Hello again, my 88 f250 2wd w/ac is having issues yet again with the cooling system. Recently replaced the radiator and the hoses for it, made sure they’re all clamped down properly and they held up for a short while. This morning my lower hose started hemorrhaging coolant from the top of it. When I parked my truck at work I noticed it was almost a stream coming out. On my drive home I kept watching but didn’t see any more coming out, and leaving the parts store there was nothing underneath. Not too sure what this means but I was going to replace the clamp with a new one and put gasket maker on the hose as extra sealant.

 

Don't put gasket maker or RTV on the radiator hose. That's just a band-aid. You need to figure out why your truck is overheating. Did you do any work to the cooling system recently?

 

The only work I’ve done recently is replacing the radiator and adding an aftermarket temp gauge from the top of the water pump. I didn’t think it was overheating since the gauge has been displaying temps less than 190 most of the time. The truck didn’t leak anymore yesterday but it did again this morning on my way into work again. Maybe it’s the wrong coolant or my stock temp sensor isn’t opening anymore. When I replaced the radiator I watched a few videos and followed the directions to the T. The one thing I didn’t do was put the spring in the lower hose as it was stuck to the old hose and unwilling to come out without stretching it

 

that lower hose will collapse at high RPMs, you need that spring in there

 

I see, I guess I’ll have to shop around online for a spring. Until then I’ll keep filling with coolant. Thanks

 

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Does the replacement radiator have any fittings that are capped with a rubber cover and hose clamp? I've seen this on parts store cheapie radiators and it's a leak waiting to happen.

 

The radiator did have a couple of ends that were capped off, but with a proper cap not clamped off. I’ll have to take a better look today after work. I got my radiator off 1800 radiators and they went through to make sure I got the right one out of like 7 different ones
Edit: I’m sure the radiator itself isn’t leaking. Right now there’s just the one leak and I see the fluid running down the lower hose and when I look from above the hose clamp is angled a bit and the top of the hose is wet. I’ll snap a couple pics of what I can today when I’m working on it

 

Could it be leaking from the weep hole on the bottom of the water pump? I just replaced my water pump for that reason. Leaked when it was cool to warm but pressured up from a short drive and didn’t leak once it was fully warmed up.

Bob

 

You can also check the water pump with a mechanic's stethoscope or length of vacuum hose inserted in your ear. You should hear the bearing in the water pump grinding if it's bad. If you can't hear anything over the engine noise you can always remove the belt and spin the water pump/fan by hand. Not as good as listening to it while running, but better than nothing.

 

I’ll check the water pump but I believe the fault was on the hose considering it didn’t have the spring. The top hose clamp was not straight so the hose was definitely pulled. Replaced it with one with a spring and now it just drips very slowly and occasionally. Unless I’m hemorrhaging fluid again I’d say I’m happy

 

Your truck should not be leaking any fluid onto the ground. If it's coming out of the water pump weep hole, replace your pump before it leaves you stranded.

 

I totally get what you’re saying, and the truck hasn’t been leaking a single drop today. However, what happened to the age old saying “if you’re leaking fluid that means you got fluid to leak”

 

That usually relates to oil leaks from bad oil pan gaskets or valve cover gaskets in un-pressurized areas of the engine. Cooling systems are pressurized, so if its leaking when its parked, its leaking faster when you're driving it.