OK, so there is some clear green fluid leaking from my VX. I assume this must be antifreeze.
Anybody know why this would suddenly start leaking and what I can do?
Worried - Bart
Printable View
OK, so there is some clear green fluid leaking from my VX. I assume this must be antifreeze.
Anybody know why this would suddenly start leaking and what I can do?
Worried - Bart
Yep, that's anti-freeze...
Start-er up
drive to the store for whatever (to warm up the engine)
let it idle
pop the hood
grab your flashlight
see where it's leaking
can't see anything ???
do same thing with flashlight, laying on your back under the radiator/ hoses, etc.
Examine all hoses, try to follow moisture trail backwards to the scource, keep fingers & clothing AWAY from belts/ moving parts, etc.
Also, could try tracing moisture backwards without starting/ warming first.
Good Luck !
See if you can trace it back to it's source. Get under it with a flashlight and start lookin. My GUESS would be a hose is leaking at a fitting. I HOPE that is all it is. If you still can't find the leak static, start it up and CAREFULLY look under the VX and see if it starts leaking. Did you do any maintenance to the cooling system lately? Did you add any antifreeze? Check to see that your overflow reservior is not to full. (please forgive me if I am oversimplyfiing (sp) the situation but NEVER open the radiator cap when it is hot...)
John
Hey guys,
Thanks for the input. I have not done anything to the coolant system at all, no fills, no flushes, nada.
Where is the overflow reservoir? I will post some photos of the underneath later, there looks to be some white crusty deposits down there in various places. The weird thing, is that its in the garage right now, and it ain't leaking anything at the moment... :confused:
And I know this sounds stupid, but I did a little wheeling yesterday. My VX went up and down some pretty steep hills (about 45 degrees I would imagine). Could this cause anything to leak?
Supposing it is leaking at one of the hoses or something, great, but if it isn't just a simple leak, what could cause antifreeze to spew?
Thanks - Bart
even though its not leaking anymore, make sure to put on some safety goggles before you get down under your VX to look for the leak! i cant say from experience.. but id guess a drop of antifreeze to the eye would ruin your weekend.. after a little mishap changing my fuel filter out i always use goggles when under the vx
Here ya go Bart...the overflow tank in all it's glory !Quote:
Originally Posted by nfpgasmask
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/TANK.JPG
Ya mine started leeking for no reason as well but I notice it only leaked when I parked in drive way at a slant but doesntw hen I am level. I looked didnt see where was comming from. Well didnt do through look really well just qucik check. Well couple days now its gone <shrug>even when I do park back in the drive way. I may replace hoses just in case to be on safe side. It is odd all of a sudden it started leeking and yeah I went up and down some hills myself but that was awhile back.
OK, I didn't know that was called an "overflow" tank. I thought that was just the regular reservoir for antifreeze. Last night I took a grease pencil and marked the level to see if it drops. Its already low, down towards the MIN line.
Bart
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ldub
So this morning, before I went out into the fresh snow here, I checked the garage floor. Zippo. Nada. Ziltch. No more goblin blood?!?!?! :confused:
So, could this just have been a fluke? I mean, I will keep watching of course, but why would this happen only once? Maybe it was overspill from wheeling up a 45° angle? Or is it actually possible that my VX could have been running hot, causing the goblin blood to boil over?
I should also add, that last night when I got home from the bar I checked the oil level, and it was frighteningly low on the dipstick. I added 2/3s of a quart. I just changed the oil (on 11/17 to be exact), and it already drank up over a quart since then! :eek: I suppose the uphill loads here can cause excessive oil consumption above and beyond what we are already used to but jeez!!
The VX really is a strange vehicle...
Bart
Since my antifreeze level is low, almost to the MIN line, should I fill it up? And what kind of juice should I use? Is there a preferred type/brand for the VX?
Thanks - Bart
Prestone has a universal green antifreeze that should be safe to mix with anything. If it's brownish, it's GM Dexacool, which shouldn't be mixed with standard green. But you already said it's green, so just get standard green or the universal stuff and you'll be fine. Be sure to get a pre-mixed 50/50 bottle or pick up some distilled water on your way home.
