arcano Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 (edited) I've had a small coolant leak whose source I had not been able to pinpoint for a long time, and I think I just found it. I thought I would mention it here in case anyone is having a similar problem... I knew I had a leak because my coolant would go down slowly over time (about a liter of water/coolant over a period of a week). Sometimes I would drive around all day and couldn't see any sign of a leak, but sometimes after a long drive I could see a few drops of coolant dripping from the bottom of the clutch housing, right below the back of the engine, towards the firewall. The truck runs fine as long as I top off the coolant every so often. Only twice did it run a bit hot, but it was due to the coolant being low, and as soon as I topped it off it was Ok. At first I was afraid it was an engine seal or gasket, and I was preparing for an expensive repair job. Well, the other day I pulled into my driveway, looked under the car, and saw a few drops of fresh coolant dripping from under the transmission. I was able to follow the trail, and found what I think might be the culprit: a couple of small hoses that come out of the back of the engine and feed the in-cabin heater (which off course I never use down here in Panama). The hoses are a bit swollen, and there seems to be a little coolant leaking from around the clamp that holds one of the hoses in place. There seem to be two hoses back there (in and out I guess). Only one seems to be leaking, but considering that neither has ever been changed, I should probably replace them both while I am at it. Looks like I will tackle this problem over the weekend, so any tips or suggestions are welcomed. Has anybody had a problem with these hoses leaking? Does anyone know the part numbers for these hoses, or how hard they are to replace? Also, since I never use the heater here in Panama, I was thinking about feeding the outlet into the inlet and getting rid of the in-cabin heater altogether, but I don't know if there are any reasons for not doing this. Edited May 2, 2007 by arcano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 My 2001 Altima started leaking out of hose clamps at about 78K miles...those stock claps are pretty decent, but they do lose pressure over time...sounds like the rig is holding up real good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcano Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 Well, after further inspection this morning, it turned out not to be the heater hoses, but a smaller hose (about 3/4" x 4") that makes a 90 degree turn back into the engine block, sort of like a bypass hose or something. I was lucky enough to find it at the dealer for a decent price (about $8), and will be changing it in a few moments...I will probably also flush the system and put new coolant in, since I have been topping the radiator every few days for a couple of months, so I am not sure exactly what kind of cooland mix I have in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Great! I forgot to mention that my radiator cap lost pressure right at 80K miles also...but I was so glad that this was the only repair, the $16 stant vented cap brought to me a smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NismoSkyZ Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 Should have gotten an Nismo cap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Probably! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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