Anti-freeze leak...please help diagnose

Asked by Rick31015 Dec 21, 2009 at 10:42 PM about the 2002 Dodge Intrepid

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I recently bought a 2002 Dodge Intrepid.  Runs great, with no problems until it was suggested that I get the anti-freeze flushed.  This was done by a local oil change facility that neglected to bleed off the air out of the system afterward.  It started leaking under no pressure and gets worse with pressure on the system.  I was told it was the water pump, so I changed that.  I was told it was the thermostat housing gasket, so I changed that.  I thought it might be the coolant resevour, so I pulled that and checked it, but it is fine.  It starts leaking, do to gravity, right after I fill up the resevour.  It is a constant drip.  Under pressure it flows heavier.  

Can anyone tell me where I can look next to get this resolved?  Thanks

3 Answers

2,665

well the first thing is to test it under pressure and accually look for the leak. even if you visually check the tank you may not be able to see the crack. its a simple task that will save you money. clean out all the water marks. if you dont have any tools to pressurize the system i guess starting the car with cap on is fine. look for water marks and trace it tothe source. do it as many times as needed untill you pinpoint the source.

1,360

i am assuming it's a v6 car. reccomend checking on back of motor where the all the rubber hoses meet up with the steel lines for worn thru or breaks. another thing you could do, to give or yourself a clue where to look is get a big piece of cardboard and put it under the car engine area to see where coolant coming from. front wet ? raditor,hoses,waterpump, thermostat housing, rear? heatcore, hose connections, rubberhoses, bypass tube driver side? resevour ank,hoses, head gasket, freezeout plugs, passsager side? head gasket, freezeout plugs, heater core hoses, front and back? bypass tube uder intake rotted thur ,or intake problem hope this helps you where to look

10

did you change housing itself , the are made of plastic and forms hair line cracks that temperture make the flow heavy or light drip

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