Where does the coolant go?

[Rupert]

When you (or I, for that matter) turn off the engine, does the coolant remain in the block and various pipes and hoses, or does it drain into the radiator/resevoir? The white whale decided it would be a good idea to poke a hole in a coolant hose and do a little bit of steaming. I don't have a place to really work on it right now, but if I don't have to drain the whole system to change a hose, I'll prolly do it myself. Thanks as always!

[Pancor]

Your whole coolant system should be full of coolant at all times, with the exception of the overflow reservoir.    Just remove the hose (your floor will be covered with coolant), put the new one on, and fill & bleed the system.    

[Rupert]

That's what I figured...

I don't have a driveway and I don't have a garage. I have a parking lot and my lease says I can't work on my car in it. Therefore, I'm not gonna go to all that trouble unless the mechanic charges a lot.

[sparkplug]

Draining the radiator will release a lot of fluid. However there would still be fluid in the block. Be careful about where you drain your fluid. Dogs and cats love the smell of antifreeze but it tends to put a killing on the animals. And remember if a policeman sees you making a mess he might write you a ticket so big you wished you'd had a mechanic do it.

Good luck.

[Raza]

That's what I figured...

I don't have a driveway and I don't have a garage. I have a parking lot and my lease says I can't work on my car in it. Therefore, I'm not gonna go to all that trouble unless the mechanic charges a lot.

There are always mall parking lots.

[ifcar]

What's the white whale?  

[footoflead]

What's the white whale?

His 'truck'  

come on..even i figured that one out

lol :P  

[ifcar]

I thought that at first, but it didn't make as much sense in context. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.  

[Raza]

What did you think, Moby Dick?

[ifcar]

"The car poked a hole in the hose."

Is that really how most people would express a coolant leak?

[Rupert]

C'mon iffy, look at my sig... It's big, it's white. It's name is even Moby. (And if you think of the musician, it still works-- it's white and it has no hair ). What else could it be?

I guess I'm not most people.

It's looking like a lot of money for a mechanic to replace the busted hose and the upper and lower radiator hoses (which are in need of replacing or they'll be the next to leak). But I know how hard that lower hose is to replace... (It's quite burried in there). Hrm, we'll see I guess...

[Pancor]

That's what I figured...

I don't have a driveway and I don't have a garage. I have a parking lot and my lease says I can't work on my car in it. Therefore, I'm not gonna go to all that trouble unless the mechanic charges a lot.

Loosening and tightening hose clamps isn't a lot of work.... :wave:


And if you're worried about a place to do it, take it and a few jugs of premixed coolant to wherever that pic in your sigwas taken and do it there.