Hi everyone,

I flushed my radiator and it was obviously one of those cases where the residue and debris in the cooling system was the only thing keeping it sealed.

It doesn't leak at all when the car is off but as soon as I start it up it's pouring coolant out at about the rate you'd pour a pepsi can into a cup.

The water pump was my first guess but it feels dry. The hoses all look to be OK. The leak is nowhere near the radiator or heater core (both of which are working fine).

I got a light down into the engine bay and ran a pressure tester and it looks like theres an engineered "hole" (circular recess) about the size of a silver dollar the coolant is trickling from. This is on the front right side of the engine. Is there a freezer plug right there? It's caked in grease/dirt but looks to me like a hole/recess for freezer plug but I always heard they were on the back of the engine?

Oh yeah and never let your dad "surprise" you by "working on" your car while you're away for the day you'll come home needing a new fairing after a jack tore through it and a new center console after he spilled a milk carton full of super glue all over it. but i digress. f**k

 

the engine is a 5.0 tpi by the way (1986)

here's a high tech drawing of where on the front of the engine the hole is located

behind all the pulleys / well to the right of the water pump

 

Every face of the block has at least 2 freeze plugs.

 

Lol... For a "high tech" drawing, that's actually pretty accurate. There is a frost plug on the block right about there, and they are about the size of a silver dollar.

I've never had to replace one though... wish I could be more help

 

thanks guys that's gotta be what it is then, just wanted to make sure before i started unbolting things to get at it

 

By the way, if one was corroded to the point of failing, the rest aren't usually too far behind. Use brass plugs instead of steel for your replacements.