Well, I marked my tank and its definitely leaking. The level has gone down about a quarter inch from where I marked it. I guess the leak must be really slow though, or pooling somewhere other than the garage floor. I looked underneath and it looked like this:
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/antigoo.jpg
Looks like its splattering all over down there, especially on the oil pan, which isn't good, as I'm sure antifreeze might be somewhat corrosive? I'm gonna start poking around in there Saturday. So, there's a tube that goes from the tank to where exactly?
Thanks,
Bart
I am not leaking from the reservoir to the radiator. I took the radiator cap off also and there was visible green fluid there, so that looks ok. After I took the above picture, I jacked up the VX and rolled under for a closer look.
It looks like the fluid is slowly pooling underneath, onto of whatever this thing is:
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/antigoo2.jpg
and then spilling down when I drive. I will take another photo tomorrow to better show where it is pooling.
Now, after some reading, I found an article about a leaking heater core. That said, I have been running my heat lately (been in the teens here in Reno at night). Is this a possibility?
Tomorrow I will add some more coolant to the reservoir and continue to watch the level. I will also post better photos so I can hopefully get to the bottom of this.
I am afraid its something bad, or something that might turn bad if not stopped.
Bart
Yeah Bart mine is leaking from the same place.. well not same place but same ending result I guess. Course my is dribbling down the rod underneath and then onto the ground. What is sad I havent been able to look @ it till this weekend. Dam my one day weekend looks liek I got some work to do. I will see if I can find out where it is comming from or Bart if you find it before me well then awesome.
Bart,
If it's your heater core, you would know for sure...it usually smells strong of antifreeze in the cab.
That "whatever it is" looks like your front axle housing, but I don't remember what is above there that could be leaking, & it's too cold for me to generate much enthusiasm for crawling around under mine. ;)
Hope you find what's leaking...maybe carefully examine all hoses under the hood again.
If it is coolant, it is probably leaking on top of the engine UNDER the intake manifold and running down the back. Is there a strong smell of AF when you open the hood as it would have to leak a lot to fill the space under the manifold to then spill over. Pressure washing the underside of the motor will make it MUCH easier to really identifiy where it is coming from. Check your oil to make sure it is not contaminated (which would indicat a bad thing) as well as opening the radiator cap for inspection. I don't believe it is leaking from the are you indicate as it is behind the main oil pan / engine - it is simply running down there.
Yeah, I'm gonna do some more intrusive poking around on Saturday. I was too tired to do anything more last night.
So, let me get this straight: The coolant reservoir has a tube that goes into the top of the radiator (this I can plainly see with no problem, and there are no visual signs of leakage here). From the radiator, is there another tube that goes somewhere? What should I be looking for and where should I be looking for it? I mean, I can see where the juice is pooling. I stuck my finger up on top and sure enough, it was wet with green blood up there. So, I have a good idea where the "center" of the leak is, but it is unfortunately surrounded by a lot of parts that I cannot easily see around.
Last night I lost another hour of sleep reading other websites about coolant leaks. I do not think it is a head gasket leak, as my oil is normal looking. So, I think its either something simple (jeez, I hope so) or possibly the water pump. :confused:
Has anyone on here ever had to swap their water pump? Is this a likely culprit with the VX? I read on planetisuzu that you have to remove the timing belt to get at it...ugg. I hope that's not it.
:( I hate when my baby is sick.
Bart
Hey Tone,
My oil looks good. And thinking about this further, last time I changed my oil was on Nov 17th. When I was down there then, I did notice the white stains on the underside, but it wasn't as bad as in my photo above, and I didn't think much of it. I figured I drove over a puddle of something nasty or whatever. Plus, I never had any puddles on the garage floor until the day I posted this thread, and that said, I haven't had once since. But its definitely leaking as my reservoir level has dropped. Anyway, what I'm getting at, is that my oil looks clean and normal. Last night I opened the radiator, and the fluid was right there at the top, nice and green.
