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Drove to a friend's 5 miles away today and upon arriving noticed steam coming out of side of car while inside car. Turn car off, popped hood and looked underneath front engine and noticed what looked like coolant dripping. Waited for car to cool off, topped up with 1/2 gallon (that's how much it must have leaked) and saw coolant dripping as soon as poured. Kind of dark out here and even with a light could not tell exactly where.
My first thought was radiator but with steam like that I'm thinking it has to be dripping on hot surface, engine, manifolds, exhaust? I checked my oil dipstick and it looks clean.
I know coolant goes to many systems including throttle bodies.
Is there a particular weak spot to check for? Has anyone experienced these symptoms?
I'll be checking tomorrow with more light and run OBD Fusion Report.
Looks like the connector split next to one side of the center line. I haven't squeezed it with a pair of pliers but thinking about working my way around the hose with a sharp curved thin tool and see if the pieces on both ends come out with a pair of needle nose without breaking. Then use new connector and clamps. New clamps come preloaded so it's easy to install but removal looks like a royal pain. Especially the hose attached to the engine (can't quite see it but feel the clamp).
Notes: It wasn't too bad. Said link above is pretty much how it went for me but I didn't replace any hoses just the connector with new clamps. Picture below came from the firewall hose, the other piece I had to squeeze the hose and everything just fell to the ground. Make sure you squeeze with the hose pointing down so the pieces don't go back towards the engine. Another interesting thing I came across is this video below where it talks about clamps. You can draw your own conclusion. I chose to use original constant tension clamps pictured above on this thread.
The only question I have is why did you use the plastic OEM connector? Most of us who have dealt with this issue have upgraded to a metal connector (I used a ¾" brass connector from Lowe's) which is not only cheaper but will last the life of the car?
Still, good work on diagnosing and repairing the issue. And many thanks to Said Amir for his thread.
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Nov 25, 2021 at 10:58 AM.
Good question. It would have been my first choice but I called the original vendor to find out who I can purchase from locally. After several calls nobody had one and part would have to be shipped with no guarantees of arrival date. Dealer had everything I needed in stock for less than $100.
Also thanks to the people who put this site together. Invaluable information. Happy Thanksgiving.
Don't have one with me to measure but I think it's 3/4? Get a few around that size if you are on a last minute situation. That said I think I posted a link here as to consideration with using general clamps. If you are in a bind go for it but IMHO go for OEM clamps in the long run.
Sorry to hear this happened but it's a relatively easy fix. I did not replace the hoses just the connector and clamps. The hose against the firewall has easy access, the hose against the engine has a MF access. Also when refilling with coolant there is an excellent DIY guide here that tells you how to do it right to minimize air bubbles in system.
A 3/8 14mm deep socket is the best/cheapest coolant adapter/bypass you'll find.
If you go to Harbor Freight they even have them in different colors for your liking.
As far as the video goes. I believe in the clamps 100%. I believe the issue is that these get rusty/tired and need replacements and replacements are, well, more than worm style and also will be in stock anywhere.
Your average folk does not have the right tool for these clamps which can be frustrating
Clamps sometimes dont work with some aftermarket hoses that their OD is smaller/bigger than the clamp which is more down time.
Go for the clamps if you can, nothing like letting go of the pliers and it's set. Nothing like a tired forearm in an unreachable place where the only thing that fits is a small screw driver
Good points although I must say the OEM hoses were relatively inexpensive and so were the OEM clamps. Taking the clamps off was a bit tricky but nothing rocket science like. The beauty of an OEM clamp is that it comes preloaded and all you have to do is place it over the hose, release the preload and bang, done deal. I used common sense taking clamps off and on using a simple pair of pliers although a 45 degree angled pair would be best. I'm sure there are videos in YouTube if you want to exactly know how these OEM clamps work.
