Seems like every time I go under the hood I have almost nothing left in my reservoir, the radiator is pretty much full but I add some once in a while. Used a radiator pressure tester and it didn't really leak after being up to full pressure for a few minutes. (walked away and came back and it was about where it was when I left it, assumed the fitting wasn't air tight on radiator)

No coolant near heater core, already replaced that last year. No fluids under the car, ever. Oil looks good. Going to use the pressure tester again and get under the car to see if I can find any tiny leaks, but I kind of doubt I will find anything.

 

Okay, found coolant leaking down the metal lines which I am assuming are the transmission lines but do not see anything spraying or leaking when I'm under the hood. Don't see any coolant running down the firewall from my heater core either.

 

those are air lines from the air system (air injection reaction) air to headers & cat con. Not coolant. There's a leak somewhere up top.

 

Oh okay, I was having a hell of a time fitting under to see anything because we don't have a lift at our shop.

I'm getting the feeling it's the line that comes out of the heater core and bends all over the place, which sucks because I don't know if that's a specific hose I have to order or how I am going to get to it since it is right against the firewall.

 

Here's some awesome news: Radiator decided to break at the upper hose on my way to school. Putting the new one in tomorrow.

Got new hoses, new lower hose did NOT come with the metal coil inside of it. Worth taking the coil out of the old hose??

 

yes, use the coil from the old hose.

 

Yes, or it will collapse.

So when the upper blew did it smoke like crazy?

 

check your oil, hopefully you dont have a blown head gasket

 

Yeah I was sitting at a red light and I start to see steam coming from my hood...not good. So I hurry up and turn around to go home, but at that point I had steam coming in through the steering column and everything. Go to make the turn to my neighborhood and lose control of the car because I had so much coolant on all four tires. Got home, popped hood and the hose was off and the neck was broken.

And yeah I used the coil from the old hose, forgot that the lower hose will suck in.

 

Lol, I kept going when mine blew too. Not as bad as yours (just a small hole in the hose) but I got a lot of looks. I probably would have stopped once it came inside though.

 

Yeah it sucked but I was lucky enough to have just left my house.

 

I had a hose go out on me once but I was a long ways from home. I had dropped a friend off at the airport using his car. On the way back the light came on. I was on the express way so I shut it off then coasted to a stop. I let it cool then limped to to a gas station. It was a small hole in the top of the hose. After much thinking I got some electrical tape (it was the only thing they had) and made several wraps aound the hose to cover the hole. I filled it with water and it got me home which was about 60 miles. I am glad your problem was not a head gasket.

 

Wow man I could not imagine being that far from home and having a coolant issue like that, I would be so frustrated. It's the most horrible feeling when you start seeing the steam rise from under the hood.

 

Okay, ALMOST THERE.

Everything is in, filling it up now to check.

Did see ONE thing though. If you look in the attached picture, this hole I do not remember taking anything out of. That is my old radiator. My new one has a plug in that hole and will leak if the plug is not in. What is it and why didn't the old one leak without a plug??

 

Is your car auto or stick? I believe that is where the transmission return lines go. If you have a stick then plug them.

Kevin

 

its probably all leaking out the heater core i had the same problem you can by pass the heater core for cheap or buy a new one mine leaked out all through the passenger side floor

 

The transmission return lines go into the rusted hexagon areas (one hidden by the lower neck in this picture.) The only hole I'm talking about is the nipple type thing. It came with a plug so I just put it in and hoped for the best and so far everything is working perfectly.

 

It looks like the hole for a coolant level switch. Some cars have it some don't. If you didn't unplug a wire from a switch there it may not have it and it would just have a plug in it.

 

BINGO! The old radiator didn't need a plug because the hole is cast into the plastic, but it's not drilled on cars that don't have the low coolant sensor.

 

Awesome guys, thanks so much.

 

After driving home I popped the hood to make sure all was well. Noticed the reservoir was down to the min line while hot. Guess I'm still leaking somewhere. When using the pressure tester, I am no longer going to exceed 14lbs even though my cap says the max says 15lbs and the manual says to pump it up to that.

 

Actually the test pressure for a 15-16 lb system is 20psi. I know that may seem scary but if something is going blow at 20psi, you dont want to be driving around with it. BTW, you may just have had air trapped in your cooling system. Fill up the reservoir and watch it over a week period.