Hi,
I've done quite a bit of auto repair over the years (mostly older cars - haven't had to do much on this truck), but I've never done any coolant system work, so I hope someone might help me figure out what to do next. I have a really slow radiator leak - it only leaks a couple drops every day. The truck has never overheated. So I took the shroud off and crawled underneath with a mirror and found drips only on the bottom passsenger side of the radiator by the drain hose. I've read lots of threads here with horror stories about head gaskets and water pumps but I really think its just a tiny leak on the bottom of the radiator or maybe the drainplug itself is cracked or something. Just not sure what to do next. Can the radiator be repaired or is it best to just get a new one? If I need to take it into the shop, I don't want to sound like a newby.

Thanks, everybody, I appreciate any helpful hints-

Kim
97 F150 4x4 flareside - my pride and joy
5.4 V8, auto trans, stock everything
119K miles - in awesome condition, never a major repair.

 

I had a small seep like that - it was the hose clamps. The factory spring clamps can lose their tension. I'd replace the clamps on the top and bottom main hoses and the heater hoses with worm drive clamps. If that doesn't take care of it, I'd put a very small amount of stop-leak in.

 

^^^ That's what I was thinking.
Sounds like a loos hose-clamp!

Phil

 

i'd check the clamps first too and if it isnt the problem you can try stop leak but i dont know how well it will work. i dont like stop leak because my friend used it on his truck one time and well it stopped the leak but it also stopped up the whole radiator. he had to replace the radiator and flush out the whole coolant system because the stuff. thats the only experience me and my friend have had with the stuff so i could be wrong but it was just a mess when he did it and when we tried to clean it up.

 

no, dont use stop leaks type products for anything. even that promising looking steel seal (has no particle matter) will plug things up. steel seal is like an epoxy. when it dries it turns into a hard matter that basically coats the inside of everything and probably would plug a radiator.

need to locate the leak, some radiator shops can actually "patch" a small leak.

 

Your are not alone. I had the same problem. It clogged the whole rad up nicely and I ended up buying a new one. I would not use or recomend that crap to anyone. A guy I knew that owned a rad shop at the time said to use pepper and it will plug the hole until you can get it fixed properly. So to the OP if it turns out not to be hose clamps, and I am crossing my fingers for you, get it fixed properly at a rad shop. You will save time and money in the long run if you do.

 

go get it pressure tested and no stop leak

 

Dont put stop leak in. Ive tried it several time and all it does is make a mess out of your cooling system. Check the clamps replace them if they leak if thats not it pay a shop to presure test it and replace the part thatts leaking.

 

I'm not a fan of stop leak either.

Have you crawled under right after a hot shutdown with a good flashlight? You SHOULD be able to see the source of the leak at this point, because the system is still under pressure. Look for anything "shiny".

I'm betting it's a hose clamp problem too. The worm drive ones are much better in my opinion than the spring clamps Ford uses. Wonder why they use them? Are they THAT much cheaper than the worm drive clamps?

But, if it's a radiator seam leaking, it can be resoldered. However, I'd look into replacing the radiator in that case. New radiators aren't usually too expensive and I've replaced a couple in my carport in my time. It's usually a pretty simple job (but I haven't looked at the procedure for Ford trucks).

I think the cost of a new radiator would compare favorably with the cost of a radiator repair, and, you should be good for another 100,000 miles.

- Jack

 

I didn't say to put a whole bottle of stop-leak in - just a tiny bit can find its way to a small leak. I don't like the stuff either but it works without plugging everything up if used very sparingly.

You DO realize that the factory fill coolant has a small amount of sealer in it, right?

The factory uses spring clamps simply for the ease of assembly.

 

The spring clamps are actually more expensive than the cheap worm drive clamps. They do a better job at clamping and are easier to install and remove. If you're leaking at the clamp.....it's because the HOSE needs replacing. Not because the clamp is falutly.

 

1st, I agree, no Bars leak or any other "stop leak" additives. Year's ago I plugged up a heater core once, that was a pain to change out.

You definately want to find out if it is the radiator.
If you havn't used the drain plug recently for service, I doubt that is the problem but do not rule ir out. I am leaning towards a lower hose problem as the others have suggested.
I prefer the spring clamps because they are easier for maitenance. If you think the clamp has lost some of it's clamping force (spring tension) then I would replace it. The positive on the "worm style" clamp is you get to decide how tight you want the clamping force.

If you need a new radiator, I found and online store that has an excellent price with a lifetime warranty.

http://www.radiator.com/price.php?ma...carmodel=&vid=

The good news is, changing that radiator out is not very difficult.

Good Luck,
TJKinCNY

 

The spring clamps stay tight even after the hose has gotten hot and soft so if you go to the worm ones retighten after the truck has ran for a bit. I have seen a few of the spring ones fail but that is only after we have done some sort of service that required removing them. As for the leak remove the to cover and see if you can see were it is coming, make sure you top your rad off that way it can build psi even though with a leak it wont it will just force it out were ever it is leaking from.