Splattered coolant

[Skant]

Well, this is a bit troubling. I saw a little drippage under my vette (which normally doesn't drip anything at all).. so I opened the hood...

There was a reddish splatter around the front right of the engine compartment. I'm not totally sure, but I think it's coolant. It felt a little oily though.

What's odd is that the spatter seemed more or less centered around the wheel well. There were obvious spatter marks from this fluid flying from the wheel into and past the wheel well.

The radiator overflow is also in that area... it and most everything around it was spattered. Yet the pattern was not centered around it... it doesn't seem to have originated from there.

All of this spatter was very fresh. There was no evidence that this has been a condition occuring over time. Whatever happened did so within the last couple of hours or so.

I checked the coolant level, and it didn't register on the dipstick. So I added more coolant. I cleaned it all up (as best I could), and then took it for a 15 minute drive while it was still warm. When I got back, I checked it again... found no evidence of any new spattering... it was still dripping a wee bit, but probably just from before (I couldn't reach everywhere to clean it all up). And the coolant level hadn't changed at all.

So I'm not too sure what to make of it. Could it be that I just ran over some reddish fluid that sprayed the wheel well and part of the engine compartment beyond (maybe someone else dumped their coolant on the road)? Or maybe something is leaking coolant... and it made its way down the suspension and into the wheel to be splattered like that.

But then, why didn't it do it some more when I drove around again?

My coolant was definately low. But I've never actually checked it before now (only having owned the car a couple of months or so). It _should_ have been full when I bought it.

Note that the car is running perfectly fine. Hopefully that means nothing got in the opti. That area does not appear to have been splattered. It didn't reach that far I think.

Ideas? Am I in trouble? Or did I just run over a puddle of coolant fluid?

- Skant

 

[Rabbit]

Have you checked the rad cap on the surge tank? Apparently it's not overheating. Do your records indicate the last time the coolant was changed. Might be due for one & a new rad cap. Other that that you got me, except maybe a pressure check of the system. I think dex-cool has a reddish color & your 96 shud be using it.;help Check to see if the recovery tank is cracked or one of the hoses is kinked.

I'd keep an eye on the recovery tank?
I'm sure you've already done this stuff.

 

[compyelc4]

skant,

Readers on this site know by now that I have an opti-spark paranoia. While you are looking around, take a long handled mirror and a strong light and slip it under the water pump so you can see the underside rear. Look for a small weep hole. Look closely. See any sign of seepage or discoloration? Try to look just as far back toward the engine as you can. Any discoloration may indicated leaking water pump, from either the weep hole or the pump shaft seal. If you can not get a mirror back there, at the very least, wait till she cools down, and with the engine off, stick your finger under there and see if you can detect wetness anywhere. Good luck.

I doubt, though, that this is contributing to what you see in the wheel well.

 

[sumoboy]

If you didn't find it yet check the lines from the surge tank at the right firewall and check the line to the overflow tank. Be safe and open cap when it's cool. It might have a pinhole in it and it is pressureized. The line runs along the wheel well but it's behind the engine compartment seal. Puzzleing it's around the wheel well....sounds more like you did run over something but the color is what your AF is suppose to be.

:confused
Not ROADKILL?

 

[swoosh]

I had red splatter on my hood and thought it was the power steering fluid. The dealer said it was the water pump. Had it changed under warranty.

 

[Skant]

Thankfully it did not turn out to be the waterpump. The spattered coolant stops inches short of reaching the opti. Whew...

Unfortunately, the problem did turn out to be a crack in the right side tank on the radiator. It is uncertain how this crack happened.. it may have taken a hit from a rock or maybe it was defective. At 40k miles, I wouldn't expect the radiator to die of simple old age.

I was hoping it would just be one of the radiator hoses... which were obviously at the end of their lifespan. But I guess it's all just my luck lately...

- Skant

 

[Ken]

At 40k miles, I wouldn't expect the radiator to die of simple old age.

Mileage isn't the enemy, time is.

_ken