Coolant leak for the 100th time

tristangoesham

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I've replaced almost everything that has to do with coolant in this car and I got yet another dreaded leak right after I replaced my Degas bottle (again). I think I pin pointed where it's coming from. It's from the top hose in this housing area. Any thoughts?
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Leak.jpg

windows screenshot
 
That could've sprayed from anywhere. I would clean off everything - then start the car, let it warm up open the hood and look. Have you replaced the upper radiator hose? It's very common for it to form a hairline crack in the plastic T section.
 
Yep, best bet is the upper radiator hose assembly, followed by the radiator and the DCCV itself.

You say "almost everything" and "leak for the 100th time." If you want to stop this madness, go back and replace all the plastic parts that you didn't change. From my experience, if you do them all at once, you won't have another leak for at least five years and up to 100K miles.
 
Look for a whitish residue. That will help pinpoint the leak, if it is other than the DCCV.
 
I've replaced all the plastic housing that the hoses go into in front of the engine. Not sure if that's the radiator hose assembly (please send a pic if it's something different). I think it's one of those hoses for sure because it's leaking from a different part of the car than it has before and I saw it drip from that area.

Also what's DCCV?
 
If you've replaced that hose - after cleaning the residue and coolant off I would also visually inspect the radiator, as Joe mentioned. That looks like a large amount of coolant loss and I think you may have a crack in your radiator. Mine was visible from the front of the car, looking towards the top left portion of the radiator. It seems somewhat common for it to fracture there.
 
Just checked again. I'm about 90% sure it's that hose I have pointed out. There are drip formations from last night on it even after I wiped it down. Has anyone else had problem with those hoses? They look like they might have something to do with the heater.
 
Be mindful that gravity works a certain way... and in your pictures there are spots on the top portion of the hose that your pointing out, and also on the hose above those. I would put my money on it being something else, but I've been wrong before.
 
Be mindful that gravity works a certain way... and in your pictures there are spots on the top portion of the hose that your pointing out, and also on the hose above those. I would put my money on it being something else, but I've been wrong before.

Agreed. That hose leaking shouldn't cause fluid to pool above the hose, at the base of the solenoids.
 
The big hose above it is dry as a bone and was replaced not that long ago. Any residue you see on it is from me handling it with coolant on my hands. It might be the pictures but it's pooling up directly under the solenoid thing. My question is what's the best way to access those hoses?
 
This would be the first that I've heard of the heater hoses leaking, but it's not impossible.
The "solenoid" thing is the DCCV. Keep in mind that the leak can be below where you are seeing coolant. It can spray quite a distance once the cooling system heats up and starts pressurizing.
Also, look really closely at the side tank on the radiator. You're in the area where the radiator most commonly fails.

http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6xc1014.htm~gen~ref.htm
 
Is this the tank? Can't get a good picture of it but it's dry as can be.
tank.jpg

Yes, but it runs from the top to the bottom. The fact that the tank (and the top hose) is dry now really doesn't rule either out as the source of the leak. Fortunately, this is a big leak, so it shouldn't be much of a problem to locate. Refill the coolant and idle the engine. When it starts to pressurize, you should be able to see the coolant spraying or pouring out. Look for this, not coolant that is just sitting there.
 
When my radiator failed it failed where you are circling, but on the front side of the radiator not the back.. and as Joe said it did not show itself until I ran the car up to normal operating temp and had my buddy step on the gas while I inspected the engine bay.
 
Your leak does not appear to be from anywhere near the DCCV (judging from your picture). On the ground, there is fluid that appears to have leaked at both the front and rear of the engine.

Long story short: I just replaced the plastic coolant parts on my 06. It developed a leak. There was coolant sprayed on numerous hoses. There was alot of it under the car (looked like yours, except all in the front of the engine) My thinking was start at the top and work downward (gravity). I thought it might be the coolant pump, but there was no sign of leaking from below it. Radiator? It turns out that the coolant was leaking from the lower oil cooler connection. My bad, I had to cut the hose off during dis-assembly and may have gouged the metal tube. I added another screw type clamp and hopefully have resolved the issue for now.

My point, the leak was at the bottom of the system. There was significant coolant on several hoses above the actual leak.

My suggestion: warm up the engine and turn it off. Start at the top and check every connection by verifying the clamp is secure and twist and tug on the end of each hose. Look for signs of puddling coolant under and behind everything. There is a hose that runs under the intake manifold, check it. You will find it. Good luck once you do!

Apparently, I was too slow. You found the leak. Well, good news and ignore my post above.
 
Got it fixed, it was the DCCV. On a side note, I lost my windshield wiper nut cover. Where can I get a new one?
 
Ford dealer is your best bet. Shipping cost from online sites will far exceed the savings, unless you have more parts to order.

Somehow I lost the nut, I will add it to my next parts order. Temp nut from Autozone. Cover sitting on my night stand.
 

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