If the fluid in the radiator is contaminated, is there an easy way to tell? It just looked green to me, but then again, I didn't do a finger test :)
Thanks, Bart
PS - I was planning to get underthere and hose off as much as I can Saturday morning. I don't have a pressure washer, so hopefully I can get it clean with the hose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone
OK, so, nice and sunny today. I can actually see under the hood now.
First, let me say, since I posted this thread, here is how much coolant I have lost:
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/bigmess2.jpg
And, thinking back, I am pretty sure that the tank was about halfway between MIN and MAX before I left Chicago a couple months ago. So, it must have been loosing juice probably for about a month now...
This shot is from underneath, about dead center. The arrows point to where I think the juice is pooling, and then dripping down from.
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/bigmess1.jpg
With hood open and the sun shining I can see another spot looking down, about dead center behind the serp belt where it looks like some more dripping has taken place.
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/bigmess4.jpg
AND THEN! I see this, up around the hoses on top of the fan housing:
http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/bigmess3.jpg
:confused: Its just a huge mess under the hood and I don't know wtf to do.
I'm gonna try to clean it off under there as much as I can today, so I can try to isolate the leak(s). Also, how safe is it for me to hose off under the hood? Can I spray my hose down there without any risk of damage? Or should I just try to clean the underside?
I don't want to make the problem worse.
Thanks for the help,
Bart
As Tone already mentioned above...it sounds like you should check as best you can under the intake. Here is a thread below that could help you with your problem.
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...hlight=coolant
Roger that Roger, and thanks for the link. I read through that thread and this definitely seems like a possibility, which totally sucks cause it looks like this is going to be something I cannot fix myself, and something that isnt going to be cheap to have a shop fix. I am already planning to do a brake/rotor bearing repack, and that is gonna cost me at least $400 when all is said and done, and if this leak problem persists, I am probably going to be out at least another $600 for labor, and probably a few hundred more for parts. And I DON'T have 2 cars. The VX is it.
On a good note, were ever it is leaking from, it seems that it is leaking REALLY slow. I took my VX to the self-car wash today. They have one of those power washers so I hosed off the under belly pretty good.
Which reminds me, is it safe to pressure wash under the hood? Or is this a bad idea?
Anyway, I stopped at Kragen and bought a jug of Prestone universal 50/50 and filled up my reservoir to the MAX line. So, I will watch it from this point forward. The thing that seems weird to me is that I don't think it is chronically leaking, I think it is only leaking sometimes. :confused:
The worst part of all this is that I don't have 2 pennies to rub together right now, so an expensive shop visit may have to wait a couple weeks.
As far as looking around the intake, I don't even know what that is. Is this where the airbox pulls air into the engine? I will have to fire up the manual and see what I can see.
I haven't even had my VX for a year, and I've only got 38,000 miles on it.
Sheesh. Talk about a high maintenance vehicle. :sighgray:
Bart
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly Roger VX'er
bart,
im no master mechanic by any means, but when you are filling up the resevour, are you sure that the radiator is full also?? otherwise, if the rad is low, and the resivor is full, when the engine warms up, it would drop the level in the res. dramaticly, and make you think you are loosing alot. also, when the engine is upp and warm, have you done any sqeezing on the hoses??? SOMETIMES, when you sqeeze the hoses and everything is under pressure,you can cause the leak to actually "squirt, or spray" instead of just drip, and be hard to find. so get your flashlight, or 1000 million candlepoweer spotlight, and start looking between the radiator fin while your squeesing the hose, look at seams while squeezing, and so on and so on. anywhere there is a hose, or connection, the drain nut tranny lines, etc. any leak can be deceptive from it leaking, and the air blowing that leak allover the place makes it harder to pinpoint. dont know, just trying to help. maybe this is obviouse stuff. good luck with it.......im pullin for ya
david
Pressure washing under hood probably isn't a good idea...lots of electrical connections etc. that hate water...especially high press. water that can get into places it shouldn't be.Quote:
Originally Posted by nfpgasmask
Here's a pic with some red things indicating where to look...
See if you can trace the thing that the middle red thing is pointing to (that the upper radiator hose attaches to), back under the intake manifold where it attaches to the block...this valley under the intake is most likely where your leak is.
There are heater hoses, thermostat housing, etc. under there that could be the scource.
