Coolant leak

[nick heppinstall]

Mmm... Got a bit of a leak. After I've been out their will be a small pool of coolant on the floor. Perhaps 4" accross or so. It's dripping from the bottom left of the Rad but I'm not convinced it's coming from the Rad. Is it possible to have the system pressure tested on the 400 ? Anyone know how much to have a decent Rad fitted ?

[wedget]

now i could be wrong here but i had a very similar problem with my 280 i found that by simply changing the rad cap to the correct one sorted problem in all but the fastest hottest days, probably totaly different cooling system though

[Gerry Attrick]

Could be the swan's neck cap leaking. If it leaks from here it runs down the pipe to the rad drops on the front crossmember and then on to the floor.

[HeyAndy]

Hi Nick - replacing the rad is a DIY affair. Changed mine last year and saved a lot on labour and VAT charges.

[nick heppinstall]

Going out now to have a good look around. Don. It's a fairly new cap but I'll check it anyway. I've had problems with 'em before and always carry a spare. Andy are you running a 350 ? I think it's a bit more of a pain to get the rad out of a 400.

[HeyAndy]

Hi Nick - I'm running a 350. I didn't realise there was a difference - sorry if I sounded a bit too forward.

My car's off the road with rusty outriggers due to be replaced next week so I know what its like when things go wrong - hope you solve the problem with your car.

[KJR]

Nick,

I have exactly the same problem on my 400.

About 3-4 hours after a run there is a small drip from the bottom left of the rad, or more preciously the bottom of the fibreglass rad shroud (the one the fan is fitted to).

I took the rad out, contact me if you want the details of how, and had it pressure tested - no leaks.

Put it back in and it leaked after the first run. I assumed there was a problem with one of the hoses connected to the rad, all original 12+ years old, so replaced them with silicone ones. Still got the leak so assume it is the rad, which I had recored just over a year ago.

Took the car along to a friend who runs a garage, and is a mechanic for one of the British GT teams, and he pressure tested the system in situ. Could not find the leak.

I think the leak/hole is tiny and, for the moment, I am living with it. Every time I take the car out I check the coolant level and top up as required.

I plan to take the rad out again later this year and get it retested and probably recored.

Kenneth.

[rus wood]

Check where the top hose runs throug under the bonnet. The Wedge bonnet is perfectly designed to remove a sliver of rubber from the top hose each time it is opened. And then hide it from view when you search for a problem. Look in between the open bonnet and the front of the car and see if the hose is damaged.
I re-routed the hose under the bulkhead (it may not be possible with power-steering cars).
Russ