Has anyone else had a crack in the neck of the coolant resevoir? I have a crack right at the base of the neck and also see a small wet spot under the car.

I can see coolant drops on the bottem of the motor mounts, could this be that the resevoir fills up while driving and spills onto the subframe and then it all gradually runs down to the lowest point of the engine (motormounts). Just wondering if anyone else has had the crack on the top of the resevoir and had the same water spot under the car a few days after driving. If its not this idk what it could be.

-I have checked the heater connectection points, they aren't wet.
-I do not have a coolant line going to the UIM, the nipple on the top of the engine is blocked off and is not wet.
-The radiator hoses are not leaking.

Is there even any other place that could be causing this leak?

 

Chud, Coolant can leak at lots of places. The AST ( air separation tank ) is known for leaks and will eventually explode. Replace it with an aluminum model or better yet remove it totally ( search here ). There is the heater hoses, radiator hoses, radiator drain plug, the block drain plug, hose disconnect on D-side of block, TB coolant passages, Turbo coolant hoses, etc. You need to find the source and repair it BEFORE the source finds you out on the highway in bumper to bumper traffic and dumps.

Have you got 3 grand saved up for an engine overhaul VS. coolant drip ?



Later

 

The reservoir can definitely develop cracks. I just replaced mine and it only had 73k on it.

But the reservoir is made from a couple of parts, and IIRC the neck snaps into the reservoir tank. So take care that what seems like a crack is actually a crack. It also has a vent so that if the coolant level gets too high in the reservoir it just dumps the extra. Another thing to note.

Coolant on the motor mounts suggests a leak in a turbo coolant hose. You should not start or drive the car until you find this leak and fix it, or else you could easily find yourself with a cooked motor.

 

thanks for the comments, i should have detailed my setup first though. Im running a greddy t 78. and just put the new engine in. so i def dont have 3k laying around anymore haha.

so therefore there are no coolant lines running to the turbo, TB, or manifold. I have checked the heater lines and where they attach to the block. they arent wet at all. drain plug on the radiator is good.

I don't believe that I have an AST anymore, i didn't ever see the car stock so im not quite sure where it would be. is the drain plug on the front iron? if so, i took this out of the old engine and put it in the new engine, for some reason they were in different spots (about an inch apart). really weird.

so there arent many places for it too leak like a stocker, and i cant really tell where its coming from.

 

after a more detailed inspection, the leak is coming from the passenger side of the engine itself. Its coming from right next to the rear of the engine, towards the top side.

I can see a few streaks of antifreeze above the rear turbo drain hole (mine is blocked off) The coolant has also gotten into the bell housing, i think through the passenger side cover plate. the bottom of the bellhousing has a few green (antifreeze) points ready to drip.

What is back there that can cause this leak? The only thing i can see is a little hose clamped onto a nipple, and its blocked off with a bolt and clamp. I just switched it over from the old engine. I'm assuming this would be coolant for the throttle body. I thought for sure this was it, but there is no sign of coolant at the base or on the capped hose stub itself. Could it be that it only leaks when the engine is warm and pressure is built up and somehow it sprays straight to the bell housing?

If there is something else in that area that can leak please let me know. Do any coolant passages go straight from the engine to the LIM?

 

Absolutely. Rent a cooling system pressure tester from autozone. It lets you diagnose the problem as though the car were hot without risking overheating or injury.

 

Probably a makeshift plug someone put in the coolant line that ran to the Throttle body, now it's leaking.



Later

 

how does a coolant system pressure tester work if there is a vent in the top of the coolant resevoir?