BTW, you'll need a flashlight... ;)http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...ake_detail.JPG
OK, so, my VX has been sitting all night in the cold garage.
The level of my fluid in the reservoir has dropped almost 3/4" since yesterday!! But, there is no sign of a leak??? No puddle, no wetness underneath, nothing! :confused: :confused: :confused:
I opened the radiator cap, and fluid is right there at the top, nice and green. Since the truck has been sitting for 12 hours, could the pressure drop and thus cause the fluid level in the reservoir to drop? I guess I will find out in a little while after I drive around for a bit.
One thing I did test: I stopped running the heat (not to my wife's liking, but) and it seems the leaking has stopped or is going somewhere I cannot see at least. I guess I should try blasting the heat and see if more fluid comes out. I know you said I would notice a smell or wetness in the truck if it was my heater core, but...????
This is frustrating....
Bart
I suggested pressure washing UNDER the engine where the leak was seen in filth but there is nothing under the hood that can't handle water or if there is, I'd want to know about it now instead of stranded on the road. Remember, vehicles operate OUTSIDE. ;) Of course you don't put the tip of the 1500psi washer right on anything but 12-18" is not a problem.
I just reviewed the new pics and if it is not under the intake manifold (no answer on the smell question...) then the o'rings on the front coolant manifold (where the top radiator and heater hose attach) is more suspect. It will typically only leak under pressure and bleed and stop once the engine is off. It took me a while to find it on mine and if vehicle is used for short trips only, it may not show the leak until a longer trip is taken.
OK Tone, thanks man. As far as smell goes, there is a faint ting of antifreeze under the hood after a good drive, but no visible vaporization or anything. The small is probably from the warm engine vaporizing the coolant that is spilled down there. I have seen no steam or anything. I'm gonna do some more testing today. I have to take my wife to the mall ( :thumbdn: ) and its a good hwy drive to get there so I will report back later with the details.
Everyone, thanks for the help.
Bart
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone
OK, so after I drove around for a while yesterday, my coolant level in the tank went back up to where I filled it. The VX is running/driving just fine. However, after I got home last night, I slid under again with a flashlight, and sure enough, I found a single, new, wet drip of goblin blood in the same area. So its probably been leaking like this for several months without me knowing.
From everything everyone has said here, I looks like the most likely area is around the intake. I guess I will try to take a few things apart when I have some time and see if I can find the leak source.
I had my wife fire up the engine while I look around under the hood and I didn't see anything spurt or hear any hissing or anything, which kinda sucks I guess.
Do you all think its ok to drive like this? I mean, its gonna be a couple weeks before I can afford to take it in, especially if I end up needing to rent a car or take cabs to work.
Bart
I still drip. I was parked on an incline in my driveway this weekend while I was cleaning out the garage, and after a few hours I noticed a green drip or two underneath. So there is still a slight leak of coolant in the engine somewhere. Normally, the drips fall and vaporize somewhere inside before they actually drip out.
Annoying. Its probably that O ring Tone talked about.
Anyone else have this problem?
Bart
Quote:
Originally Posted by nfpgasmask
Sorry havent read whole post or all of them but... I have had this problem as well. I went in to get water pump replaced and both radiator hoses replaced and well leak gone. Course now its back and i need to take back in to have them check again because i am sure waterpump seal went bad again because leaking from same place. Dont ask me what that has to do with the leaking because I dunno just what mechanic said when he had it all replaced.
Course I think mine went bad because as my avatar shows I got stuck in the mud for awhile :) GL Bart adn i will let you know when I take it back to shop in a week or so
Is yours dripping a lot? Mine seems to just be a real slow leak. Its dripping underneath the engine. I am guessing its the O ring Tone talked about, but I really have no idea. Definitely let me know what your mech says.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dumke
Bart
Damn, Bart!
That's quite a gap betwixt posts...
You are still leaking? Obviously not a huge issue, besides having the mess and to keep an eye on another fluid level;)
Now you have me worried that I may be losing Dragon Blood.....
