I just developed a coolant leak recently on my '90 Bronco II and wanted to ask a few questions. There is a small stream of coolant that is leaking behind the starter and to the right of the rear main seal on the back of the motor. It seems like it is in the corner of the oil pan as well. Scratching my head on this one and wanted to know if I can put some gasket sealer on it and that would stop the leak? Any suggestions would be recommended.

 

That is an odd one. Most of the coolant system components and connections are in the front of the engine compartment so I'm not sure what could be leaking back there... other than a head gasket or a crack in the head or block. You could check the hoses going to/from the heater core through the passenger side of the firewall. Maybe they're dribbling over there. If you can see where the leak's coming from maybe post a picture? More information would be helpful.

 

Josh S,

Here is a pic of what is going on underneath the Bronco. There is water leaking out around the starter.

 

Now I see. The coolant leak has to be coming from somewhere above the starter and leaking past it. Internally, coolant does not run through any components in that area. The starter just connects to the flywheel inside the bell housing which is basically open to the elements (no fluids in there). You might be able to get a mirror between the engine and firewall to see where the leak is. I hate to mention worst case scenario but our 2.9's are known to crack heads if overheated so pay special attention to the head where it joins the valve cover at the corner nearest the driver door. That's just a guess so lets hope you find the leak somewhere else.

 

yesterday I worked on fixing the mystery leak. I removed the starter to find some leakage as per my pictures. Since I have had luck with using Silicone II GE caulking , I applied a little bit since it can be used on metal as well. However it looks like it just moved the leak further around where the rear main seal is. I am going to coat the other side of it in hopes of stopping the leak. There still is a small puddle after I added water in the radiator. There doesn't seem to be any issues with the freeze plug on that side and it is not anywhere near the heater core so still scratching my head on this one. Also I checked the oil and it is fine with no milky white appearance which would be the worst case scenerio.

 

 

 

That is puzzling. This is a picture of my 2.9L from the other side. Maybe it's helpful? Hope you get the leak pinpointed.

 

check the freeze plugs...

 

intake gasket, freeze plugs or a head gasket. What state are you from? All those BrII's are rotted and gone up here in mass, I had one a few years back witha 5.0HO in it. Was a fun project!!

 

I am here in Florida

 

Jchandler11 My 89 Bronco 2 is doing the exact same thing. Did you ever figure out where it was leaking from?

 

Yanz,

I was able to clear things up on that leak. I applied some silicone around that area and it did the trick. It is probably not something you should do to do a proper repair but it seems to have fixed the leak. The proper way would be to replace the rear main seal gasket. My intention is either to junk the truck here in the short run or attempt to sell it. I need something bigger and a little bit more dependable for all of the traveling I am doing.

Jeff