I have a coolant leak...*PICS INSIDE PLEASE HELP*

I replaced pretty much every coolant related hose under the hood because it seemed that every time i touched one, another would spring a leak…but there’s one that just wont stop leaking and i’ve replaced the hose, and the clamp associated with it and its leaving a puddle on the ground. My thing is…do you think it could be the ‘nipple’ coming from the head? Here’s a pic, please help. Thanks

The fitting looks like its threaded fully into the head… Is the end of the fitting where the hose goes free of debris and build-up?

i dont know if its threaded into the head or not, but i scuffed up the part where the hose goes onto w/ some sandpaper…right now i’m waiting for the coolant to come completely out so i can run some JB weld on it

It wasn’t a question… I was stating that the fitting IS threaded fully into the head.

By running the car and letting the cooling system build pressure, you should be able to tell if its leaking from the hose-end, or from the threaded end.

JB-Welding the threads, without even knowing where the coolant is coming from, is a bad idea.

i’m not talking about JB welding the threads i’m talking about JB welding the outside part where teh hose goes on. i havent/not planning to remove that from teh head…if what i plan on doing doesnt work, then i’m going to take it to the shop and have him work on it

guess not alot of helpers on this forum, 2nd thread i’ve made trying to get help with little to no help. As i mentioned above i did JB weld that piece that ipointed to up top, and that one did seal up…supposedly, but now the coolant hose, that i never had an issue with leaking before, is now leaking so i’m now wanting to get some new clamps for that hose. this is pissing me off to say the least

I think you might want to use the spring type of clamps for that end.

i purchased a new ‘screw-in’ clamp for it and it secured better…its more of the ‘rusty end’ on the part that it was secured on to. i’m going to buy two more ‘screw-in’ clamps for the coolant hose since all of a sudden it wants to leak

I had a similar problem on a radiator hose end. It would leak a few drops every once in a while. I found out that screw type hose clamps do not clamp evenly and are famous for causing leaks. I replaced the screw clamp with a spring clamp and haven’t lost any coolant since. I couldn’t believe that screw type hose clamps could cause this but now I do and will never use them on a cooling sytem again.

well right now teh spring clamp is leaking and i’m confused to hell w/ it because it still feels to have teh same strength, its placed fine but it still leaks. i’m trying the screw clamp this time around…i think…

Well make sure you have the right hose size for it. It has to fit snug with little force to it. I assume that hose isn’t OEM right.

You said you scuffed the fitting, but did you get it smooth? I remember mine was very “bumpy” with debris and it took a lot of effort to get it back to a “good enough” surface. Also I’m wondering if you’re putting the hose on far enough so that the clamp so that it gets a good seal, because I believe that hose fitting has a bump on the end to help grab the hose and also “lock in” the clamp.

If you want to try a different clamp, there are also ones made for fuel hoses. These don’t destroy hoses like worm gear ones and are smooth throughout, yet you still get to tighten via a screw.
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=BK_7051225_0282517730

Yea i did put the hose on far enough, but i cant say it was smooth, persay, but it was cleaner than it was when i removed the old hose, so all i could figure is when i scuffed the dirt/debris off the fitting i removed dirt from a crack and it made itself evident, which the JB weld sealed it up. as far as the coolant hose, that was on correctly, and the old spring clamp was toast, you had to look closely at the good spring clamp and the other clamp to see it was bad, but it wasnt retracting back like the other was, so i just replaced w/ the ‘worm gear’ clamps, and everything is dry now, hopefully…ill check again after i get from work to make sure it still is, but i’m glad thats over with.

thanks for those that responded to this thread

Is there any way you can post a pic with the hose off to get a better idea

scratch that, the coolant hose that goes to the housing where the bleeder valve is STILL leaking, even went and swapped out the hose…i damn near wanna blow this car the hell up. considering if i should jb weld it or just replace the housing period.

the hose is the right size, that is not the problem

You know that coolant stop leak or radiator stop leak product? I think it comes in a little bottle. Try adding about a tablespoon of it to your radiator and run the engine to see if that helps. (I’ve heard that adding the entire bottle is counterproductive and unnecessary).

I had to do this when I experienced a coolant leak before a long road trip but couldn’t determine where the leak originated.

A radiator additive would definitely be my absolute last resort in an emergency situation… its not ‘fixing’ the problem, its putting a bandaid over it.

Get a new threaded fitting for the head. If it still leaks, get an OEM hose.

If it leaks after that, Id be inclined to think its user-error.

[QUOTE=N FUL FX;2240801]You know that coolant stop leak or radiator stop leak product? I think it comes in a little bottle. Try adding about a tablespoon of it to your radiator and run the engine to see if that helps. (I’ve heard that adding the entire bottle is counterproductive and unnecessary).

I had to do this when I experienced a coolant leak before a long road trip but couldn’t determine where the leak originated.[/QUOTE]

yea i kinda dont want to do that, tell you the truth, but i’ve considered that route. i’m thinking of pulling the hose friday night when i get home, let it drain just enough, or just pull off the water outlet housing, mix up some JB weld and smearing a layer on it

[QUOTE=unified112;2240813]A radiator additive would definitely be my absolute last resort in an emergency situation… its not ‘fixing’ the problem, its putting a bandaid over it.

Get a new threaded fitting for the head. If it still leaks, get an OEM hose.

If it leaks after that, Id be inclined to think its user-error.[/QUOTE]

well that one is fine that i have pointed to in the OP, the one that’s leaking/dripping slowly is the water outlet housing (the 2nd pic that shows the coolant hose w/ the spring clamp). i guess an OEM hose would be a great idea…but i’m about to swear its the housing, but WTF?!, really though sigh

this is the first time, out of all the times i’ve done radiator, hose replacements that this has ever…EVER occured! i looked on advance auto parts website to see if they had the water outlet housing, but they dont. #aggravating to say the least

God reading owns me today.

You’re sure its leaking from the hose, and not the gasket/mating surface?

The JB Weld trick might work, but id think the cause of the leak (crack/gouge) would be evident if it wasn’t solved by a new hose and clamp.