hose leaks, on 3sgte Options

[95celgt]

hey guys, a hose is leaking coolant, its plugged into the firewall(right to the bottom left of the hose that has the mechanical box of somesort), and plugs into a hardline under the distributor cap.

anything to look out for when changing it out? should i even change the hose itself? it leaks where it connects to the firewall itself, not the hose. what to do?

[brianforster]

is there a hose clamp on it? tighten the hose clamp or put a clamp on it if there isnt one on

This post has been edited by brianforster: Jun 12, 2006 - 6:39 PM

[95celgt]

yes, it has the stock-type clamp that you squeeze with pliers to take off, should i put a screw-type clamp? why would it leak now?

[Defgeph]

Look for a crack in the hose, if the hose is cracked replace it. I also suggest replacing that clamp with a screw type.

[95celgt]

will there be more coolant flowing out as i pull the hose off? the thing was literally flowing it when i turned the car off..

[Defgeph]

Wait till the car is cooled down, then pull the hose off for inspection. Yes fluid will leak because you have pull the hose. Once you have figured out what the story is with the hose replace it and top off your coolant.

[brianforster]

id go one up and make sure to bleed your coolant , its pretty simple

take radiator cap off, turn car on, turn heat on full blast, and as the car warms up air bubbles will come out of the radiator , once the car is warmed up and bubbles stop, your coolant is bled (also every time the level sinks, pour more in)

air bubbles in the coolant can be real annoying, giving you false temperature readings when the steam bubbles pass over the temp sensor and also giving you a bouncy idle, and its so easy it makes you feel smart

[95celgt]

well I got to fixing this tonite, once the engine cooled off and it was 91 out side. the copper looking hardline it plugs to was bent outta shape so it wasnt a circle, it was all wierd....a few minutes of borein' out the pipe with the needle nose pliers and it was circular again!..checked the hose nothing wrong, so i put it back on with a new screw clamp.

...So far so good, cruised around for about an hour at an outside temp of 89 (yes even at midnight, its this temp lol)...ran it hard about 3-4 times and no leak! The real test is tommorow when i go to school from 10:30 to 12:30, it will be about 105 and with traffic...and no a/c

thanks for the tips guys, Brian I made sure to bleed it, the radiator was very low so it took a good 20min to get all the air out.