FD Coolant Leak Question
 

Hey guys,

So I just picked up my first FD yesterday and drove it from TN to FL. Long drive, about 14 hours, but didn't really have any issues, except for the occasional heat soaking problem when I stopped for gas. When I got up this morning, I noticed a small coolant leak right next to the coolant fill. I'm not sure what the black tube is blocking off, maybe someone can help?

I barely touched the black hose plug and more coolant came out, which means to me that hose is probably pretty old. Could that one small leak from that plug cause the coolant shown?

Any info would be great help.

http://grub-out.com/rx7/leak1.jpg
http://grub-out.com/rx7/leak2.jpg
http://grub-out.com/rx7/leak3.jpg

That black hose would normally go into an AST (Air Separation Tank) but yours has been removed. Lots of people do that.

Looks like the cap may be leaking as well.

I'd 'rent' a coolant system pressure tester and test for leaks on the coolant system and then fix what is leaking. Remember, the car is almost 20 years old. Make sure the coolant hoses aren't hardened and brittle or swollen.

There are a couple of awesome and educational threads on the cooling system in the 3rd gen faq thread stickied in this forum. Help yourself to them.

^Agreed. The previous owner deleted the AST...which is fine. But he did a poor job of it. Since it's new to you, consider draining and replacing the coolant. That would be a good time to PROPERLY delete the AST by drilling taping and putting a plug in there...and maybe even replacing the 'O' ring under your filler neck and a new cap. (I would keep that filler neck. It looks to be brass)

http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/...e002Medium.jpg

I think I know the links gracer refers to and they are great for getting you up to speed on the cooling system. The single best thing you can do for reliability IMO is have a solid cooling system. Everything starts there.

It would also be just as easy to re-install a metal AST at this point. IF that's the case, let me know. I might be interested in buying your filler neck to replace my plastic one, and that would help off-set the cost of the AST.