Ok well when I got my car roughly 1 year ago, There was never no Coolant in the Resevoir on the passenger side of the car. IT ran fine, all the time, didn't leak Coolant or nothin. Then I read on these forums thats its supostu be filled up to the cold line when the engine is cool. So I did that, a couple days later when I am at the store I see Coolant Leaking onto the pavement. I Open the hood and see a 'bit' of steam coming up from the passenger side of the radiator, I think it was leaking from the bottom somewhere, or from the Coolant Recover Tanks thing. I take it home, Put it in the Garage. The next day I go into the Garage, and there is coolant all over the floor, a big puddle. I pop the hood open. I look in the cooland recover tank - No Coolant. I open the radiator cap - Its full about 1 inch from the top.
I havnt drove it since but it hasnt been leaking ln the floor any more.
Can anyone help me out here? I am only 15 and I dont know 'too' much about cars. Thanks

 

TTT

 

Have you checked to see if the overflow tank has a hole? If your radiator never had problems and it stays full even with coolant on the floor and your overflow empty, it kinda sounds like you r overflow has a hole in it which is why it never had any coolant in it to begin with.

Oh and i'm only 16 and know a considerable amount about cars but that doesn't matter, but whenever working on or dealing with a vehicle and you have a problem always check the simple htings first. when i work in a car i always use this qutoe "always expect the unexpected" i bet you were expecting something serious. But check the overflow, fill it with water and see if it leaks. If it turns ou thti sis not you problem let me know, i'll try to help you some more.

 

I went out and start my car again, hooked a treble light up to my battery, and sure enough, after 5-10 mins my radiator starts
p!ssing from about 2 inches from the top on the passenger side.. Its a pin hole, and it was p!ssing towards the nose of the car.
I guess I need to get a new radiator...
*** ****ING DAMNIT.

 

I might take my radiator to a Radiator shop to see if the can fix it, Can you fix Plastic Rads? It just has a pin hole. The last thing I want to do is buy a new Rad. $300 Canadian, OUCH.

 

you can TRY some radiator stop leak at Autozone or another automotive parts store, u might be able to even pick some up at walmart. IT might work and it might not, but its worth a shot over $300..

I would also try a parts store to see how much their radiators are. Im not sure how much $300 canadian is, but you can get a radiator at autozone here for $149 US..

 

I tryed that Radiator stop leak stuff. Didnt work. 300 canadian is like 189 us. i just got the price from a sponser on the top, does NAPA make a radiator for our cars?

 

I had a pin hole in the radiator of a Supra that I used to have and I just put some JB Weld on it and held perfect for the six months that I had it.

 

I agree, if it's just a tiny leak like you're saying, get some JB weld or this stuff called Quiksteel (gray tube with black letters). Basically you knead it with your fingers and slap it on, and it hardens to a really tough plastic substance. You might want to get some coarse grit sandpaper and roughen up the area you're applying it to though, just to make sure it stays on securely. And make sure you clean the area off. I used this on my radiator when it got a tiny leak in it, and it worked great - until the plastic tank on the other side sprung a huge leak that I couldn't fix.

If you do end up having to replace the radiator (like I did) you might try searching on the internet and ordering one online - I looked around, and I managed to find a brand new stock replacement radiator online for my 350 for $117 US a couple years back. Everyone else seemed to be charging at least $30 more than I ended up paying, plus no sales tax online (if it's out of state). You do have to pay shipping though. Go to www.dogpile.com and type in radiator - it'll give you tons of places. Good luck!

 

a good radiator shop will be able to repair it quite easily. they tend to have old but good plastic tanks laying around. they simply remove the old tank and replace it with the "good" one. aruond here that run's no more than $30US. that includes a full cleaning and pressurized leak test.

 

if i cant find jb weld anywhere, what about plastic cement?remember, i live in canada in a town with only 30k ppl. I dont have lots of stores around here.

 

Any auto parts store should have J-B Weld. It won't be carried by any non auto parts store, though.

 

Wal Mart and other hardware stores carry it.

 

omg never use that stop leak stuff it has never worked in my experience and sometimes seems to worsen the problem. Right now in my 86 firebird im having a coolent leak also which is due to a leak in my water pump seal. check to see if that is the problem, or it could be your radiator is busted. your best bet if you dont know much about cars is to take it for a free estimate at a place that specializes in radiators and coolent systems to pinpoint the problem.