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I switched to red ELC back in September , bought a billet thermostat housing , and did the "dual alternator " upper hose. now i seem to be getting small leaks around my hose connections and thermostat housing. I don't have any pics yet but I'll get some. Any idea why? It looks like it barley leaked. Then dried up
I re tightened everything again but no difference. My coolant level hasn't dropped or Anything that's why I haven't been too concerned. Here's when it first started happening
When did you switch to the 203* thermostat? If it was at the same time that you switched to ELC's the problem could be your coolant reservoir cap due to an increase in pressure that is temperature related if the cap is not venting properly. When was it last changed?
Yeah. I forgot that part too. New housing. 203 thermostat. And dual alternator hose. I didn't realize that it would be under more pressure. I did the same mods on my 97 besides the red coolant and never had a problem.
Thanks !
If it is not venting properly then yes that could be the problem. I do realize that the increase is only 8*F. However, with that increase and the cap not venting...???? It seems to be the most logical explanation.
I swapped to the IH water pump, 203 thermostat, billet housing, ELC and new degas cap about a year ago. I noticed a small/slow leak from either between the billet housing and the pump, or from the hose connection itself.
I drained the coolant from the radiator into a clean container. Then removed the hose and billet housing. I cleaned each of them very thoroughly and used some Permatex "Form a gasket" pictured below between the housing and the pump. I also ensured that the bolts were tightened about 1/2 a turn each time and rotating around to each after a 1/2 turn. This ensured equal pressure application on the o-ring and the gasket maker. Then I put a new worm style hose clamp on and it has been good since.
If the hose does start leaking again, I will get a fuel injector style hose clamp and put that on the hose.
The billit housing is generally prone to leaks unless you use a thin film of silicone along with the o ring. Not sure about your upper hose but you could try the same on it. It only takes a very minute bit to seal any imperfections on the parts, like gouges from prying the hose off.
When the weather cools down those fittings contract a little and it is common for your hoses to leak there, particularly their first winter. So you should go back and tighten them up in the late fall. They can also leak for the same reason later in life so it's not a bad idea to give them all a tweaking once in a while. In that middle hose picture your clamp looks like it's out pretty far from the end of the hose. It's not out on that hump (whatever it's called) in the fitting is it? If it is that could make it hard to get a seal on it.
Maybe it leaked a tiny bit after the install but the tiny cracks it was seeping through has been sealed up with the dried coolant? Or it just needed a couple of heat cycles for everything to settle down and fully seal. I would just keep an eye on it rather than opening it all back up and possibly creating a bigger leak somewhere? With as much coolant as these systems hold a couple of drops here and there aren't really any cause for concern, as long as the main level isn't dropping overall.
I have cleaned off the thermostat housing before, and it came back again. But it hasn't came back any worse. Just about the same. I'm going to leave it, and see what happens. Was just curious
You can take your cap to auto parts store & have it pressure tested. Might try a second hose clamp just to see if that stops the leak. Install the clamp bolts at opposites - 3 & 9 o'clock
Do a little searching and you will find the billet housing and or the 203 stat has many reports of leaking. My leaks were finally solved with a new designed Motorcraft t-stat that has the rubber oring sealing both sides of the t-stat. I still use the billet housing, so it works fine with the new style stat.
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