Help! Coolant leak! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Help! Coolant leak!

uberninja

Active Member
Joined
July 28, 2013
Messages
58
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6
City, State
Monroe, Wisconsin
Year, Model & Trim Level
1994 Ford Explorer XLT
My 94 Explorer is leaking coolant, but today my puddle was larger than normal. It is leaving a puddle by the passenger firewall. I already replaced the water pump, lower radiator hose, radiator, and radiator caps. Those appear to be on holding tight. Radiator cracked last winter, so I've been slowly replacing bits as it really only gets winter use.

When I popped the hood today, I noticed that there was coolant puddling near the spark plugs, and a few drops on the top side of the water pump. Truck runs and drives fine, it doesn't hesitate or anything. My question is what should I look into next? Intake manifold cracked or leaking? I was thinking about doing thermostat and coolant temperature sensor as well because they're cheap and easy.

Appreciate any and all help. Just don't want to keep leaving a mess on the curb!
 



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first off check the heater hoses . that might be your culprit , especially the top hose . look into that & holler back & we will find your problem . good luck
 






Lower intake manifold gaskets are a common leak...
 






So, it appears like the issue only comes if its only turned on for a short period of time. Like, just long enough for me to reposition it on the opposite side of the street for over night parking. Its on an incline in one direction, and a decline on the other obviously. I thought maybe that had something to do with it. If the truck gets run for more than a couple of minutes, the plug wells look dry and there isnt a large puddle around the vehicle. Tonight I used the truck as headlights to refit my license plate on my GTI in the dark, and after about 20 minutes seemed just fine. From what I could tell, all the hoses seem to be ok, no visible leaks and any line I could touch and apply a bit of pressure to, didn't cause any bubbling or obvious leak sounds. Thoughts?
 






Connect a cooling system pressure tester to eliminate the guess work. This will help pinpoint where the leaks are coming from.
 






I'll try pressure testing after I replace the top hose, I figure it is easy enough to do and will report back. Will probably replace the ECT and check the thermostat weep position as well, just because I'll be in the area. The ECT is just above the thermostat correct? Where would I find the the water temperature sensor? My temp gauge has been working sporadically, if I jump on it going onto the highway the needle will rise to just below the N, but then hangs out maybe a 1/2 the way to N the rest of the time. Will try grounding it out to see if the gauge is working correctly before replacement.
 






I'd ignore the fluctuating gauge for now, as it is probably due to the loss of coolant. when you increase the RPM's the low coolant is circulated enough to make contact with the sender. low rpm's result in little or no coolant on the sender, so, no measurement. Fluctuation could also be due to coolant system pressure loss.

Fix the leak, then see if the gauge works good.
 






Also, dug up my last dealer paperwork, I just realized they had leaking timing cover listed on there after the pressure test. Do you guys think that a bad timing cover gasket would cause the leak to reach the top?
 






Usually when a water pump leaks it time to replace it you have to take it off anyways
 






So, I think its a heater hose up top and will try tightening and repositioning the hoses up top. I made a huge error in describing the problem. It appears to be leaking onto the fuel injectors, not the passenger side plugs. My mistake. Shouldve noticed the bright blue plug wires. Whoops.

I also noticed the radiator cap is cool to the touch after driving it around town. Heat is very warm, so I'm suspecting a sticking thermostat. Its cold out now, so I'll try and get it fixed asap and let you all know if it persists. Sound like I'm on the right track?
 






Update. Finally caught the upper radiator hose leaking at the thermostat inlet pipe. Until now I was not able to see it dripping out. Will continue with replacing hose, thermostat pipe, thermostat, and gasket. Surprised at just how far back coolant was travelling. Hopefully this solves the leak.
 






I have had good success with felpro thermostat gaskets. It can be a bit fussy. Put antiseize on the thermostat cover bolts.
 






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