Questions and Answers

1987 Ford Taurus Cooling System Leak Q. Hello, The car is a 1987 Ford Taurus with the 3.0 liter V-6, automatic transmission, P/S, and A/C. It has 236,000 kilometers. Recently the car developed an external coolant leak that looked at the time to be the water pump. The water pump was replaced, but coolant is leaking from the same area.

I am not familiar with Fords, but it did seem strange that coolant dribbled out of the lowest, rearmost bolt hole when I took out the water pump. It appears to still be leaking from that area. I used gasket sealer and thread sealer when putting on the new pump.

Any ideas? There is no coolant in the oil or vice versa; suggesting a head gasket. Despite the loss of coolant, the car does not over heat. Any insight is very much appreciated.

Thank you,
Ben

A. Coolant leaks can be very difficult to pinpoint at times. I find it best to use a high intensity directional light and a small mirror to find out exactly where they originate from. It's best to run the engine up to temperature to allow the cooling system to fully pressurize, shut the car down and the heat and pressure will temporarily increase.

I had one recently on a 1993 Chevy Beretta that was in the metal fitting which connects the heater hose to the thermostat housing underneath the throttle body and air intake hoses. It was a leak that only showed up under high pressure and appeared to be only the threads leaking but turned out to be a hairline crack in the fitting which only expanded under heat and pressure enough to leak.

A clean engine is easier to pinpoint leaks on, make sure the area of the leak is as clean and free of dirt and grime possible then using a mirror and light as mentioned earlier track it to the source.