coolant leak..danger?

[pbnj22]

i have a coolant leak.. i suspect the water pump i bought is already shot.. anyways ive been keeping it topped off and have not overheated it at all.. its dripping on the cat and burns off making smoke. can coolant dripping on anything be harmful?
i will fix it eventually but we have had an awfully cold winter this spring

 

[JimMadsen]

As long as it burns off, you do not need to worry about dogs lapping it up.

Don't think there is any real danger other than forgetting to check the levels.

Man up! I replaced a tstat, water pump, leaking rad hose all so far this year outside in CT, all at different times! lol

 

[pbnj22]

sad part is I have a 3 stall garage lol .. we just got 7 inches of snow last night!

 

[rb142]

Coolant is very flammable, so dripping on hot exhaust isn't great. But if it is just a slow drip, that probably doesn't pose much of any risk. (How does a leaking water pump on this engine drip on a cat???) Keep an eye on the coolant level.

 

[pbnj22]

Coolant is very flammable, so dripping on hot exhaust isn't great. But if it is just a slow drip, that probably doesn't pose much of any risk. (How does a leaking water pump on this engine drip on a cat???) Keep an eye on the coolant level.

Not sure. i haven't even crawled under to look more closely yet.
last summer I replaced water pump, almost all coolant hoses, t stat, t stat housing, all gaskets, all clamps, so im pretty bitter that i got a leak again. It is further back than the radiator though and when i turn and am driving forward fast (not idling) the trajectory of the drips would be further back so maybe that is how it hits the cat?

as much of a pain it is to change i am hoping its the water pump and then hoping i have a 1 year warentee on it from rock auto
it is supposed to get up to 60 this sunday but unfortunately for easter ill be out of town

 

[bobflood]

Might not be the water pump, as there are coolant passages in the timing cover the water pump bolts on to. I have a similar issue (though my "new" water pump is 5 years old) and have to do some more looking to find the leak for sure. I've looked about all I can look with the engine running and can't tell for sure where the leak is. My plan is to pull fan, shroud, belt, etc - then use a pressure tester to pressurize cooling system and hope I can definitively pin down the leak location. Then I have to decide what to do next. At this point, it is a "second extra" vehicle - in a few months it might be a "third extra" and I'm just not sure how willing I am to put much more time/effort/dollars into it. Good luck.

 

[pbnj22]

Might not be the water pump, as there are coolant passages in the timing cover the water pump bolts on to. I have a similar issue (though my "new" water pump is 5 years old) and have to do some more looking to find the leak for sure. I've looked about all I can look with the engine running and can't tell for sure where the leak is. My plan is to pull fan, shroud, belt, etc - then use a pressure tester to pressurize cooling system and hope I can definitively pin down the leak location. Then I have to decide what to do next. At this point, it is a "second extra" vehicle - in a few months it might be a "third extra" and I'm just not sure how willing I am to put much more time/effort/dollars into it. Good luck.

yeah you cant see much with all that in the way. ill probably do the same pull everything, pressure test, and hopefully i can find it. unfortunately its my daily driver and it might be time to part ways. i just spent 1000 bucks putting a junkyard tranny in and that is already giving me issues. of course 2 days after the 1 month waruntee expired. sounds like im safe to drive it at long as i keep pouring coolant in though.. for now

 

[rb142]

Nothing will find the source of the leaks faster than the pressure tester. Definitely do that if you have access to one.

The leaking you have in front may be nothing more than leaking at the ends of those new hoses you put on. Some of the aftermarket hoses are a little too big and don't seal well no matter what you do. Coolant can then leak down the hose or get blown back by the fan, making it look like you have leaks from somewhere else. Same thing for leaks from the thermostat housing. What's leaking on the exhaust may be coming from somewhere else completely -- don't overlook the possibility of other leaks.

 

[pbnj22]

Nothing will find the source of the leaks faster than the pressure tester. Definitely do that if you have access to one.

The leaking you have in front may be nothing more than leaking at the ends of those new hoses you put on. Some of the aftermarket hoses are a little too big and don't seal well no matter what you do. Coolant can then leak down the hose or get blown back by the fan, making it look like you have leaks from somewhere else. Same thing for leaks from the thermostat housing. What's leaking on the exhaust may be coming from somewhere else completely -- don't overlook the possibility of other leaks.

well i know it is coolant because all my other fluids are good. and some of the coolant is making its way to the ground so i can see and smell it. but your right that i will not know the source of where its coming from. one of my hoses was too big so i had to cut it to make it fit.. maybe that it is just leaking out of there.. that gives me some positive hope so thanks!!

 

[AP9]

Glycols are indeed combustible, though they have a high flash point. Back in 1998 or so the St. Louis Police actually had a few fires because some 1994 Chevrolet Caprice police package vehicles had some kind of faulty coolant hose connection that could leak directly onto the exhaust manifold. So the possibility exists, but like rb142 said, probably no risk of anything like that here.