiator stop leak which I will put in today. My overflow reservoir is filled up almost to the top. The hose running from there to the radiator was clogged but I blew it out. The level in the tank still has not gone down. When it does leak while the motor is running, its coming from behind the water pump.

Any help would be appreciated. Today I will be going to Advance Auto to get a new radiator cap.

 

[MichiganSpecialRPS]

Im not sure exactly where behind the water pump you are looking, but id check the thermostat housing, the water pump or any hoses going in that area. Could be a loose hose or damaged hose. Could be a blown gasket. Could be leaking out of the water pump weep hole.

 

[sean9721]

Could be leaking out of the water pump weep hole.

If that's the hole on top of the water pump, then its not coming out of there.

According to my Chilton's manual, there are gaskets behind the water pump. Thats where I think the water is coming from. But then I dont know why the overflow reservoir is still full.

 

[locovaca]

I would highly recommend NOT using any sort of stop leak. You run the risk of clogging up the engine water passages doing so. Take your time and fix it right the first time, you will be much better off if you did so.

I would check the thermostat housing as well, that could drip down and make it look like the water pump.

The probable reason your overflow reservoir is still full is because a leak isn't a one way spigot. Pressure differences relieve themselves through the path of least resistance, like electricity. The leak has less resistance than the tube to the overflow reservoir, which is why it's leaking and not simply (over)filling up the the reservoir. By the same token, when the coolant cools down and contracts, it's pulling in air through the leak.

 

[96Greenster]

So 2 weeks ago my dad noticed that there was a puddle of something up under my truck. That night while my truck sat in the garage, it leaked out a nice 6 sq ft puddle of water. When I have the engine running it doesnt leak that bad but it still drips down. So yesterday I was cutting grass, and when I got done there was a puddle of water under my truck. I bought some radiator stop leak which I will put in today. My overflow reservoir is filled up almost to the top. The hose running from there to the radiator was clogged but I blew it out. The level in the tank still has not gone down. When it does leak while the motor is running, its coming from behind the water pump.

Any help would be appreciated. Today I will be going to Advance Auto to get a new radiator cap.

Yeah, definetely DONT use stop leak. That will clog the rad passages, My 2.3L had similar leak, I thought it was the water pump too. But I replaced it not too long ago, so I replaced the thermostat housing gasket, tada...Problem solved. I also used thermostat rtv silicone, "Its better to prevent than to regret" i always say... Good Luck Dude.

 

[sean9721]

Well this morning I put in the stop leak before going to town and welding class (I didnt read until I got home that I shouldnt use stop leak). My overflow tank was actually at the cold level. When I got home from welding I put on the new radiator cap and noticed that the radiator was completely full without me putting water in it. So far it has not leaked and the water temperature has been the same for the last few days.

 

[96Greenster]

Well this morning I put in the stop leak before going to town and welding class (I didnt read until I got home that I shouldnt use stop leak). My overflow tank was actually at the cold level. When I got home from welding I put on the new radiator cap and noticed that the radiator was completely full without me putting water in it. So far it has not leaked and the water temperature has been the same for the last few days.

Well, it will seal the leak for a good long time. But now you have the risk of maybe clogging the rad and your thermostat maybe will start sticking, I did say "MAYBE" though..The stopleak is mostly just for emergency purposes. But anyways let us know how it goes..

 

[4b316]

We had a Grand Prix that I dumped stop leak in every spring for 4 years for a head gasket leak and never had a promblem.Stop leak is supposed to stay suspended in liquid until it meet air that is present in a hole,then it starts plugging.Thats why you see it harding around the rad cap.They make a good product called Ceramic seal that is used on race motors.It is used to fill up the pores and seeping in the block and head.Kinda pricy but cheaper than a radiator.Nice stuff

 

[sean9721]

While my truck sat last night it didnt leak. Once I find the water temp sending unit I'm gonna replace it with a mechanical gauge to keep an eye on things.

 

[MichiganSpecialRPS]

i know that in my 88 block, the lower bolt runs into the coolant passage and required sealant when i replaced the water pump.

 

[traviss76]

Ranger Leaks

4.0 possibilities for leaks. Timing cover gasket around water ports. Water pump leak, Head gasket, Cracked head. And my absolute favorite of alllll time the heater core pinhole leak so all the coolant leaks out quietly and you can't figure it out until your over heating. I got lucky my heater core blew out when I punched it going up the causeway bridge. Cracked head or head gasket gets water into the engine and you can see it in the oil either way you still have to remove the heads so have them checked for cracks at removal time.

This was all on the same ranger by the way and two new ones a hairline crack leak in the purolator flush fitting and the elbow at the overflow tub was cracked underneath so it sucked air instead of water. I sat there and stared at it sucking air and then snapped it's neck. Just run the hose straight into the tub if this happens on the 94 ranger a cheap pen works as a good union for radiator overflow line. This ranger was a recent purchase and the guy looked glad to see it go, now I know why but after a $1,000.00 in parts it rips sideways pretty well.

 

[Rico]

My mom was working at the store when she saw a fireman buying out all the the pepper that they have(yes, like salt and pepper) and she asked them why so much? He told her they put it in the radiator to the firetrucks to stop the leaks. So, with my ranger with the leaky problem below the thermostat, I was willing to try this out because taking the thermostat out just for checking is a real pain.
I went in the spice drawer at home popped the top off the can with the big hole and put a little in the radiator. I ran it around town to warm it up and long story short 2 months later the water level has stayed the same and never dropped. I can't imagine this being really bad for the engine considering I only poured a teaspoon to a tablespoon of pepper in it.

 

[traviss76]

Pepper.

Yeah but does the truck ever sneeze? < Bad joke couldn't resist.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

We had a Grand Prix that I dumped stop leak in every spring for 4 years for a head gasket leak and never had a promblem.Stop leak is supposed to stay suspended in liquid until it meet air that is present in a hole,then it starts plugging.Thats why you see it harding around the rad cap.They make a good product called Ceramic seal that is used on race motors.It is used to fill up the pores and seeping in the block and head.Kinda pricy but cheaper than a radiator.Nice stuff

if you read the bottle on the ceramic stop leaks you are supposed to flush the remaining sealant out before running the engine any longer.

take a look at BAR'S stop leak and on the bottle it says to use only until you can properly fix it.

i just saw the results of BAR'S clogging a few months ago when i replaced a rotten core plug in a bronco. i had to DIG that stuff out of the block and it was totally clogged.

any and all stop leak is like taking a band-aid covered in bacteria and putting it over a bleeding cut. sure it stops the bleeding but it causes more expensive damage and problems down the line

 

[4b316]

Man,this was a old post