WANKEL POWER

Greetings all.

A couple days ago (okay, last week) i changed my oil to my 93 FD, jacking it up, i noticed my car was dripping coolant from what i believe is the (lower radiator hose?). its the hose that attaches to the radiator. I think this was the 1st time it started leaking , i honestly don't know because i dont check underneath my car everytime i park it. I check my coolant level weekly and hadn't notice any change in levels. I let it sit for a few days and check my coolant level, its down a little, probably to the bottom of the filler neck, so i top it off. I looked for possible cracks in that hose, and couldn't find any. I had the upper and lower radiator hoses changed a year and a half ago. I wondered if the clamps had anything to do with it, so I tightend the clamps on both ends of the hose and drove around for a little bit and when i parked it, i didnt notice any coolant dripping.

Does anyone have any light as to what the problem is?


Thanks

WANKEL POWER

Also it only did it after i parked the car. When i first discovered the leak, I dont recall seeing a coolant trail on my driveway......

apexkw

can you see it leaking from the hose? or do you just see it leaking sometimes onto the ground? you could be leaking coolant and it might be getting stuck on the underbelly tray, and then when it fills up it leaks off the tray. also try looking for the leak when the car is running that way you can see if you have a hairpin leak.

WANKEL POWER

I saw coolant dripping from the hose, but couldn't pin point a spot, it was coming from behind the hose so i couldn't see it. The coolant looked like it was running from higher up on the hose then dripping off where the hose makes a turn. I also did look for leaks when the car was on today, and nothing.

and underbelly tray? if i look underneath the car i can see the radiator, everything....its always been like that.

apexkw

when i bought my car and changed the radiator i didnt tighten down the ring clamp enough and it caused it t leak out sometimes, but just the other day broke a coolant hose because i over tightned it. it ripped the hose just a little. it might be cause it tore a little rip under the ring clamp and you cant see it because it leaks from under the clamp. i would try this and i hope i am helping you. i know how frustrating this can get. good luck

Conv.WS6

If your radiator is in the stock position then you should have a plastic belly tray that forces the air to go through the radiator. Without this tray the air just goes through the nose of the car and goes underneath of it instead of through the radiator. Your fans will support casual driving, but you will notice that your temps will go up under extreme conditions.

RonKMiller

Your cooling system will not work properly without the tray, period. It is the only thing that allows air to ram through the radiator.

Conv.WS6

It will not work as it was designed period. It will still work under light load and daily driving because the fans will remain on just like they would if you were sitting in traffic. I'm not saying you don't need the belly pan, but the system will still work without it. You will want to look into putting the belly pan on or making your own so that it will take the stress off of your fans when you are moving down the road.

WANKEL POWER

dang.....looks like I need to purchase that. .....and i've been driving around without one on for over 2 years. DOH

GAH-Mazda wants $185 dollars for one

Trexthe3rd

I can make you a modified (better airflow) one for $135.00 shipped. Here are some pictures of the prototype. The shipped one will be black.
belley pan

shred

Last month my radiator went out like that. Chances are very high that your car will not have the same problems. My 93 FD leaked a small, very small amount of coolant on the ground after I stopped. Thought that it was the radiator hoses but later found out the real thing. Had a crack in the upper resevoir of the radiator. Found out one day when after I shut the engine down after my 5 minute cool off period, it steamed. Had no clue what it was since it didn't do it when the car was running, only after I stopped (engine heat in the coolant gets to its highest point right after you shut it off, also the most pressure!!).

Had some pics but lost the camera. Hopefull I will find it later and post them. Crappy plastic radiator!! Did a pressure test at a friends shop, started leaking from the radiator.

Anyhow, just a thought to keep in your mind!!

DRAG0NEER

just change all your coolant hoses, that way you can rule out the hoses of being the cause of your leakage. Cheap insurance anyways

WANKEL POWER

bummer , thanks for the input you all. i'll probably end up taking it to the local rotary shop since im not that mechanically inclined. hehe

spurvo

I found the exact same situation as you found when I changed my lower hose (along with all the others...). What I found was the bottom edge of the lower hose was riding up on the notch that is used to stop the hose from sliding further down the bung neck (heh heh. I said bung neck. YOU'RE a bung neck! Are soooo). If you look at the hose from the drivers side while under the car with belly pan off (easier for you than me, eh?), you can see this little rectangular "nub" that the hose is resting on. The original hoses did not come all the way down the neck, AND were glued in place to keep them from moving/leaking. With just a hose clamp, the hose slides down the neck, and a lip of the edge of the hose gets raised, and off to the leak races we go. If you are using the stock clamps, try rotating them 90 degrees from their current position to eliminate a "pinch" that is allowing seepage. This applies to worm screw clamps as well, though usually only 45 degrees turn is necessary. Of course, you can try to shift the hose up the neck, but that usually yields a mouth full of coolant (ALWAYS when I got my mouth open to curse the thing. Always!) and the hose typically slides back down anyways. Ultimately, Fluidyne cured my ills

Ya damn bung neck! (J/K) NO FLAME!!

AAAAUUUGHGHGH