Coolant spray on air filter

[James Neville]

Hi! I'm new to the site but it's been a wealth of information so far. I will say that I'm pretty new to working on vehicles, so my car lingo may be kinda gibberish!



Let me start from the beginning. I've been going through and doing some maintenance and upgrades here and there, mostly lights and fluids. While checking my antifreeze I noticed my radiator was just about bone dry, but not so dry as to show overheating on my temperature gauge. Since I've never personally filled any of my fluids I just figured it got skipped over the last couple of services or something since you don't change your coolant every year.



So anyway, I did a flush and refilled it and the reservoir to the appropriate levels and took it out for a test drive. A couple miles down the road I had to pull over because of an unrelated issue with the battery (loose terminal loop needs replacing), got that snugged back down and took a look at the air filter and saw green spray all over it and the surrounding area, as well as standing coolant (I assume) down that side of the radiator. I have a cool air intake instead of the stock box filter, so I'm not exactly thrilled if it's getting soaked every time I drive to work and back.



So if anyone else has had or has heard of anyone else having this problem, I'd love to hear a remedy to the situation. I can post some pictures later if I need to. Thanks in advance!

 

[James Neville]

Just tried to reproduce the problem in my driveway by backing up pulling back in and revving in park and neutral, messing with the heat/AC and I couldn't, so it must be something that happens when I'm driving.. Guess I'll take a trip down the road to make sure it wasn't a one time thing, but I bet I come back with a soaked filter!

 

[James Neville]

Took it out for about 15-20 minutes, drove between 75-80 for most of it and as far as I can tell it didn't happen again, but just in case if anyone has any info please let me know. I'll be checking under the hood every time I park for a while now!

 

[swshawaii]

Lower thermostat housing is the first place to check on the 4.0 SOHC. Use a small mirror and flashlight and inspect the rear closely. Very common failure and an expected repair.

 

[James Neville]

Thanks! I'll take a look tonight or tomorrow and see if I can find what's going on.

 

[Todd Z]

+ 1



Todd Z

 

[Vic Sorlie]

You've got coolant leaking from somewhere. While the thermostat housing on this engine is a known issue it could also be from a crack in the radiator or a hose. You'll have to clean the engine area then run it to see if you can find the spot. An easier method would be a pressure check.

 

[Yardsale]

I'd check the radiator side tank for a crack (a crack itself may not be visible, but the leaking fluid will be). If there is a crack, fluid may only ooze while the engine is running, but spray after it's shut off (when residual heat builds because there is no cooling).

 

[James Neville]

Hey guys, sorry for the very late reply. Thermostat housing seemed to be in very good condition. Probably one of the only pieces that were replaced by the original owner. There was a crack on the passenger side of the radiator on that black section that I couldn't see, like the last couple people said but the evidence was there every time I turned the truck on or off. Just picked up a new radiator and threw it in, no more leaks! Took maybe 45 minutes. Thanks guys! :banana:

 

[Yardsale]

:haveabeer: