95 explorer xlt 4wd Leaking coolant but cant figure out where

[Vikram]

I got a coolant leak, it seems pretty small. I took my truck to a trusty mechanic and he looked all over and says it was dry everywhere and he can't find a leak. I don't notice any drips on the ground when I park my car, it's all dry underneath... Any ideas where it could be?

 

[EB4X]

So you confirmed it's not a head gasket / cracked head causing coolant consumption?
It could be leaking from weep channel(s) on timing cover which makes it hard to spot / pinpoint ....
Also pin hole leaks on a radiator are hard to visually spot -- very small leak doesn't make it to ground, gets "absorbed" into fins on radiator on way down.

 

[96eb96]

Probably want to look into K-seal at this point. Works very well on these engines.

 

[Vikram]

Probably want to look into K-seal at this point. Works very well on these engines.

Yes!! I saw an old thread suggesting K-Seal and I gave it a go and holy cow after all these years my thermostat needle is finally working!! For the last several years my thermostat needle would just sit in the little sliver near C even when the engine was warmed up and in the winter I would be shaking freezing inside cos even though I could get hot air heat to blow inside the cabin, it still wasn't enough to keep me warm - I replaced the thermostat and many things and it never got better, then I read on the ranger forums that this is just how these cars are - but its not true cos after using the K-Seal my thermostat needle is working like it should and my car is blowing hot air nicely inside the cabin when I set it to heat!!

Cannot confirm yet if the leak is fixed since I did a coolant flush before using the K seal and I am waiting for all the air bubbles to burp out and top it off and hopefully I'll be good! This 15$ bottle is a freaking miracle!

Also I am using Zerex Original Green Coolant. It's supposed to be the best because it's the type of coolant these cars were designed for. You may be able to get away with other coolants, but Zerex Green is the best choice.

Before I had Preston Dexcool which is a no-no cos apparently Dexcool damages cooling systems and causes leaks in cars that aren't meant to use it, and heck it's a chevy formula and it even damaged their own cars until they finally sorted it not too long ago!

 

[96eb96]

Yes!! I saw an old thread suggesting K-Seal and I gave it a go and holy cow after all these years my thermostat needle is finally working!! For the last several years my thermostat needle would just sit in the little sliver near C even when the engine was warmed up and in the winter I would be shaking freezing inside cos even though I could get hot air heat to blow inside the cabin, it still wasn't enough to keep me warm - I replaced the thermostat and many things and it never got better, then I read on the ranger forums that this is just how these cars are - but its not true cos after using the K-Seal my thermostat needle is working like it should and my car is blowing hot air nicely inside the cabin when I set it to heat!!

Cannot confirm yet if the leak is fixed since I did a coolant flush before using the K seal and I am waiting for all the air bubbles to burp out and top it off and hopefully I'll be good! This 15$ bottle is a freaking miracle!

Also I am using Zerex Original Green Coolant. It's supposed to be the best because it's the type of coolant these cars were designed for. You may be able to get away with other coolants, but Zerex Green is the best choice.

Before I had Preston Dexcool which is a no-no cos apparently Dexcool damages cooling systems and causes leaks in cars that aren't meant to use it, and heck it's a chevy formula and it even damaged their own cars until they finally sorted it not too long ago!

Oh, my, DO NOT USE DEXCOOL!
Even worse if there is any trace of some other coolant.
Lucky it survived that.

Yes. these engines have a tendency to have small cracks in the head and also steam formation. This causes all kinds of issues in the cooling system.