Coolant leak

[jdl]

Hi all,

Last night on the way home my VR6 temperature started climbing and didn't go down when the fan came on. After about 5 mins the red temp light came on. When I pulled over, steam was coming from the coolant expansion tank and there was coolant all over the road. Light wasn't great, but there seemed to be 2 puddles, one in front and one behind the left wheel. (The one behind could have been from all the coolant bubbling out of the expansion tank). By the time it cooled down the expansion tank was empty. Luckily only a minute or so from home.

Am I right to assume that I've probably got a pipe crack somewhere? I was planning on putting in some replacement coolant and seeing where the leak is coming from.

Any tips on first places to check given the puddle locations, or how best to track the leak down? Hopefully it will be easy to find as it seemed to be quite catastrophic failure.

Thanks in advance,
Jeremy

[Stan]

sounds like you stopped just in time.
I'm not familiar with this engine, but it sounds like either a bottom hose leak/spilt or a crack or damage in the bottom part of the radiator.

Check the hose first - most likely, simply fill with water and give it a squeeze, run car until warm and try again if it doesnt work the first time.

Could also be a dead hose clamp, but hose is most likely.

Doesnt seem like a head gasket....but......

Dont forget to fill with proper coolant before you drive!

[VisionaryVr6]

oh not another person

i had almost all the cooling hoses that connect to the block crack on me 2 weeks ago,

that + a few other things was $2700 in repairs on my vr6

hope its not as bad for you mate, gl with it.

[Mrk_Mickey]

What you should do is fill the coolant up with water and then turn the car on and see if you can find any leaks around the area you said leaked last night. I'm assuming either a few hoses have split or something has come off. If you see leaking then you'll know what to do (ie replace or fix if possible) but if you don't see a leak then You may have to give us a bit more info on your findings.

Good luck, coolant issues suck.

[Mrk_Mickey]

If I was a betting man I'd back that there's damage to the bottom hose. Happened on mine (and some other p.o.s we've had around here), but managed to catch it before the temp' went up. May aswell do a radiator flush while you're there.

True words right there! Mine became loose one day for no reason. Big screwdrivers are handy

[Tim]

there are almost a zillion possibilities for coolant leaks on a VR6 now that they are getting a bit older.

Coolant/heater hose, crack pipe, thermostat housing, water pump the list goes on.

idle it in your driveway. let it come up to temp and watch for the leak under the car then follow it back. make sure there is plenty of coolant in there though. U really dont want to overheat a VR6 otherwise your repairs will get pricey!
Either that or take it to a mechanic who will be able to test your cooling system properly.