BAY68_347

Hey all,
I was wondering if I could get a little advice from some of you pros on here... When I start up my 68 in the cold (around 45-50 degrees in the morning now), I get a lot of fluid leaking out in a steady stream of drips... I am about positive that it is coolant. It drips a lot for about 2-3 minutes until she starts to warm up and then it dries up and thats it. No more leaking. The fluid is running off the lower radiator hose and the oil pan mostly. Is this normal? Sound familiar? Thanks for your thoughts on this one. 'Preciate your time here. Cheers.

Here is a pic of where the dripping is coming from, in case it will help... thanks!
http://www.lukedollar.com/MustangCoolantDripping.jpg

Gun Jam

No its not normal

I bet its your water pump grab the fan/pulley and see if you can feel any play in the shaft bearings for the pump. you can feel it wiggle around thats bad.

Also check the return hose its the very small one about 4" long by the thermostat.
Also check all hose fittings for proper tightness.

-Gun

BAY68_347

Gun~~
Thanks for those suggestions. I will take a look at those things this weekend. I appreciate your help. If it is the water pump, I wonder how big of a job that will be... never done anything with that before.... hmm.

BAY68_347

You know I was thinking.... With the leak only happening while the car is warming up initially and then not at all while running warm... that sounds like the water pump? What would cause it to leak only during the early part of warming up?
Thanks for your thoughts here.

HGC

I had a car do that to me last year. Leaked when I started up and then once it was warm...nothing. Turned out the leak was up high at the thermostat. When everything was cold the fluid just ran down and dripped off. Once the car was hot the fluid evaporated from the engine heat before it could drip. The give away was the hot coolant smell when I would park the car hot.

BAY68_347

You know that sounds just like what I am dealing with. How did you fix the problem? Were you able to tighten down the hose clamp or did you have to replace the hose? I want to try to fix the problem asap. Thanks for your time and help on this one!!

Gun Jam

Water pump is an easy fix but you have to make sure you clean off the old gaskets really well. use a dremmel and a wire wheel to make the mating surfaces very clean and shiny.

It could very well be the thermostat gasket. same deal just remove it and clean the gasket seats until they are smooth and free of bumps and debris. then add a new gasket and tighten evenly.

The use of a high tack gasket sealant can be applied to the metal surfaces that touch the gasket, then add the gasket and tighten. This will make a better seal but makes removal of old gasket much tougher. I used it on my water pump.

Have you tried just watching while the engine is running and trying to locate the source that way?

Happy hunting

Gun

BAY68_347

Hey Gun,
Thanks for all the solid advice.
Yeah, I have a few times recently but the tricky thing is that I dont really have anyone to help me so I start the car and I have to sit in her and keep the idle up at 1500 or so for a minute or so til it will not stall on me. Then I go to the front with my flashlight and try to locate the leak but have not been able to do so successfully. And then the leak seems to stop. Unfortunately my work space is not good (gravel carport) and I dont have a ramp or anything so its hard getting under the car. This weekend my old man is going to be in town so I am hoping to tap his shoulder to give me a hand and see if we cant figure it out. I really do appreciate all of your advice for what is probably a very basic issue. If it turns out to be the water pump, its good to know its not the end of the world! Cheers.
-Luke

HGC

The thermostat was bad but I don't really know that it caused the leak. Replaced it and the problem went away. It could actually have been a seal at the thermostat for all I know. Anyway a new thermo did it. Are you getting a hot smell when you park the car after driving? You might also see some white build up which is what is left over when the coolant evaporates.

BAY68_347

Thanks for the extra details honeygold. Now that I am thinking about all this a bit more.... I replaced the thermostat housing gasket about 4 months ago, shortly after I bought the car since it was leaking fluid pretty bad at that time. I didnt have any leaking for awhile but maybe that is where my leak is. I hope so, because that would not be too difficult of a fix. To answer your question about the hot smell... It doesnt smell obviously hot after driving. If you stick your nose up to the grill, you can smell that familiar warm engine scent we love but I dont think it is obviously coolant evaporating in quantity. But I am obviously losing coolant because I keep having to add. So I am going to just have to spend some time with the car this weekend and figure it out. As long as it is nothing major, I will be happy!
Thanks for getting me thinking this through a little better than I was doing on my own. Maybe it would be a good time to replace the thermostat. And I will use that gasket sealant that Gun mentioned, I used that stuff last time I changed the gasket but maybe I just didnt get it sealed down good enough.
Cheers all!