Leaking coolant hoses are a common occurrence in vehicles that are a few years old and older. They are generally very easy and inexpensive repairs to make, but are extremely important because negligence can cause extensive damage. If your vehicle loses too much coolant and the engine is unable to cool itself, you can cause engine damage or even failure if not resolved immediately.
If you know you have a leaking radiator hose, but can’t shut the vehicle off immediately, monitor your temperature gauge very closely to look for overheating. If the temperature gets too high, shut the vehicle off immediately. The obvious way to diagnose such a problem is visually. Look for coolant dripping from underneath your vehicle, or a puddle of coolant on the ground under your car.
Also in minor leaks you may see a little smoke every so often, and if you can usually smell the antifreeze, it has sort of a sweet, maple syrup type smell to it, and once you’ve smelled it you won’t mistake for anything else. Obviously if the coolant has completely poured out of the engine, don’t even crank it up, as it only takes a few seconds without a cooling system to start overheating.
So to repair the problem, first shut the vehicle down, and make SURE you allow any remaining coolant to cool back down for a while if it is still hot. If you’re not sure where the leak is coming from, fill your radiator up with water and visually check for leaks, it should be pretty apparent. Find the leaking hose and place a pan or bucket underneath to catch any dripping coolant. Use a screwdriver or pliers (depending on which type of clamps you have) to slide the clamps off the fittings. Remove the leaking hose, remove the old clamps and slide them on to the new hose. Slide the new hose onto the fittings and tighten down the clamps.
Next, refill the radiator AND the coolant reservoir (to the indicated level) with a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze. Its best to buy coolant without the water and add your own. Paying $20.00 for a gallon of coolant when half of it is water just doesn’t work for me. Next, start the vehicle and run the engine with the radiator cap off while the engine warms up. Keep the engine running until both the upper and lower radiator hoses heat up to make sure the thermostat is open and the coolant is flowing through the entire system. Keep adding more coolant to the radiator as needed.
Finally, look around inside and under the engine compartment for leaks. Inspect your hose ends for leaking or dampness. Put your radiator cap back on and you’re finished. Keep an eye on the situation for a few days to make sure that everything is dry.
Tags: engine