Coolant Leak

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Dec 4, 2010 | 11:27 AM

firstade

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From: Longview, TX

Coolant Leak

Hey guys!
Noticed an intermittent leak dripping off the bottom of the lower radiator hose and is pooling on the passenger side. The coolant is dripping on the top of the hose and running down. I couldn't see any leaks or signs of moisture by the water pump. It has 150,300 miles on it and probably needs a water pump soon. It looks like the coolant is leaking from a metal elbow that is connected to the water pump and the lower radiator hose. Is there a gasket there that could have failed? Thanks for the input in advance guys! I am pretty new to this truck and have been in the world of Toyota's for years now!
Thanks,
Andy

Dec 4, 2010 | 11:35 AM

Jmatthews

is a BAAAD MAN

Joined: Apr 2005

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From: Winston Salem NC

It's probably your water pump. When they start to go bad they are designed to leak like that to let you know. If you got 150,000 miles on it that's pretty good. At 160,000 I'm needing my 2nd soon.

Dec 4, 2010 | 11:42 AM

firstade

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From: Longview, TX

Thanks JMatthews,
Kinda knew that was coming from what I've read. Looks like a decently big project as well. Thanks for the response!
Andy

Dec 4, 2010 | 11:43 AM

Shake-N-Bake

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Joined: Sep 2003

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From: Mesa AZ

Most likely just need to replace the o-ring between the water pump and lower hose elbow. This happened to me at the beginning of this year. I went ahead and replaced the lower hose at the same time. The part numbers are F81Z-8255-AA and YC3Z-8286-CE I think the first number is the hose and the second number is the o-ring.
Here is a photo of what mine looked like so you can compare to what you have going on. In my case, the fan was blowing the coolant drip back against the front cover so it appeared that my leak was coming from a different spot. It was the o-ring though....pretty easy to fix.

Word of caution though....those 2 bolts were on VERY tight. Luckily I live in Arizona where corrosion isn't much of an issue. Your area may be different. You will probably want to use a lot of PB blaster or WD-40 to penetrate before you loosen the bolts or you might damage the threads in the water pump.

Hope this helps.

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Dec 4, 2010 | 11:44 AM

Robert6401

Cargo Master

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What are the signs of waterpump failure?

Dec 4, 2010 | 11:58 AM

Shake-N-Bake

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From: Mesa AZ

Quote:

Originally Posted by firstade

Thanks JMatthews,
Kinda knew that was coming from what I've read. Looks like a decently big project as well. Thanks for the response!
Andy

My water pump lasted 240k miles before it needed to be changed. I recommend going with a Motorcraft pump from Riffraff because the part is high quality and the o-ring fits perfectly. It's an easy job actually. I have to commend Navistar for their design in this area. You will need to borrow some tools from AutoZone to loosen the fan. PaysonPSD helped me out with this photo so I would get the correct tools. AutoZone has two types, you need to borrow both because you need 1 tool from each kit.

I replaced the o-ring and lower hose and got myself back on the road in 30 minutes. I then ordered a water pump from Riffraff and installed it several months later when I noticed a new coolant drip from the weep hole behind the pulley.

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Dec 4, 2010 | 01:53 PM

firstade

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From: Longview, TX

gchaves,
Thanks for the input and pictures! That looks exactly like what's going on right now. I'll order an o-ring and intall that o-ring and buy a water pump to put in later! Thanks again for all the help!
Andy