Cold Water Leak

[KimberlyH]

I have a couple of things going on with my engine coolant.
In the winter, when the ambient air temps are cold I have a horrendous cold water leak. I'm talkng pours out the bottom of the engine. It comes out on the passenger side right behind the front tire. No where near the radiator, reservoir, water pump etc....
When it warms up, it stops leaking. All the shade tree mechanics here have told me to just put stop leak in it and call it. One pressure tested it and still no leak.

Now that it's gotten warmer the cold water leak has pretty much stopped. I need to get this fixed this summer so we won't have to deal with it next winter. I have been told everything from head gasket to hoses. No sign of water in the oil. Nobody wants to find it. ( because obviously I am not rolling in the dough) Any ideas welcome. My next plan of attack is to buy the UV dye and see if I can find it that way.

More current problem is getting warm while driving. Not hot, just warm. When you pull over to check the water etc... It cools down which is the complete opposite of what usually happens. Some days it doesn't do it at all. Changed the heater control valve because it had a smell leak. (Vaccuum line not hooked up). Bad sensor? Thermostat? Water pump?

As I stated in the welcome thread I am definitely not a mechanic, just a parts replacer if someone can point me in the right direction.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Fastcar]

You gotta give a bit more info. Is it clear water? Any color from anti freeze? Are you adding coolant to the truck after this occurs? If so how much?

 

[whtbronco]

Unfortunately where the coolant hits the ground often doesn't provide much help in finding the leak. The first time I saw coolant on my driveway was on the passenger side rear of the engine, where the A/C condensation drips from. The leak, however, was from the passenger side front of the intake manifold. It filled the valley in the block and ran out towards the passenger side.

If it leaks when it's warm at all a borescope(inspection camera) could be a huge help in isolating it. It's tough to look around on the passenger side of our engine bay. There are coolant hoses behind the intake manifold. The intake manifold is also difficult to see.

It's not great, but it's decent and at times a life saver, $40 well spent.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3R381FC?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1

I put off buying a borescope for years and now I use it all the time on the vehicles and around the house. I even used it to find and knock down a wasp nest under steps outside my house recently.

 

[acampinoob]

I second the boroscope as there are a few different spots that coolant can leak. Hopefully it's not freeze plugs, you're pulling the engine or pouring some stop leak in if that's the case.

Other spots that can leak include a hard metal pipe in the valley off the rear of the water pump, the heated PCV valve connections, quick connects at the front heater core, quick connects at the rear heater core, head gaskets, and the intake manifold. The intake manifold is a common problem on these engines and buy a new OEM one vs the Dorman garbage. I'm kind of leaning towards it being a freeze plug, head gasket, or intake manifold since it stops when it gets hot and the engine block gets the hottest out of the options, but who knows until you actually take a look (that was pure speculation).

 

[nabil]

Since the leak stops when hot, I'd assume that's because of expansion, so the most appropriate candidates would be rubber seals or hoses. I never had water leakage, but I did have a vacuum leak from the PCV hose elbow that disappeared when the engine warmed up. Not an expert in water leaks, just thought that air and water leaks could have a similar background.

 

[BigRed2004]

@KimberlyH, you have been given some good advice from @whtbronco and @acampinoob. Since you said you changed the heater control valve that shouldn’t be the suspect. And if it was you would see it leaking every time you run the engine, hot or cold. That component doesn’t leak from the vacuum line itself, but from the valve actuated by the vacuum line.

Check this hose that comes off the coolant cross over and heads towards the heater core. One of the line sections goes down the side of the engine towards the wheel well. This is an obstructed hose in the general area of concern.


There are also drain plugs in the engine block on the driver and passenger sides. This is how you would drain coolant from the block directly if you needed to empty it as much as possible without removing and rotating the engine. You’ll see a small 7mm hex below one of the freeze plugs. It was installed with some thread locker and ‘shouldn’t’ leak, but if the block is cold enough it’s possible, and as the block warms it expands. If you find this plug is loose, you can use some plumbers tape and reinstall the plug to prevent further leaks.

A lot of the hoses are on top and if you are loosing a lot of fluid you should be able to see it from one of these hoses. The temp change being a sign points to a seal failure for sure. You just have to take time to hunt down the various seals. This is probably one of the least enjoyable things about these engines is all the different hoses to check. You have to choose a direction, but working outside in might be best. Firewall near the heater core in the rear, intake manifold in the front, and hose to auxiliary heating unit in the rear. Then work towards the ‘middle’ from each of these points.

 

[engineer1]

Because of your description and water in the valley it sounds like a top of engine issue. I would look vary carefully under the front passenger side of the intake manifold. These manifolds are plastic, and in the front of each side a metal crossover pipe mounts, from the under side of the manifold where you can't get to it without removing the manifold. It is sealed with a molded rubber seal. In my case, '03 EB, the plastic had cracked and allowed it to leak. The way I repaired it was by taking a Dremel and removing a little of the plastic around the seal and in the crack, reinforcing that area with a small piece of metal (paper clip), filling it in with JB Weld, and while the epoxy was still fresh and soft I put the OLD molded seal back in and clamped it until cured. I then put a new seal into the newly formed molding, with a little silicone rubber sealer, and reassembled it. That was about 5 years ago. If you go the replacement route and use a Dorman part, from what I've read on this website, you need to be prepared for a louder noise level. A few weeks ago (maybe within the past 2 months or so) someone posted a source for new Oem parts which are now obsolete. My engine has since been replaced and I still have the repaired manifold. If you would be interested in that send me a private message and I'll give you a good price for it.l Good luck.

 

[Hondobud]

What vehicle model and year? On my 2003 Ford Expedition the heater valve which is directly above Cylinder #3 (on the 2V-5.4) was leaking coolant <but> it only leaked when I used the heater. The coolant would drip down into the #3 sparkplug hole and eventually fouled the coil boot springy thingy. So my car eventually threw me a P0303 miss code which was the only way that I found that leak, because it would evaporate all by itself. So what I am saying is- If it's cold and you turn on the heater (and your heater valve body has the same leak) coolant might be running towards the back of the motor if the valve is not directly located over a spark plug hole, also pushed backwards by blown air from the fan or running down outside of a hose or wire towards the passenger tire. Now I do have holes in the roof because ford never put enough nickel in their steel but that particular problem drips through the liner onto my head. I like the manifold coolant leak suggestion also because those go bad often. But the heater valve is easier to get to so check that first.

 

[Hondobud]

Sorry! reread your post I see you have an Eddie Bauer 03 and replaced the heater valve I guess you could check it again. On the engine getting just warm you mean you are looking at the gauge? Yeah if the gauge reads low I would suspect the thermostat is stuck open. Could be the temp sender, loose wire, short etc. You have a laser or temp checker for the thermo housing? The Thermostat S/B opening at 210-215 degrees. My car gets to 215 quickly, maybe in two minutes. The needle on the gauge should always read in the same place or something is up.