coolant leak

[redmann5877]

Slow coolant leak in 90 bronco ll. No visible leak and checks out good with pressure test at radiator. What do I test for next.

 

[MUZZALL]

What engine? Check your oil cap for a milky ****.

 

[redmann5877]

What engine? Check your oil cap for a milky ****.

 

[redmann5877]

2.9 L no milky oil

 

[wolf83]

I know this topic is kinda old, but my problem is similar, so i thought it made sense to just add on to this one rather than start a new thread.

i haven't posted in a long time, but i am always lurking! :-"

my 83 full size bronco (4.9L motor) has a coolant leak somewhere. i topped the radiator off, then let it run in idle for over an hour. then i let it cool enough to open the radiator cap. about 2 quarts was missing, but i can't find the leak -- no drips on the ground and no other clues -- of course, i may be missing it, i am certainly not a pro... the overflow reservoir is empty when the motor is cool, and i checked it for leaks. after my experiment (above) i noticed about 2 ounces of coolant in the overflow.

here is what really has me stumped -- this problem has existed for quite some time now, but i never lose more than 2 quarts. it's as if there is a leak in my radiator near the top -- which might explain why it never leaks dry (i think...)

i know it's bad bad bad to drive it with low coolant, but i gotta do what i gotta do. my wife and i only have 2 vehicles, so the bronco gets its share of the driving. (very short trips, and no heavy traffic or highway use).

i will be pressure testing the radiator this weekend, but i don't know where to go from here.

am i burning coolant in my motor? (4.9L i6) how do i check for that?

my rad hoses feel strong and do not appear to be cracked. my heater blows hot. i never smell antifreeze. i think the radiator is all metal, based on what i have read in my haynes manual (yeah, i know, haynes sucks, but it's all i could afford)

is it something as embarrassingly simple as buying a new rad cap?

any ideas?

thanks in advance!

W.

 

[wolf83]

shameless bump...

:-"

what can i say? i'm desperate!

[-o<

 

[Krafty]

okay wolf 83 simmer down there. first 1. if you were "burning" Coolant you would have a very think could of white smoke coming out of your exhaust. and I don't mean what you get when its below freezing and your motor is cold. im talking like fog from the movie "the Mist" kinda smoke.

second. Check your oil for any moisture, if its getting milky or white colour then thats where its going, likely not the case.

Third. when ever you put coolant in your vehicle there is always going to be a pocket of air somewhere so the level will always drop.

fourth. your cooling system holds what? 12 quarts of coolant. 2 is not a big deal.

fifth. if you have a temp guage then just keep and eye on it and check your fluid level every weekend if your that concerned.

I drive 2 hours a day to and from work, some highway, and I know I have a leak, I can smell it and see it, but its soo small and pointless i'd rather just top it up as required than spend the money on a new rad right now.

Trust in your ford and it will be good to you.

 

[wolf83]

okay wolf 83 simmer down there. first 1. if you were "burning" Coolant you would have a very think could of white smoke coming out of your exhaust. and I don't mean what you get when its below freezing and your motor is cold. im talking like fog from the movie "the Mist" kinda smoke.

second. Check your oil for any moisture, if its getting milky or white colour then thats where its going, likely not the case.

Third. when ever you put coolant in your vehicle there is always going to be a pocket of air somewhere so the level will always drop.

fourth. your cooling system holds what? 12 quarts of coolant. 2 is not a big deal.

fifth. if you have a temp guage then just keep and eye on it and check your fluid level every weekend if your that concerned.

I drive 2 hours a day to and from work, some highway, and I know I have a leak, I can smell it and see it, but its soo small and pointless i'd rather just top it up as required than spend the money on a new rad right now.

that's what i thought... about the white smoke... but i couldn't think of anything else, so...

i just changed the oil, and there is no milky or frothy in the oil -- and there wasn't before i changed it either.

about the pocket of air -- i figured i could burp it somehow. i thought that if i fill it, then let it run and then cool, then fill it again and repeat until the air is gone -- but this hasn't worked. i still have the same 2 quarts low.

i check it every sunday, and i have done it this way for over a year now. the thing is, i want to start using the bronco more often, so i want to finally get this fixed. i have a routine, so it doesn't bother me, but it shouldn't leak coolant, so i want to fix it.

thanks for the info krafty. i don't get thick white smoke -- so i can relax about that.

what's my next step to solving this?

thanks!

W.

Trust in your ford and it will be good to you.

ain't that the truth!

