Coolant Leak in '02 Taurus

Hi guys,

I'm a total newbie when it comes to cars, forgive my ignorance please.

I have a coolant leak in my Taurus. I'm not sure of the part names, etc.... but it's right in front of the firewall, and it's a pipe with one branch in it, one part of which runs to the tank where I put the coolant in I believe. It's metal, and I know the leak is at the junction of the branch in the pipe.

Anyone know what part this could be? Or if there's a blownup picture that I could look at, I'm sure I could point it out. I'm trying to figure out a price on replacement.

I tried epoxy/jbweld. It worked for 2 or so months, but recently the jbweld started flaking off at the fix... probably me screwing something up, so I figure I might as well get it fixed right.

Thanks.

Sounds like the heater core, but I'll see if I can find it in the service manual for you :)

Does this look familiar? Ignore the arrows, they are simply pointing to hose clamps.

http://www.angelars.com/pics/hcore.gif

I'm not sure of the point of view of that picture... it looks similar, but not exact.

This pipe isn't very long, maybe 2' or so in length. A little over halfway it branches off, with the branch going up. It runs parallel with the fire wall, right behind the engine, so it's kinda hard to stick your hand in to touch. It connects to actual hoses in 3 spots with clamps.

I know, I'm a total newbie. Sorry if I'm not making any sense. :|

Thanks for the help.

Do you have a digital camera?

Yes, I do. I'll try and snap a picture of it and post it tonight! Thanks.

It runs parallel with the fire wall, right behind the engine
That part sounds like the heater core. If it goes INTO the firewall that's most likely what it is. I know of no other hoses that run into the firewall w/coolant.

it's kinda hard to stick your hand in to touch.
You have to remove the cowl right above it. It's just a few clips and 3 small screws.

Kinda like the idea of the camera, but it will probably be hard for you to get a good picture of it since it's so dark back there.

That part sounds like the heater core. If it goes INTO the firewall that's most likely what it is. I know of no other hoses that run into the firewall w/coolant.


You have to remove the cowl right above it. It's just a few clips and 3 small screws.

Kinda like the idea of the camera, but it will probably be hard for you to get a good picture of it since it's so dark back there.

I'm not sure if it goes into the firewall. I'll look and let you know... if I can take a picture, I will. It goes from the motor to the heater core I believe? The hose itself is plastic, but the part behind the motor is metal.

Here's a pic:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2048/s4020703er3.th.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s4020703er3.jpg)

Click for a larger image. I've got a stick pointing out the leak. Let me know what you think!

The epoxy should have worked there, but probably didn't because it wasn't prepped right and/or mixed correctly. You'll need to drain the fluid from that area. You probably won't be able to drive the car on the day that you work on it. Clean all of the old epoxy off. That's clean as in sandpaper down to the medal clean (not soap and water clean) :wink: Then make sure that area is completely dry. A hair dryer can help with this. If you know how to solder then you might be able to fix it with some plumbing solder just like a leak in a water pipe. If you don't know how to do this then make sure your epoxy is fresh from the store and mix it to the correct proportions. Add it to that area in thin layers, let it harden and then add another thin layer until it is at least 1/8" thick. Do not add fluid to that area for around 24 hours. The auto parts store should carry something to fix this. If memory serves me right it looks like a ribbon and also has epoxy in it but it will be stronger than just epoxy alone. The key is not to rush this repair.

The epoxy will not work on the plastic due to the flexing and extreme quick changes in temperature. You need to either replace the plastic hose or have some shop that has the ability to repair the plastic do it. Best bet is to purchase the plastic hose and replace it.

Silicon sealer would also work, but the car will need to sit for a few days while it fully cures. Nothing is better than silicon for temperature extremes, and of course it flexes like rubber and seals out fluids :)

Wouldn't the silicon sealer blow up like a bubble gum bubble when under pressure?
If possible, remove the pipe and take to a radiator shop and have them solder/braze the joint.

No because he wouldn't be applying it 1/100ths of an inch thin. Ever try to blow up a balloon that was 1/2 inch thick? :wink: This is why it needs to fully cure, otherwise there will just be a 'skin' on the outside of it. Also, you can't solder plastic, it will only work if it's on the medal part of the pipe. Then it will work just a water pipe as I mentioned above. If it was a straight piece of pipe then he could simply fix it by putting a hose over the top of it, and add a clamp to each end. Unfortunately I don't think that's where he needs to make the repair.