What up Forum!

I don't frequent the stratus side of the forum often as I personally run a Dakota. That and my girlfriends 02 Stratus has been trusty..........until today.

She left for work this morning and i noticed coolant on the driveway pavement so i called her and gave her a heads up. she checked after leaving work and did not find any coolant on the ground. Brought it home, let it sit still nothing. We left and had some running to do so we did our errands and came home. I checked around and didn't see anything seeming out of place. I did smell coolant, but had a feeling it was left over from the previous spot.

Tonight we took the dog out and noticed coolant on the ground again. I grabbed the flashlight and looked around and found a steady drip coming from the fender/valence on the driver side. Looking thru the bumper cover/valence i can see where the black "trim" of the radiator is separating. I am thinking this may be a radiator related issue but i am still learning when it comes to cars/trucks. Does anyone have any ideas to throw at me for diagnosing where specifically this leak is coming from?


Thanks Forum!

 

a cooling system pressure tester is what I'd be using. and is sounds like you already found the source. you might have to take some stuff apart to get a better look. I've had a lot of leaks were the tanks are crimped onto the rad. I can usually fix them with re-crimping.

 

Sapporo, thanks for the info!

these radiators are the tanks on the sides or the top and bottom? Do you by chance know where i can find a good diagram of the unit and how to go about removing it? We may have a quick fix in order until i can get it out and its not a MASSIVE leak..........yet. The interesting thing is the thing so far has only leaked in the driveway; not at work or any other place she has parked.

Thanks!

 

pretty much all car radiators have side tanks for the past 30 or so years. I suppose you could find a good diagram if you had a copy of the factory service manual, that's what I do when I need to figure out how to do a repair vs, expecting someone else to tell me what to do.

 

Isn't this why we're all on a forum? To share experiences, get help and to help others when possible?

 

naw, it's for lazy people to have someone else do all the thinking so they don't have to

 

I hope this isn't directed at me :-o lol

 

naw, it's that some people need to just put forth a little effort for self-reliance. some people have a hissy fit if they don't get immediate gratification. paraphrasing "i have a problem but i'm too lazy to put forth any effort to solve so I demand someone solve my issues immediately and if you don't I'll cry, complain pi$$ and moan that nobody will cater to my demands"