 

[miesk5]

yo!

Wow, Krafty and you went thru all the steps; will you still pressure the system and Cap this weekend?

Since it's in your 83 and am guessing you didn't buy it new; rad may have the plastic end caps; these leak, on my 96, overnight when engine is cooling down. I too never smelled the coolant aroma inside (heater core leak) or outside; even after and when it is running and never in the morning; never saw the leak until that magic moment on the coldest day of the year when it went completely South and the coolant looked like the Falls (Canadian side, of course!)

I would only see signs of the leak(s) on passenger side radiator core support/frame where it is "boxed in"... Driver side isn't boxed in at bottom so the end cap leak would drain off and evaporate quickly.

here is a pic of such a leak on a rad by Bill;



http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/773825/fullsize/picture-021.jpg

a prev owner attempted to repair it w/JB Weld

 

[wolf83]

yeah i thought about that too, but as far as i can tell, my rad is all metal. (it looks different than yours, too). now, this doesn't mean there isn't a leak, but at least i have a rad that is repairable if need be. i hear the plastic rads are a pain to repair and not worth the effort.

 

[miesk5]

yo!

OK, here is a statement by firstwagon elsewhere; "... had a coolant leak like that. There was never any coolant on the ground and the oil was clean not milky. Yet I was loosing a litre of coolant a week.

I found it running the truck fast on the hwy at night, pulling into a parking lot and with the engine off shining a powerful flashlight at the rad. I could easily see a fine mist of steam coming from a pin hole in the rad.

It disappeared as soon as the pressure dropped a bit.

A rad shop fixed it for a small charge.

Sometimes there are happy endings..."

Leak detection dye can also be added to the coolant itself to make a slow leak easier to find. Some of these dyes glow bright green or yellow when exposed to ultraviolet light. Have it done @ a local Rad repair shop.

If you have a black light you can buy the dye & DIY

Coolant leak testing with a dye and black light

 

[wolf83]

sweet! just the advice i was needing!

i wonder if the rad can be fixed in the truck, or must it be removed?

thanks miesk5!

 

[Krafty]

that depends on where the rad needs to be fixed. if the leak is up near the top or in a spot that is easy to get the tools to then it can probably stay in. otherwise you just unbolt the fan shroud, the upper and lower rad hoses, transmission cooler lines if an automatic, and the bolts holding the clamps ontop of the rad off and you can pull it straight up and out.

and yeah I saw the ends of ym plastic rad leaking where the metal part clamps on, I tossed in a bottle of Gunk Rad /Block sealer and crack repair, topped it up with coolant, then Loaded up a car trailer with my t-bird and towed the thing 4.5 hours from storage to my new place. The old ford Ran like a champ.

 

[Krafty]

.

 

[wolf83]

just finished the compression test. drip drip drip... pin hole leak just like you suggested.

i guess i have to buy a new radiator.. :angry:

maybe now is the time to upgrade. i wonder... my mechanic friend said sometimes you can find a rad that is only a little cheaper yet provides significantly more cooling ability.

should i go new or rebuilt?

aluminum or copper?

can you recommend one for the extremely budget conscious? (pronounced "broke")

thanks for the advice!

W.

 

[wolf83]

AAAA!!! :blink: :angry: ( @-)

I'm not made of money!

i hope i can re-core it and save a few bucks!

any upgrade at all is going to cost well over $300.

i can get a direct fit for $200.

any thoughts on re-coring? is it worth it? ideas on price?

thanks!

W.

 

[MrFixit4692]

A couple of years ago I bought a new 4 core radiator from 1-800-Radiators...$119.00 for an all metal rad. delivered to my door in 2 days. Worked perfectly. I'm in Calif. I don't know if they have locations around you...a call to a toll free number couldn't hurt, might save you a lot of money. Good luck!

 

[wolf83]

i already called them. my vehicle and year is apparently a more expensive radiator. they want $250 delivered. i found a jeg's universal for $160 -- and it's all aluminum.

the local rad shop wants me to pay $65 to have it repaired. i dont think that's really a good idea. i'll probably just keep filling it with rad fluid 50/50 mix until i can buy the jeg's

 

[2percent]

plastic http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-BRONCO-1985-1986-1987-1988-1989-4-9-L6-RADIATOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a04a3989cQQitemZ180466456732QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Metal http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-BRONCO-1985-1986-1987-4-9-L6-ALL-ALUMINUM-RADIATOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a57841da2QQitemZ250576379298QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Lifetime warrantied too