Just noticed this after the recent cold snap over the weekend. We had snow and 35 degree temps then back into the mid fifties in the same day. I started the truck and hauled a load of branches/stumps, parked it. When I came back, it was leaking coolant.

Traced the leak, and it seems not to be from the bottom or top connecting rubber hoses, but from the top right above the drive pulleys and belts on the block. Engine is a 72' 360.

Any idea where the leak might be? From a faulty gasket on the water pump perhaps? I only leaked about two cups and then it stopped. I poured 2 cups back into the radiator to see what'd happen and it drained about two cups again, not much more.

Any help would be appreciated. Like I said, I don't see it coming from a house, but dripping from somewhere above the drive pulleys on the block...

 

Above the belts n pulleys? On the front of the engine, the places to look is the water neck, the water pump flanges, or the water pump itself.

Is the coolant pooling on the intake or actually dripping down vertically?

 

Dripping down vertically. Is there a schematic I can look at of the 360 or the water pump, flanges, neck, etc? The truck, as is right now, is so gummed up I can't see for anything when I'm underneath.

 

Yeah it's easier to see a leak on a clean engine than a filthy one.

Don't know of a diagram. Don your sleuthiness as find Waldo......

 

You need to look at the water pump. Its the most logical place to start. There are weep holes in the housing that will drip if the seals go bad

 

A change in the Weather seems to cause a coolant leak or does in the Battery!!

An over filled radiator will push out to much coolant as it needs for coolant expansion if been over filled. Most older vehicles from the 60's & 70's have a fill line markings near and below the cap. This fill line is about 2" down from the top of the upper part of the tank.

These fe blocks have a water pump rear plate cover with about 6 bolts with a thin steel cover plate. The rear cover bolts on this Water pump seems to be the weak spot and anytime, I notice any coolant under my truck this is area, If it's leaking their, I first tighten up the bolts cover bolts back side od water pump.

Then, I wipe the lower area of the thermostat housing with a shop towel looking for any wetness an if any it's my upper hose that needs a half turn on the hose clamp. Or the a little tightening of the thermostat housing two bolts.

An then moving down to the water pump shaft seal like as noted upper post has weep hole if coolant gets pass the seal. The hole is so that coolant won't drip down onto the inner pat of the pulley and throwing coolant all a round the engine bay.

The lower rad hose is where all the leaking coolant end ups running down the whole length till it drips. So it's is a process of a checking each area until found.


Orich