Just returned from an hour long drive through the canyons, and I noticed a water leak when I got home. The water pump was changed less than a year ago, so I don’t think it’s that.
Any input or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Check around the neck of the coolant tank and pressure relief valve for signs of coolant. Most probable cause is loose or defective cap. I would top up the tank using distiller water, if it's only down a quart or less, and replace the cap with the latest version.

 

Thank you for the quick response.......I do hope you're right. it seems to have dumped more than a quart. In the morning I guess I'll poke around and see if that's it.

 

Your spill is on the left rear. I had a similar problem, same location, same year car. Turned out to be a cracked overflow tank. It's plastic and tends to break where the hose connects to the tank with age.

 

Great.... this is how it looks this morning. Would it be risky to drive 20 minutes to the mechanic?

 

Finally, it does appear to be the older cap (01) which was very easy to unscrew... is it wishful thinking to think this could be the problem? (That was a lot of coolant on the ground this morning).

 

It depends upon how much leaked out and how far the mechanic is. Top it off with distilled water to the max mark and let it sit with a cold engine. You are trying to estimate how much is leaking and how fast. In my case of the crack in the overflow tank, it would lose about 1-2 quarts overnight, dropping just below the min line but not emptying the overflow tank. Nothing more would leak out afterwards. But if it was filled it would drop to below the min line overnight again from this slow leak.I ended up topping it off and driving to the mechanic carefully watching engine temps to be certain it did not rise beyond normal.


If you are putting in a gallon or more to top it off each time the leak is different, have it towed. And don't despair, it could be something real simple like a loose hose clamp.

 

Strange... I just filled it with distilled water and took the car out and up to operating temperature. The temp didn't go over 175. Home now, parked the car, and no leaks whatsoever. So, it's difficult to know where to go from here..... just buy a new cap, or roll the dice and take it to the dealer/mechanic hoping that they don't tell me I need something unnecessary. (Maybe that's being too cynical).

 

the dealer can do a quick pressure test.... you don t want to breakdown on the road.
and if they need to replace the cap maybe will not even charge you.

 

I would personally get it looked at. It would bother me to much not to get it looked at.

 

Mine did the same thing. Do not be fooled!

You've got a little leak. It could be the cap, could be the expansion tank. In my case it was the tank. Not a big deal, and yes you should be able to drive it to the shop without any worries.

Mine wouldn't leak at all whenever I took it to the shop. They saw the coolant crust on the muffler, but no other evidence of a serious leak. When I got back to work it dumped all over the parking lot. Maybe a pint or two, so back to the shop again & had it swapped out. No leaks since, and my coolant fluid level has been unchanged since the repair.


If you are worried the dealer or mechanic is going to hose you, seriously get another mechanic. It's not worth the added stress of worrying someone is gonna take you for a ride every time there is a problem with the car. Hell, the problems themselves are stressful enough on their own!

One thing you can do is have him show you the defective part and where it failed once it's out if the car. Let them know you'll want to see it when you pick the car up, so they don't pull the ol' "oh we tossed it out already" card. If you worry they will pull a "known" bad part from some old parts bin, make a special sharpie mark on yours before going to the shop so you can verify it's the same one when you see it later.

Good luck, and don't worry too much. It should be an easy fix & it shouldn't cost much more than a nice dinner for two in Manhattan and maybe a few drinks afterwards.

 

That was very funny...... thanks, you put it into perspective!

 

Just returned from the dealer/mechanic and it was diagnosed as a crack in the coolant tank. I want to thank everyone on the forum for the input, it was a great help.

 

I guess it's not too uncommon, kind of a pain the @$$ but... whatever. It's just parts!

I'm curious what was your mileage (if you don't mind sharing) mine gave out around 57,600. That was back in November. Day after it was fixed I took her for a long drive up the coast with the local PCA group.



(mine's the seal gray one up front)

Anyway, she just turned 66k tonight on the way home.




VROOM.

 

The mileage just turned 61K......so maybe that's close to life expectancy for that part.