ok so i was driving my 79 brat up and down my driveway because it is fun:rolleyes: (my driveway is very long and i don't have my licence yet so i was trying to entertain myself) and i go to park the beast and as soon as i finish i see a streak of radiator fluid on the driveway... so i got out while the car was still running and popped the hood... i take a look and nothing is spraying around my engine compartment so i look under the car... there i see drips coming off my bash plate and then i see a steady stream coming off the plate... well this is when i desided to turn the car off!!!

 

dripping stopped so i went in and took a look see at my engine... i checked all the simple stuff first(rad hoses, radiator, rad plug, overflow) non of them were leaking...

 

so i had two ideas... first the heater core hoses... i pulled my engine a while back and when i put it back together i guessed which hose when were(for the heater core)... it seemed to work so i thought i got it right...

 

but i don't think its the hoses... it seems to be coming from the block under the alternator... so i think i am going to have to replace the seal for the head...

 

any other ideas anyone can think of??? something easier to fix???:-\

 

do i have to pull the engine to get the head off??? what else do i have to do to fix this???

 

thanks!!!

Take a close look at the intake manifold (I am assuming its a cooled intake) for leaks at the gaskets and also for small rubber coolant hoses that are under the intake. It can drip to look like just its coming from a head gasket.

I had the same problem in my 79 wagon. The day I got it and I was driving to Andrew's house, I parked it and about 2 minutes later, I went back out to drive it some more. I pulled out of his driveway and when I got to the street, it started to leak. I looked and looked and looked but I couldn't find where it was leaking from (after I shut it off) I started it back up again and the leak had stopped and hasn't returned since. I still don't know what it was or anything like that....weird.....

Under the alternator on the block - as accurate a description of the water pump as I have ever seen.

 

You sure it wasn't jsut spraying from the overflow line.... try a new radiator cap if that's the case.

 

GD

make sure the coolant's full, then let the car warm up with the hood open, and watch for it. you can hit the throttle cable by hand to rev it up and make it "squirt" harder. I vote for the water pump too.

ok so i have located where it is leaking from... i started it just like you guys said and have a look see...well nothing exploded... and i think i am right... it is coming from the heater core hose... i think i might have them mixed up...

here are some links to pics... i don't know if they work so stay with me on this...

 

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/598578

 

thank,

It can be rather difficult to find where it is leaking.

 

I was under the assumption that it does not matter which heater hose goes where.........The heater core is nothing more than a small radiator and the coolant can flow in either direction.

 

Is this an EA82 motor? If it is then there is another "heater" hose to check. At the front of the motor behind and slightly underneath the alternator and A/C compressor is where one of the metal heater hose lines feeds to the rear of the motor. This metal line is fed two rubber hoses......one of which is very small and other is a bit larger. These hoses are often ignored because they are very hard to see. After 25 years they may very well be leaking and need replacing.

no it is a EA71... i would think that the direction does matter...

 

go with me on this one ok??? so if you ahve the rad fluid going from bottom of the heater core to the top of the heater core wouldn't it be harder for the fluid to go up then it would for it to flow from top to bottom???

 

if it really doesn't matter then it is probably just a bad seal... if thats the case i will cut a little off the end of the hose then put it back on and make it extra tight... dunno if this matters but when i turned on my heater i got heat but when it started to leak it lost heat...

 

if anyone has a good pic of the same spot on the engine that is in my pics then please show me... i would like to compare...

 

if anyone thinks of some other way i could be wrong then please say so...

 

thanks...

Dude...that brat is in awesome shape! If you were just recently tinkering w/ hoses, they probably just need to be clamped down tighter. Every time I've had hoses off, I always had to go back days, weeks or months later to tighten the hose clamps cuz coolant was leaking.

i haven't tried the tightening thingy stupidru said but it sounds bang on! i did a clutch change and some tranny rebuilding a few months ago but i haven't been driving it(because i got no licence!!!!)... so tonight when i get home i will give it a whirl and see how it turns out...

 

for a stupidru you sure are smart!

 

thanks!

stupidru as stupid does

 

~Forest Gump~

Greg,

 

 

Did you ever find out what was causing the coolant leak?

 

Thanks,

 

Ken

oh ya i did... i just tightened the hoses...

 

it was from when i pulled the engine and trans out for a clutch and tranny job... it was my first time and i completely forgot to tighten the hoses... it was exacly what stupidru said...