leaking antifreeze but not hoses, water pump, or radiator.....could it be the a/c condensor?

Asked by dhight40 Oct 30, 2012 at 06:37 AM about the 1996 Buick Park Avenue FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have checked the hoses, the water pump and the radiator for leaks and found nothing.  The a/c condensor is wet on one end.  Could that be my leak?

6 Answers

No.The A/C condenser drain is plain water not coolant. When you see a puddle after parking when running the A/C check to see if it is water, or coolant, it's easy to tell stick your finger on the puddle and if it is slick, oily, it's not the A/C... Freeze plug maybe, heater hose, many things that are hard to trace

2 people found this helpful.
565

Re-check your radiator if the antifreeze is by your A/C condenser it more than likely the radiator.

1,195

The key is to figure out HOW and WHERE you are losing antifreeze. Don't guess. A new radiator might not be the real cause. Is coolant seen on the ground? Does the coolant level mysteriously "disappear" from the radiator? If it is not an obvious leak, rent or borrow a cooling system pressure tester. Attach it to the radiator and pump it up to about 15 psi. If you have a leak, it WILL start to drip. Sometimes it takes a few minutes. If you find no leak, you may have a crack in a cylinder head, or a leaking head gasket. Does the exhaust have a lot of white smoke even after it is warmed up? If so, this could be coolant being burned in the cylinders. Finally, are you sure the wet A/C condenser is coolant or is it just an oily damp spot from a leaking A/C system? Just because it is wet does not mean it is coolant. It could be as simple as a worn out radiator cap. Let me know what you discover.

10 people found this helpful.
160

HEY JIM.. I have Buick regal 1999 and found leaking on the front of car by driver side under the radiator and not sure if is condensor or radiator but it is antifreeze coming out !! what should i do from here ???

16 people found this helpful.
10

Jim: I am tracking the same problems you described above. Put on the leak tester at 14Lbs. no leaks, held pressure. No fluid on the ground. No hose leaks. The rad cap is loose, so I replaced that today. Will post an update. (97 Honda Accord, 4 cylinder. thanks

1 people found this helpful.
40

I pulled up to close on the ramp and backed out and pulled off something under my 1994 buick park avenue and got on the freeway like an idiot. I started to hear loud scraping where inpulled something from under my car finally park it backed out and seen a puddle of anti freeze on the ground im FREAKING OUT

4 people found this helpful.

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