Hi, new member here … with problems already ![Frown]( "Frown")
The car is a 91 Eunos 1.6 (auto). It has a slight coolant leak which only starts as the car is cooling off. Hot and running , there are no drips anywhere to be seen , however as the car cools down , a small patch of coolant appears on the ground, just below the back of the engine. The heater matrix hoses have been changed recently as has the CAS oil seal ( that was leaking too ).
Any suggestions as the next likely weak spot ? OR best way to find them…
Thanks!
Mine had a leak I could never trace, it was the small water hoses that run to the inlet valves and it took the system pressure to rise high enough to cause a small pinhole leak to open up. I spotted it by warming the engine up to full temp then revving it a few times while I watched.
It always looks like it looses coolant when cooling as the radiator draws in fluid as it cools. It is a daft system and not like the modern cooling systems where the expansion tank is plumbed in with the main coolant flow so you cannot see levels in the expansion tank fall, until it goes through a cooling cycle.
It could also be a leak in the heater matrix.
At the very back of the engine there is a blank cover that blocks an unused pipe which must be used on the 323 its thick rubber but could fail must be a nightmare to change!
Hello and welcome to the club ![]()
You do not say where you are from, this helps as members can point you in the right direction to get help.
I had a small water leak on my auto that turned out to be the small pipe underneath the inlet manifold.
Thanks for all the replies. Reading area is my location.
I will check the inlet manifold pipe next.
Strawman - you mention the heater matrix - does this have a drain pipe to the outside of the cabin for leaks , or is that just the footwells ?
sorry I have not played with the heater so no idea. but on my car some of the metal pipes had corroded to very thin. the pipes connected to the thermostat were a nightmare. sorry I cannot help you further. good luck
So finally got time to look for the coolant leak again. Fitted a new genuine rad cap. Nothing showing from the engine bay , despite the use of some paper towels to detect the leak. Decided to get under the car as I could see the dripping , and this is the result. Dripping from the bell housing ! Its small so far , but a steady drip. The only thing I can think of is the core plug on the back of the engine … Anybody had experience of this or am I just fearing the worst ?
And should there be a cover here (its an auto box ) ?
Have you replaced heater hoses, how old are they ? also the blank hose I mentioned before?
Heater hoses have been changed recently and are dry. As it the blanking plug ( I wrapped it in kitchen roll and ran the car - water was dripping but the kitchen roll stayed dry ) . Could be the gasket seal around the water housing at the back, I guess
I have booked it in to Alan at Maztech,Slough for a better look ( on a ramp ). Will post the results.
Thanks for the responses.
Have you got air con, it’s not just the normal condensation dripping down from that is it?
Yes, I have aircon . Does the aircon vent through the bell housing ? I have been looking for a drain from the heater matrix / aircon , but have not found one yet .
The liquid coming out is slimy, slightly green and the smell suggests anti-freeze to me. ![Frown]( "Frown")
If you’ve got the aircon set to cold condensation forms on the pipes and drips down, in your case it could be dripping onto the bellhousing and then onto the ground - you say it’s coolant, is the level dropping? If the bellhousing is greasy or cruddy it could just be contaminating whats dripping. Just a thought.