I'm trying to get some help here. Last year I replaced the water pump with a Genuine pump, and that is fine. Last week the expansion tank cracked, and started leaking. I notice the temp going up, pulled over, and shut of the engine before the needle even got to the red. After replacing the expansion I notice the coolant level changing, and I associated this with needing to add more coolant since I had lost so much. Last week I had a code P0420 come up which is the driver side cat. I'm starting to assume these two issues are related. The drive side of the engine seems like it's constantly wet. Although noting seems to be dripping over night, and only seems to leak anything while being driven.

What's the best way for me to track this down without taking it to a dealer? I'm very confident at doing this work myself. I just need to pinpoint this the best I can.

Thanks!

 

most members will tell you to rent or purchase a cooling system tester, which will pressurize your system and you should be able to find your leak, if there is one. Another thing to look at, is thermostat, could be clogged. When your engine is at operating temp, feel the lower hose below thermostat and see if it is cool or much cooler than above thermostat. The tank may have cracked, ruptured due to pressure from thermostat not opening, or it could be head gasket leaking and pressurizing the system. You will also want to test your coolant for C02, if head gasket is suspect.

 

Anywhere 'near' the red is too hot, and could have caused damage.

Sounds like the engine is using water rather than leaking it.

As ^^ says, pressure test the cooling system. You'll find out if you have gaps where you shouldn't have gaps.

Keep reporting back, and folk cleverer than me will be able to diagnose.

 

When you say temp going up but needle didn't reach the red,
Unfortunately doesn't mean that engine didn't overheat, Because when needle gets to red, it means engine is done,!! With needle in middle temp can be very high,,
So how hot it really got, you can't tell for sure, could have got hot enough to blow a head gasket,? Very possible,
Now you say right cat is bad, also you say right head area is wet,
I hope I am wrong, but seems like right head gasket is not very nice anymore,!!
Looks like it's leaking coolant out & letting some go to exhaust manifold & it shtroffed your cat,,,
Yes for sure a pressure test, & co2 test, will tell you truth,
Just pray that block is still ok, so a simple HG job can save the day,
Because a bad block will definitely ruin anybody's day,,
Good luck, I hope it's simple HG job,!!


Oops , I thaught it's right side head & cat,!
My bad , I hope it's only trottle body plate,,
(Thanks chubbs878)

 

Is the throttle body coolant plate leaking from above the valve cover and dripping and/or spraying coolant down that side of the engine?

 

Sorry. When I said cracked I should have stated that better. The nipple on the return line from the TB is what actually cracked. It came clean off when I tried to remove the hose. I'll check the thermostat tonight, and that was also on the list of things to replace.

The code for the cat came up about 2 weeks ago. I cleared the code, and it's come back once since then. I thought something was going on for a bit on this, but I've been unable to trace it down. I'm pretty confident that the drive side gasket is the culprit, but wanted to be sure before I order parts.

First thing I though was the TB plate, and that's not it. The previous owner of this had all kinds of things rigged up, and he bypassed the TB. I'm going to order those parts as well to get it back to normal.

A bypass was done by the PO.

 

I don't think it's a cracked block, or even a cracked head. I'm pretty sure that most of the coolant has leaked out due to hoses, and the expansion tank. Everything around the water pump looks to be coolant free. The hoses seem to not be leaking at the moment, and new hoses are getting ordered. I'm not getting an RPM drop at all, but the car does run rough.

The thing that's getting me is that the underside of the car is getting coolant on it from somewhere. The oil pan, steering, and front axle in particular. Could this all be spray from the leaks, or is there something else that could be leaking? Where else could the coolant be leaking from that I could check? I also noticed a lot of grimy buildup on the front most part of the drive side manifold. Now this was thick, and seems that it could be old. I wiped it clean a couple days ago, and it's still clean this morning.

Also, where can you rent these testers at? I might go ahead and purchase them since it would be a good tool to have around. Would this tester work being that we don't have a traditional radiator cap? This would check for exhaust gases in the cooling system.


Thanks for all the help guys!

 

Pump fake. Just saw the information I was looking for.
Pressure test.

 

If the front is wet and you're sure it isn't the water pump AND you bypassed your throttle body, it has to be a head gasket (in valley area) or a leak at one of the hoses/clamps or the inlet.

I went nuts on a similar problem and found it was a loose clamp on the hose that arches over the alternator. I'd thought it was the water pump because it all seems to go there back behind the engine front mechanical bits.

The cat code... could be a bad O2 sensor but also points to a HG leak around the water jacket. Eek.

But replacing a HG is a rite of passage and not really that hard, if it comes to it. You'll know when you pressure test it.

 

This is pretty much what I'm thinking. I'm about 99% sure it's not the water pump. As far as I can tell/see everything looks clean on pump housing. I'm also not seeing anything dripping from that area, or any build up there. I'm going to check over all the hoses tonight as well since I know a couple do need to be replaced.