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Antifreeze leak

bubble874

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My x is leaking antifreeze (green liquid), from underneath the engine, on the passengar side. I can't see anything because the wheel well is in the way. Any suggestions?
 



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Check the heater control valve by the firewall. There should be 3 hoses and and a connection to a diaphragm.
 






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What am i checking for? Also, could it just be a simple hose leak?
 






These are notorious for leaking. Right at the bottom of the diapragm they seem to drip. Go out and look at at, and pull the connection off the top of the diaphragm. As long as the truck is warm, the plunger should fall, and you will see a leak near the bottom of it.
 






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I still can't see anything. I am going to describe. It looks, from what i can see, that the leak is happening next to the tranny on the passenger side. When i drive the car and then turn it off, the leak is like a stream. But then it slows to a drip. But it is dripping in two places, the one drip falls straight down, then another runs along the bottom of the wheel well and then to the rocker panels and finally drips off. How much would it cost to fix this leak?
 






You can't find the heater control valve?? What year X do you have???
 












Unless you added one, the 1991 X doesn't have the heater control valve.

If you are running your A/C some of the water you are seeing may be normal. When you run your A/C and then turn off the vehicle water (condensation) from the evaperator(sp?) drips on the ground. It will be clear (not green)..

You can eliminate the A/C water (so you can find the leak) by not running the A/C for a little while.. then park the truck and look again. It is possible you have a leaking freeze plug or worse a blown head gasket. The best way to tell is to remove the inner fenderwell (for a few days).. That way you can see the leak.

~Mark
 






Re: reply

Originally posted by bubble874
91

Sorry...wish I would have known that so I wouldn't have wasted your time.
 






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No problem, it is all right, you didn't waste my time, any help is good help. The thing is i don't ever run my air conditioning because it kills gas mileage. I understand about the condesation, but this is pure antifreeze.
 






Another posiblity (more likely than head gasket etc) is a leaking heater core. When a heater core leaks it drops just forward of the firewall. Normally when the heater core leaks you notice a little steam etc coming from the A/C vents..

I think the best bet is to pull the inner fenderwell (not that many bolts) so you can see where it is coming from. It is hard to trace a leak back to the source since water will go all over the place (your fan is blowing air that pushes the water towards the back of the truck)

~Mark
 






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I will try that. Is there any severe danger of driving with the leak, possibly to the Ford dealership?
 






The leak isn't the problem.. The problem is that your temp guage won't register without water so if you lose all your water you won't know when the motor gets hot (by looking at the guage).. If you drive it until it gets too hot things break..

On our 1992 X, when the water pump went and lost all the water I had to replace both heads AND the transmision.. I heated our a4ld tranny so much that we melted some of the hard parts..

Just be careful.. If it is leaking bad.. don't drive far at all.. if it isn't a big leak you can problably drive there.

~Mark
 






my '93 started leaking right at the firewall from the hoses to the heater, i would also check the gooseneck on the top of the motor where the upper radiator hose is for leaks, one last thing... why dont you guys have your profiles filled out (truck model/year and loc) sort of slows things down when asking for help and for us trying to help
 






Before you spend the $$$$

I had/still have issues associated with coolant leaks.
To keep it short, Well....right know my 91 in in the shop getting the heads reworked after a slight crack.

First- Is there any white smoke from the exhaust?
Are you losing more than a quart a week.
If yes...DO NOT drive at all.

If you can't find the exact location of the leaks or if you're not comfortable around an engine...do this.
--- Get a coolant system pressure tester. It looks like a penis pump with a gauge. You can rent one if you don't have it.
--- With the engine cool..Test the pressure and look for the leaks. If you can pump a keg than you can do this.
:chug:
 






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I am looking all over the engine, still can't find the leak, but i know that it is probably around the back of the engine. Also, my radiator coolant box is bone dry. No white smoke.
 






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Also, any idea about how much the whole inspection and fixing process might cost?
 






'Back of the engine' could be manifold gasket, head gasket, hose etc.... Are you willing to do anything yourself? You'll save about 70% compared to just "putting it in the shop". You need to locate the leak before you can do anything else. I've done the impossible with the help of this board so ask away...
:chug:
 






AND THE WINNER IS

Maniak is the winner, it was the heater core that was leaking. I never saw any steam until i pulled into the ford service lot, and a little steam came through my vents. Thanks man, they checked it out, and it is costing me $375, and it is going to be ready tommorow. Thanks for all the help.
 



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I had my 98 at the dealer 2 days ago to have them change some bad seals on my A/C compressor and condenser. Today, I popped the hood and saw antifreeze all over my fan shroud and above the grille (where the belt diagram sticker is). I opened the radiator cap (cold engine) and it leaked out all over. Then I looked at the over flow and its about 1.5" above the cold fill mark. When they worked on my A/C did they have to mess with the antifreeze? What could be causing this? I have never had this problem before. I have not put any antifreeze in and the last time I checked, the over flow level was right where it was supposed to be.
 






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