Please help me ID leaking hose(s) by tailpipe

[Chris F.]

I've recently developed a leak near the rear tailpipe of the truck, and I'm having trouble tracing these lines up under the car to see where they go. Can anyone a) ID these hoses for me, and b) give me a rough idea of how difficult they are to change?

First picture is looking from rear of car towards the front. Hoses seem to enter from the chassis, cross under the frame, and work their way towards the front.

I get about a 6-8" diameter spot under the car that seems to wash away. Doesn't feel oily - brake fluid or coolant?

Any insight is appreciated!

- Chris

 

[stamp11127]

Depending on which line(s) are leaking it can be the rear heater or rear a/c lines. OEM are big buck replacement parts. Splice in what you need if it is the coolant. Real auto parts stores may make a/c lines so check with them if they are what is leaking. You need to bring them the leaking line in order for them to make a new one.

 

[Chris F.]

Thanks, if that's the case I'd suspect heater vs. a/c. I've only noticed in the leak in the last few weeks when the weather got cold enough for me to have the heat on. I'll see if disabling the rear heat for now helps at all. The leak seems to be the front line in picture #2, and where the rubber hose transitions to the hard line.

Thanks again,
Chris

 

[stamp11127]

You can usually pull the interior access panel off and see what lines go to what part.

 

[2005exp]

Or just run the heater , touch it and see. Run the AC also touch it and see.

Easy peasy.

 

[jeff kushner]

Being in the HVAC industry, I'm pretty sure that the 2 lines closest to the wheel in pic #1 are ac liquid and hot gas lines. The smallest being the Hot gas line. The two towards the rear may be heating supply and return. Chances are, you are seeing some condensate dripping and not a leak but turn off the "auto" control and run your rear heater on full heat and check for leaks to be sure.

jeff

 

[Chris F.]

Thanks for the insights. I pulled the access cover off over the weekend and things seem dry up there, and I think it's the splice where the rubber hose enters the metal pipe under the truck that's the issue. It's definitely not just condensation, though, and is leaking coolant.

I was hoping that turning off the rear heat would be sufficient for now (truck is mainly used for towing, and I rarely have passengers), but it seems to be leaking regardless. The service manual shows a fairly involved process to replace this line (drop exhaust, cats, replacement line comes in multiple pieces that need to be snaked into place). I will probably take it somewhere as I don't have a weekend to devote to the repair in the near future, but this isn't my daily driver so it hasn't become a real problem yet.

Thanks again for all the tips,
Chris

 

[04ExpeditionEB]

Thanks for the insights. I pulled the access cover off over the weekend and things seem dry up there, and I think it's the splice where the rubber hose enters the metal pipe under the truck that's the issue. It's definitely not just condensation, though, and is leaking coolant.

I was hoping that turning off the rear heat would be sufficient for now (truck is mainly used for towing, and I rarely have passengers), but it seems to be leaking regardless. The service manual shows a fairly involved process to replace this line (drop exhaust, cats, replacement line comes in multiple pieces that need to be snaked into place). I will probably take it somewhere as I don't have a weekend to devote to the repair in the near future, but this isn't my daily driver so it hasn't become a real problem yet.

Thanks again for all the tips,
Chris

you can just bypass the rear heat with a bypass connector up under the hood to take the rear out of the equation.
If your seeing coolant then its defiantly your rear Heater system in question.(oily residue non colored would indicate a leak in the 134A coolant) a greenish tint would indicate coolant.

makes life easier to track down which is which. (pinkish colored indicates either trans or power steering) its just a simple down and dirty way of identifying what is leaking under the truck. then location of the drips on the floor can narrow down where it leaking from.toward radiator can be trans or power steering, towards the middle of truck points to trans if it is red, ETC...
the spots on the ground are very helpful.
Good luck with the bypass.