So I'm trying to track down a slow leak in my cooling system. Short background: replaced blown O-ring engine with Pineapple rebuilt reman, and now have 3000 miles. All is well, runs fine, no smoke from tailpipe, no bubbles in filler neck, and it only loses a very small amount of coolant, not like the large amounts that go away when you have an O-ring failure. It's not an o-ring, I'm pretty sure. Just a small leak that is drawing air in upon cooldown. I have pressure tested the system, and it holds pressure. I have no idea how to vacuum test the coolant system. Anyway...

I'm noticing that my quick disconnect wiggles around on it's stud quite easily. I seem to recall the disconnect on the original engine didn't move at all. This is a replacement disconnect from Mazdatrix, by the way. So to you guys that have replaced your disconnect recently, is yours easy to wiggle side to side and even forwards and back (like onto the pipe and off again)? I'm thinking of removing the disconnect entirely (like it makes removing the engine ANY faster to have this... WTF!!??) and just plumbing the heater hose to the pipe the disconnect mounts to. Anyone done this? Should I have done this to begin with? Am I just dumb?

Uhhh... don't answer that last one, ok?

 

If it doesn't leak under pressure (when the car is hot) it's not going to leak when the car is cooled down.

Make sure to check that your radiator cap is in good shape, and make sure the line going from the overflow cap to the overflow tank doesn't have any pinhole leaks in it. Even a SUPER tiny leak will not allow enough vacuum to be created to suck coolant back from the overflow after shutdown.

BTW, there's no such thing as a vacuum test for the coolant system - you'd just suck all the coolant out . The only part of the coolant system that has anything to do with vacuum is the overflow tank.

Dale

 

just buy a new one and replace if if you are that concerned. they are under $10 i think. get the oem one if there are any choices.

 

I found that the qh0le quick disconnect thing is a joke there was nothing quick about it when i took mine off. its pretty cheap so i just replaced it but i dont see and problem with just running with out it all together. But mine does move around a bit and i thought it was going to leak but didnt.

~Luke

 

Break the connector off and put the rubber hose on the metal nipple that is on the block . My mechanic does most all of them that way .

 

THANK you duboisr. I was looking more or less for that answer. I'm pretty sure the vacuum leak is NOT from this source, but with 14 hoses and their attendant connection points, it seems to me that eliminating things like wiggling quick diconnects will help. I just wanted to know if others do this, and if Garfinkle does, I'll buy into it.

Probably my upper rad hose connection... SOMEday I'll get the damn thing to hold its water!!!

Thanks again!

 

YOU ARE WELCOME, if you want to bet rid of hoses , eliminate the 3 hoses for the hot wax rod on the throttle body . need info ,let me know .

 

Nah, I sweated sooo much gettin' those hoses on there, they're stayin'!!

Actually, I don't mind the whole thermal wax rod and AWS set up. My car is really stock, so I'd rather just keep it that way, especially after I put it all back on there during the engine replace, AND it all works properly at the moment.

Next month, however.... Then I run hose from the block in back to the water pump housing under the cross-pipe bracket, wire open the double throttle, block off the vacuum signal, remove the fast idle cam, AND re-program the stock ECU to not dump TONS of fuel into the engine during cold weather warm up. Once saw my DP GLOW REAL DAMN BRIGHT on a 20F morning. No wonder these things flood if you shut them off during warm up...

Thanks again. I'll post uselessly about removing the not so quick disconnect...

 

mine is brand new, wiggles aroudn

 

That's what I did. Mostly because I didn't know WTH that thing was on there for