Mystery water leak?

Stangra

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
272
Location
CA
So after over a year of sitting with the cooling system apart, and having just completed my new VMP intercooler install, I fired her up for the 1st time last night. I noticed a slow drip coming from the block/bellhousing seam, apparently clear water. I had just filled the engine cooling system with distilled water and water wetter, so, pink color. Intercooler system is only filled with distilled water so far and is clear, so my immediate assumption is an intercooler leak. This is a bit of a mystery to me though, I filled both systems with a vacuum filler and they held vacuum with no leaks prior to fill. The car is nose up on 2 jackstands and I've checked the area under rear of the intake manifold, top of bellhousing, and around/under the intercooler tubes up front & no signs of moisture. I checked the line coming from the bubbler fitting on the bottom of the lower intake pan and find no evidence of water being inside either.

Today with everything nice and dry again I fired her up and... no dripping.
When it was dripping yesterday about a drop every 3-4 seconds, maybe several tablespoons total observed. Possibly spillage from the filling process? A strange place to see spillage from though?
 

MG0h3

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
13,683
Location
El Paso, TX
Spillage. All you can do is monitor it


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
 

DSG2003Mach1

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2004
Messages
15,904
Location
Central Fl
could be spillage being vibrated off

do anything with the coolant crossover tubes? Where they go into the heads if they leak it can roll off the back of the motor.
 

Stangra

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
272
Location
CA
Update:
While working on the car today I noticed a couple more fresh water drops hanging from the tranny and oil pan. It's been warmer in the garage the past few days so maybe a little expansion taking place? I rigged my Airlift vacuum filler to put light pressure in the intercooler degas tank... checked underneath and found a few more drops, I'm pretty sure the intercooler or the manifold tubes are leaking. What I can't figure is how water is getting to the back/ bottom of the motor. There is no sign of external leakage at the intercooler fittings/tubes and no sign of water in the valley under the manifold, or on top of the block and belhousing. I assume that anything leaking from the intercooler or the tubes/O-rings internal to the manifold would be captured inside the lower manifold pan, and if coming from there, would be wetting one of the areas I've checked.

I'm baffled !!!!!
 

Lambeau

Superfleck Moonbird
Established Member
Malt Liquor Mafia
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
9,685
Location
Rockwood Lodge
I could be way off here, but is the water you're seeing on the back/bottom of the motor coming a/c evap drain hose on the firewall?
 

Blkkbgt

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
3,075
Location
The land of commies and socialists!
I am not very familiar with your setup but I'll make a few guesses here.

I looked at the installation instructions for your setup. From what I can tell you can only have water coming from two places.

1. Is obviously the intercooler line fittings at the front of the engine. You said you checked them though.

2. Is the line installed at the back underside of the manifold. This would indicate an internal leak of the intercooler fittings or the intercooler itself.

I am not sure if your particular setup has this line but it is shown in the instructions.

Because of the angle of the engine and the closeness of the whole in the back of every block the water may be draining before you look in that area.

Is there any access into the intake manifold that would allow you to drop a camera in to see if the manifold has water in it?

Is it possible you pinched an o-ring installing the intercooler?
 

Stangra

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
272
Location
CA
Screenshot manifold.jpg


Water leaking at the O-rings or tubes would either leak from RED circled area or accumulate inside the bottom pan, where I should see it at the BLUE location. If it's an Intercooler leak, same thing.
No evidence of water in or around the blue circled hose, air flows freely through it. Red area completely dry. Valley under manifold bone dry. Top of block and top/sides of bellhousing are dry.

...But water dripping from engine/tranny interface at bottom.
 

Stangra

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
272
Location
CA
I could be way off here, but is the water you're seeing on the back/bottom of the motor coming a/c evap drain hose on the firewall?
Since the car's been garaged for the past year and a/c hasn't ran is this even possible?
 

Blkkbgt

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
3,075
Location
The land of commies and socialists!
View attachment 1735255

Water leaking at the O-rings or tubes would either leak from RED circled area or accumulate inside the bottom pan, where I should see it at the BLUE location. If it's an Intercooler leak, same thing.
No evidence of water in or around the blue circled hose, air flows freely through it. Red area completely dry. Valley under manifold bone dry. Top of block and top/sides of bellhousing are dry.

...But water dripping from engine/tranny interface at bottom.
Understanding your setup a little more I think we can agree that your problem is centered around your intercooler water fittings at the front.

If you don't have a cracked line or fitting in think you're going to have to pull the front fittings. You may have pinched or nicked an o-ring or maybe the bolts just aren't tight?
 

Stangra

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
272
Location
CA
Ok, I've found and corrected the leak. I had modified my intercooler tubes to use -20AN fittings and the upper fitting was leaking at the fitting/flared tube connection.
G2 (2)a.jpg

I still can't find a trace of how water was getting to where it was dripping from at the back of the engine, but all is bone dry now.

A conical seal washer did the trick, these things are great!!

 

Blkkbgt

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
3,075
Location
The land of commies and socialists!
Ok, I've found and corrected the leak. I had modified my intercooler tubes to use -20AN fittings and the upper fitting was leaking at the fitting/flared tube connection.
View attachment 1736584
I still can't find a trace of how water was getting to where it was dripping from at the back of the engine, but all is bone dry now.

A conical seal washer did the trick, these things are great!!

Glad to hear you got it all figured out.
 

Users who are viewing this thread



Top