96 Cobra - Coolant Dump

[98SVTContour98]

Took the car out for a mild 20 minute drive. Parked it in the driveway, got out and started to walk to my front door. Then I heard what sounded like water just pouring on the concrete. Shined a light under the car and saw coolant just dumping out (Driver side, i think). Saw a few rust/water mixture drops down the driveway, no parts or anything in the driveway that fell off the car. Car was not running hot and had no issues while driving. There was some coolant on top of the reservoir.

I'm plan to run a hose into the reservoir slowly to attempt to locate the leak. Anything that stand out to yall that I should look for?

 

[I_like_turtlez]

The usual suspects are the lower radiator hose(s) & radiator plastic reservoirs

The best way to be sure is to use a pressure tester that's pumped by hand(just pressurize to what your cap is rated for, about 15psi is fine) and you should start seeing where the leak(s) is coming out so you know what parts to replace; pay close attention to hairline cracks on the radiator plastic

Unfortunately cooling systems(and brakes) are rarely serviced with regularity anymore & this leads to rust/corrosion build-up causing failure

When my OG radiator pops I'm going to toss in a slightly thicker all-aluminum one and be done with it for 20+ years, the A/C lines will need to be pushed out of the way slightly but it won't hurt anything

 

[98SVTContour98]

The usual suspects are the lower radiator hose(s) & radiator plastic reservoirs

The best way to be sure is to use a pressure tester that's pumped by hand(just pressurize to what your cap is rated for, about 15psi is fine) and you should start seeing where the leak(s) is coming out so you know what parts to replace; pay close attention to hairline cracks on the radiator plastic

Unfortunately cooling systems(and brakes) are rarely serviced with regularity anymore & this leads to rust/corrosion build-up causing failure

When my OG radiator pops I'm going to toss in a slightly thicker all-aluminum one and be done with it for 20+ years, the A/C lines will need to be pushed out of the way slightly but it won't hurt anything

thank you.

I just had the radiator replaced and some AC lines replaced a few months back too

 

[01yellercobra]

Was the cap replaced as well? That would be my first guess.

 

[I_like_turtlez]

thank you.

I just had the radiator replaced and some AC lines replaced a few months back too

Interesting..

In that case I would check to see if they used worm-clamps on the hoses & still pressurize the system(hand pumps for it are like $30 online, great tool to have) to see where the leaks are in real time with the engine off

Hopefully it's just something like a loose hose, I highly suggest doing a flush on the entire system since you're seeing rusty crusties coming out on what should be brand new coolant

 

[98SVTContour98]

Was the cap replaced as well? That would be my first guess.

I do not know for sure but I do not think so.

 

[03cobra#694]

Was the car "burped" properly after the radiator swap?

 

[98SVTContour98]

Was the car "burped" properly after the radiator swap?

unknown since I didn't complete the work, but it's a place I have a certain amount of trust in, but i will ask them

 

[fitforspeed]

I agree with Brad. Most likely car was not burped correctly after the radiator was replaced. This is a VERY important step to get right!


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[98SVTContour98]

UPDATE:

filled the reservoir tank back to max level with some water (didn't take much water to do so). Ran the car for 10 minutes at idle.

NOTHING leaking or anything.

My best guess is coolant spewed out the cap (somehow)...did the car overheat? IDK maybe my temp sensor is bad which caused my dash gauge to not read correctly?

Also, the bolt that is on the driver's side, that's supposed to attach the reservoir tank to the frame is missing, maybe it is possible the tank was just sloshing around too much?

 

[01yellercobra]

How much have you driven it since the work was completed? Check the level at the crossover. That matters more than the level in the reservoir.

I doubt the missing bolt would cause that issue.

 

[98SVTContour98]

How much have you driven it since the work was completed? Check the level at the crossover. That matters more than the level in the reservoir.

I doubt the missing bolt would cause that issue.

how do you check the level at the coolant crossover?

 

[98SVTContour98]

this "smoke" doesn't go away once it's warm, is that normal or indicative of an issue?

 

[P49Y-CY]

unknown since I didn't complete the work, but it's a place I have a certain amount of trust in, but i will ask them

so what did they say?

post #9 ftw.

 

[I_like_turtlez]

I would think the car would overheat if the excess air wasn't released after the radiator install but the OP said temps were normal

It is possible it spewed out of the overflow tank(what we keep calling the reservoir) if a large air pocket was pushed out of the heater core but it wouldn't take months to happen..

And yes that smoke in the video is normal without converters installed, especially noticeable on a cool day meeting the hot exhaust

 

[01yellercobra]

how do you check the level at the coolant crossover?

There's a plug on the driver side you remove. If it's stock I think it's a quarter inch drive. If the shop filled the system correctly it should come out fairly easily. It might be easiest to break it loose when the engine is warm and then fully remove it when it's cooled off.

How cold is it where you are?

 

[98SVTContour98]

There's a plug on the driver side you remove. If it's stock I think it's a quarter inch drive. If the shop filled the system correctly it should come out fairly easily. It might be easiest to break it loose when the engine is warm and then fully remove it when it's cooled off.

How cold is it where you are?

50s low 60s.

Why would it take months for the burping issue to pop up?

 

[01yellercobra]

It shouldn't take months. I'm still thinking the radiator cap is giving up. But since it dumped coolant you need to top it off completely.

 

[fitforspeed]

50s low 60s.

Why would it take months for the burping issue to pop up?

It’s possible the trapped air just finally worked it’s way up and out.

Ford 4.6L DOHC Coolant Refill & Burp Procedure by Reische Performance Products

This is a link to the refill and burp process. Good to keep this information handy when working on your car’s cooling system. You should read over it and check your cooling system to ensure there isn’t any more trapped air. Also the temperature sensor will not read the coolant temperature if the air is trapped at the sensor location. Essentially it would be only reading the air temperature in the pocket. Maybe it was totally something different that occurred but I would make sure by going through the Fill/burp process.


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[mysticsvt]

Hoping it is something simple. But I'll say there is a HIGH chance they didn't burp it correctly. It happens a good bit. Is that exhaust coolant? Smell sweet? Not sure if your crossover tube is like the 03/04 Cobra. I took electrical tape and taped a funnel to the crossover tube. Then poured coolant in from there. Also where I noticed my blown head gasket because "tiny bubbles...in my coolant". And no they did not make me happy. Not sure if you will get that....