James
Well, my original post was because there was actually a decent sized puddle on the floor that day. Since then, I pressure washed the underside of my VX and also washed under the hood. I have noticed since then only a very slight drip, and up until yesterday when I was parked in the driveway (which is on a slight incline) did I notice another couple drips on the ground. I do loose coolant over a long period of time. I think most of what drips off vaporizes under the hood. I don't really smell it either, so I know where ever the leak is coming from, it is slight. That said, it still annoys me and I would like to get it taken care of, as long as it doesn't cost me a fortune or make matters worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by snowtrooper1966
My scan guage has my water temp at about 180-184° while driving normal. In the worst of the summer heat (like while driving to Moab), I have had my temp exceed 200° a few times.
Bart
To me, the white crud looks like what is left after antifeeze evaporates so you're right on the money when you said that it's probably been leaking for quite some time.
Your reservoir level will change depending on if the engine is hot or cold. Your radiator cap will allow some antifreeze to bypass the cap (slowly) and flow into your reservoir when the engine heats up and pressure builds in the radiator. When the engine cools back down, antifreeze will be drawn from the reservoir back into the radiator.
You haven't mentioned any overheating issues so I assume you have none. That would rule out that the thermostat is not OK. It would also imply that the 2 major hoses that run from the radiator to the block are OK (I've seen one collapse so that no water can flow). But you said that your hoses all look OK & that the leak doesn't seem to be where the hoses connect to the radiator.
The problem happens more when you are using the heat? Unless Isuzu did something very unique with the heating system, your heater core is just another radiator located inside the cab of your truck (against the firewall) when you want heat, a valve opens to allow antifreeze to flow from the radiator to the heater core & back - that's why if it were leaking you would smell antifreeze inside the truck (& if it were bad enough - scalded legs for your passenger). That doesn't seem to be happening so we'll assume that the heater core is OK. BUT ... the valve to cut on/off flow to the heater core could be leaking or either of the hoses. I don't know where those are but I'll try to have a look in the shop manual.
Enough theory - what to do next: replace the radiator cap (it's cheap & can't hurt to have a spare if that's not the problem). Take her in to a radiator shop for them to pressure test your radiator (again - not very expensive unless you end up needing to replace the radiator - and they may be able to tell you in 5 minutes where your leak is really coming from).
The good news: if you aren't getting oil in your coolant or coolant in your oil and you aren't running hot and you keep an eye on your coolant level - you aren't likely to be causing any damage. You've got time to keep looking for the leak.
Not recommended: coolant additive to seal the leak. It may work but it may also cause more damage.
Bart that seems a good temperature, my scan gauge usually puts my temp at 173 for normal driving in cool weather, in warm weather 179 or a lil warmer, but rarely over 190 on the highway, sitting in traffic i used to see temps up to 215 but the addition of a 10" aux cooling fan has cured that and keeps me down in the 180 range even at a stand stillQuote:
Originally Posted by nfpgasmask
Bart, you sure this isn't comming from the water pump weep hole? When the pump begins to wear out, small amounts of coolant will drip as a warning. Keep a close eye on that temp gauge till you find out. The pump goes, it'll take that engine with it pretty quick.:eek:
Chop, I'm not sure about anything. Its been like this for well over a year with no apparent ill effects, so I don't know. Maybe I should take this issue to a radiator shop...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chopper
Where is this weep hole? Is this something I can evaluate myself?
Bart
How do you know if from water pump. Mine is coming from behind plasic cover on from of engine, drips out of bottom of that cover?
Your water pump sits behind that cover, up against the engine. So it is probably your water pump.
Well, my fingers and toes are crossed, and so far so good.
After the timing belt change and new water pump install I don't seem to be leaking any more coolant. I am just hoping and knocking on all sorts of wood that the water pump was the source of my leak all along.
Merlin however, thinks that I could still have the o-ring leak talked about above, but I am hoping he is wrong.
So, if you are leaking coolant on top of the black plastic timing belt covers and down over the front, than there is a very good possibility that it is your water pump leaking.
I will keep you all posting after a month or so of nothing on the garage floor.
Bart
That’s good to hear. When I do my belt and water pump hopefully that with do the trick on mine as well.