another coolant leak thread

[JavelinAMX]

2002 sport 3.7. recent engine work, new radiator. I have luke warm heat when ambient temp is low, like today at 8 degrees F and recently just developed a coolant leak, from what I can tell right now without doing a pressure test as it just happened last night, its toward the top of the engine as there is steam coming from under the intake/ by the a/c compressor. Anybody have anything like this happen? The story I got is that there was some sort of engine failure and it got at least a new crank, I'm kinda fuzzy on the details, as I got the jeep a few months after the work was done and I am not sure about the capabilities of the shop who actually preformed the work and would rather not go back there to ask questions.

Any help would be awesome, if it helps the engine is gonna come back out to do a rear main seal and freeze plugs in the near future anyway.

 

[tommudd]

Pictures of the exact area or better description would help, on that side you have a hose going to engine, the thermostat etc, so start checking them. Of course could even be the water pump leaking out of that side ?

 

[Conundrum2006]

In that area is a temp sensor, might be hard to see with the alternator and compressor in place.
I'm not sure how much would leak there, it might just seep.
Top of the timing cover has several water openings to the block itself, see the radiator hose follow that back along the timing cover housing, there's a coolant bleeder opening and then where it attaches internally to the block.

Most likely to my mind would be a heater hose run close to the valve covers.

But I'd get a picture of it to show the folks here where the problem is they may have some more precise advice.

I can't think of any good reason for the leak to be ambient temperature sensitive. If it's the timing cover (maybe not tightened correctly, bad seals) you may have contamination with the oil.
I wouldn't worry too much about how that just yet.

Low heater temp at operating temp sounds like a thermostat stuck open. I'm thinking it is two different problems.





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[JavelinAMX]

I will try to get pictures tonight, I noticed it at 10 pm last night when I got home from a meeting but didn't notice anything prior and I leave for work at 520 am so I didn't have much time to get pics last night or this morning. But now knowing that there is a temp sensor somewhere up there is helpful. I did check the oil last night and looked under the fill cap with no evidence that its leaking in the motor so far. I dealt with antifreeze in the oil with my grand am with a 3.4 so I know what to look and smell for (the dreaded infamous intake gasket). As far as more info with out a pic yet, it looked like it was the opposite side of the upper hose and right by/under the compressor, with a damp spot on the engine cross member on the passenger side, I didn't get a good look to see if the passenger side of the engine had coolant on it but assume with the damp cross member on that side.

Thanks for the help so far I will try to get more info later today for yous.

 

[jharrisliberty]

Just so you know the 3.7L engine on the liberty's do not have intake gaskets that have coolant flowing trough them. This is due to the entire intake plenum being made from plastic. So if you do have a gasket leak it is going to be the head gasket.

 

[JavelinAMX]

Just so you know the 3.7L engine on the liberty's do not have intake gaskets that have coolant flowing trough them. This is due to the entire intake plenum being made from plastic. So if you do have a gasket leak it is going to be the head gasket.

I was just simply stating that I knew what to watch out for with water in the oil from prior experience from a different engine. By rights it shouldn't if the garage did the motor right, it should have new gaskets, but its not off the table yet.

 

[JavelinAMX]

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the majority of the vapor is coming from inbetween the compressor and the intake here

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crappy picture but there is some coolant on the bolt heads for the diff tube mount.

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and I assume that the sensor in the middle is the coolant temp, its dry around it but theres vapors coming up from that valley also.

hope this helps some, I am waiting for the engine to cool for a few before I take the cap off to do a pressure test. let me know if the images don't work.

 

[Conundrum2006]

Behind the coolant sensor the block dips down primarily for the placement of the intake.
When to the heater hoses run on the passengers side of the engine. Two hoses should come out of the timing cover then go up and to the firewall. Do they go over the valve cover ?
My first thought is leaking heater hose.

But maybe the head gasket is blown and leak outside instead of inside the motor.

To the right and left if the temp sensor are two 10mm bolt that are part of the cylinder head, those are water ports going into the head. Probably hard to see with everything bolted on, but those blots are part of the cylinder head bolts, the normal big bolts are under the valve cover as you'd expect , out side are 4 total 10mm bolts and inside are I think 4 more bolting the front cylinder head to the block.

If you can see those little bolts you might check if they are tightened properly, still I would not suspect them at fist either because the pressure of the resets of the bolts should help hold a good seal to the head gasket.

I'll see if I can get a picture to show you what I mean.


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[Conundrum2006]

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This is the empty temp sender socket , the block dips behind it.

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Here are those little bolts the the left and right of the temp sender .


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[JavelinAMX]

Thank you everyone for the responses, upon a pressure test I did find that the lower hose clamp was just loose enough to let coolant leak out of it, so I tighten the clamp, bleed out the coolant system and all seems well and good for now. But with that said, when I do take the engine back out, I am going to double check a lot of things, including the head bolts.

Thanks again for the info, it will come in handy down the road.

side note just because I can, I did get some info about the engine work. Story is that the person before my uncle let a friend drive it, and didn't know it had a bad oil pan, ran it low on oil and spun a crank bearing. So it should have a new crank, I heard pistons, not sure about rods, oil pan, oil pump and pick up, and gaskets, but no slips to really prove what really went into it but that's what I have to go on.

Will keep an eye on the coolant and oil and post anymore findings.