Replace old coolant with anti-boil, anti-corrosion concentrate and demineralized water. It shows up leaks better due to the colour and greater leakability of the fluid.
Premixed coolants often have no anti-corrosion additives in them, and are of a lower quality.
myxlfidian (150)
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If the water comes out near your water pump, it may be better to buy a genuine part than an aftermarket version. The genuines fit much tighter and come as a full two hemisphere joined unit that requires no assembly, and the cost is low at least from Mitsubishi. Use vaseline on the new O-ring.
If you shine a light into the main hole of your used water pump, you may see corrosion in the center fan blades. If so, an internal seal will probably be leaking water out of the unit or about to. It's a litmus test on how long a pump has to go. It's a good idea to change the belt at this time also.
myxlfidian (150)
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Always drain all old coolant out of your engine block by undoing the drain plug on the block somewhere. You can remove litres of old coolant from there, not just from the radiator and overflow tank.
myxlfidian (150)
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If your windscreen wiper fluid jets don't spray water on your windscreen, it could be several things.
Leaking reservoir - take it out of the car and check especially where there are rubber seals.
Leaking pump - check for water dripping off the pump, and corrosion.
Leaking Y or T joints (the connectors for the tubing). Check near the jets for cracked tube splitters. Never use methylated spirits in windscreen washer fluid as it eats through hard plastic.
Blocked jets - use a pin to clear them while pumping water through them.
Don't be surprised if you spend around $60 fixing this because replacement parts aren't cheap.
[guest]
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Bring duct tape with you on long trips to bandage any water hoses that may leak en route.
[guest]
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If you find that installing a new thermostat causes leaks, make sure you get the right sealant. There is a high-end red sealant on the market that is made for water leaks and aluminium flanges. Let it sit for up to 24 hours to harden. Also, you can buy thermostat housings quite cheaply. Be sure you have the right thermostat gasket and do not under or overtighten the bolts. This job can be underrated because if you make one mistake, you can very rapidly lose much or all of your coolant.
[guest]
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Before installing a new radiator, it's a good idea to run through two bottles of coolant flush through your system. This will remove sludge, mud and scale deposits from the water jackets inside your engine. Many cars have a lot of sludge in there. You need to drive for a couple of hours with the acidic solution circulating throughout the cooling system, and then you have to drain it out. The water will be noticeably muddier if there was removed sludge in it.
[guest]
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Visually inspect the round welch plugs on your engine block and cylinder head. If you see small traces of green on them, they are leaking coolant. Changing rear welch plugs usually necessitates removing the engine however, but engine cranes these days are quite affordable. Smear Stag or other water sealant around the circumference of each plug before striking it in with a piece of wood and hammer. Welch plugs do not usually last longer than 17 years, and you can have up to 11 in your engine.
[guest]
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Hissing noises: At first this noise sounds strange, but it is almost always caused by a leaking radiator or water pump hose. Squeeze each hose quite strongly when you hear this noise and if the noise stops or changes significantly, the hose you squeezed has some kind of leak. Duct tape may not assist here if the leak is strong enough, so seek a replacement hose asap. Most radiator hoses are molded so you might need to get a genuine part from your car's manufacturer (they sometimes do stock molded hoses from 20 years or older cars) if aftermarket versions are not available. It is inadvisable to use a non-molded hose.
myxlfidian (150)
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