Any mechanics out there?

[Poimen]

Obviously I will (eventually) have to bring my car into the shop but I would like some advice to determine whether or not this is a pressing issue.

Some fluid, maybe 1/3 cup, coloured a yellowish green is leaking (at this point it seems to be a drip not an outright flood) from the right front (passenger side) of my car. Any idea what this might be? Antifreeze?

In case it matters, my vehicle is a Toyota Tercel, 94' with manual transmission.

 

[Theognome]

It's antifreeze. It could be a radiator leak, a bad hose or possibly a defective thermostat causing overpressure. I would get that problem taken care of asap- coolant leaks get progressively worse very quickly, and overheating can cause you to warp a head or destroy the valves.

Theognome

 

[LawrenceU]

Sounds like a coolant (antifreeze) leak. Is the fluid outside of you passenger compartment or inside? If it is inside you heater core is leaking. If it is outside most like a connection going into the heater core is leaking.

 

[toddpedlar]

Seems like antifreeze to me, but I'm a quantum mechanic, not an auto mechanic...

 

[Poimen]

Lawrence: The leak is outside the car.

I am not too worried about it since it is a small leak and I will probably be replacing my 'whip' this summer. Thanks guys.

I am bringing it into the mechanic shop tomorrow and I am not planning any long trips with it anytime soon.

 

[Whitefield]

Try some StopLeak ... it sealed a small hole in the radiator of my wife's car.

 

[VictorBravo]

Try some StopLeak ... it sealed a small hole in the radiator of my wife's car.

For a while.

Best find where the leak is coming from and fix it. It's probably an old cracked hose and shouldn't be too hard to fix. Of course, it could be a pinhole leak in any of the fittings or radiator too.

Stop leak works for a while, but if it's a bad hose, it will blow eventually, often when you are 50 miles from where you want to be. Same for pinhole leaks--that indicates that the metal is getting weaker and more liable to blow as well.

 

[Whitefield]

Try some StopLeak ... it sealed a small hole in the radiator of my wife's car.

For a while.

Best find where the leak is coming from and fix it. It's probably an old cracked hose and shouldn't be too hard to fix. Of course, it could be a pinhole leak in any of the fittings or radiator too.

Stop leak works for a while, but if it's a bad hose, it will blow eventually, often when you are 50 miles from where you want to be. Same for pinhole leaks--that indicates that the metal is getting weaker and more liable to blow as well.

Well he said he's replacing the car this summer. Just thought I might possibly save him $ right now. He should be able to see where the tale-tell drip line leads. StopLeak won't seal a hose, but it does a good job is a small hole has been made in the radiator by a kicked-up stone.

 

[LawrenceU]

Stop Leak can ruin a radiator. Never use the stuff. Even if you flush your radiator regularly, and about 90% of folks never do, it can ruin a radiator. Mechanics love the stuff. It guarantees future work. Same thing with parts stores. If you put it in you will be buying a lot more than you really needed to the first time. The same goes for almost all of those 'liquid miracles' that are supposed to seal leaks, restore transmissions, restore horsepower, etc. Think about it. If they worked we wouldn't have a need for mechanics.

 

[reformed trucker]

In addition to the things already said, it could also be the seal on the waterpump. Coolant will start to drip out of the weep hole on the pump. Keep an eye on it; I've seen slow drips turn into rapid ones in short order.

 

[jwithnell]

The stop leak stuff has been around for a long time; seems like it was used on the first nuclear submarine -- on a non "hot" part of the system. I read a book by one of the first skippers who took the ship up under the polar ice cap. My info won't help your car any, but I thought it was kind of interesting ....

 

[Galatians220]

(From my husband, a retired Ford engineer who's rebuilt tons of engines "from the ground up"):

"Probably coming from a hose off the heater. Does the car still heat up? It's coming from a line that goes through the firewall. No StopLeak. StopLeak is designed for a radiator leak. This is a hose leak. Antifreeze will smell up the passenger compartment. No smell, probably not an antifreeze leak. The '94 Toyota, as I recall, has a side-mounted radiator and that's not involved here."

His humble summary: "I could be wrong. Why? Because I haven't seen the car."

Margaret