Tracking down coolant leak

[aturne67]

Hi guys was doing a little loader work yesterday and noticed that the left front axle was a little damp. So I did a little investigating and found that I have a coolant leak and it seemed to be getting sprayed by the fan because it was on the axle and spattered several places under the hood. I just topped off the coolant reservoir last weekend when I serviced the tractor and now it is half empty. Obviously there are several places it could be leaking from just wondering if anyone had any tips from previous experience on trying to track down exactly where it's coming from?
Thanks

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Hi guys was doing a little loader work yesterday and noticed that the left front axle was a little damp. So I did a little investigating and found that I have a coolant leak and it seemed to be getting sprayed by the fan because it was on the axle and spattered several places under the hood. I just topped off the coolant reservoir last weekend when I serviced the tractor and now it is half empty. Obviously there are several places it could be leaking from just wondering if anyone had any tips from previous experience on trying to track down exactly where it's coming from?
Thanks

The expansion bottle will overflow if you filled up the expansion bottle to the top when the engine is cold. Could it be that the the expansion bottle overflowed and the fan slashed the coolant around?

Otherwise, mechanics use a pressure tester to find coolant leaks.

 

[arrow]

Hi guys was doing a little loader work yesterday and noticed that the left front axle was a little damp. So I did a little investigating and found that I have a coolant leak and it seemed to be getting sprayed by the fan because it was on the axle and spattered several places under the hood. I just topped off the coolant reservoir last weekend when I serviced the tractor and now it is half empty. Obviously there are several places it could be leaking from just wondering if anyone had any tips from previous experience on trying to track down exactly where it's coming from?
Thanks

As Eric states, coolant overflow tanks are not made to be "topped off" There is a demarcation line of "cold" and "hot" as water is drawn from this tank as the engine cools down. Barring this, first thing I'd look at are unions where hoses meet collars. Did you happen to notice (if you have one) your engine temp gauge when this happened? I doubt you have a radiator leak unless a stick punctured it and fell out again. Next I'd look at thermostat housing to see if the area sprung a leak and if not, I'd change out the stat anyway if you have no apparent leak elsewhere. A failed stat will blow out the overflow as the engine heats up. You can also have you radiator cap pressure tested. Lastly , I'd look at a possible water pump failure but your machine seems young for that to happen so I'd go with the most obvious things first. Slipping belts, dirty radiator and collapsed radiator hoses can be other culprits. Hopefully it's nothing else than mentioned as anything else is going to be a pita to fix.

 

[aturne67]

As Eric states, coolant overflow tanks are not made to be "topped off" There is a demarcation line of "cold" and "hot" as water is drawn from this tank as the engine cools down. Barring this, first thing I'd look at are unions where hoses meet collars. Did you happen to notice (if you have one) your engine temp gauge when this happened? I doubt you have a radiator leak unless a stick punctured it and fell out again. Next I'd look at thermostat housing to see if the area sprung a leak and if not, I'd change out the stat anyway if you have no apparent leak elsewhere. A failed stat will blow out the overflow as the engine heats up. You can also have you radiator cap pressure tested. Lastly , I'd look at a possible water pump failure but your machine seems young for that to happen so I'd go with the most obvious things first. Slipping belts, dirty radiator and collapsed radiator hoses can be other culprits. Hopefully it's nothing else than mentioned as anything else is going to be a pita to fix.

Thanks for the input guys. I don't have a temp gauge on the tractor so not sure what was going on with it when this happened. However I will add that when I added the coolant last week I filled it up to just below the "max" line on the reservoir. This was just my 50 hour service that I performed and the coolant reservoir was nearly empty last week as well but this was the first time I have noticed anything leaking anywhere. So not real sure what to think to be honest. I will definitely check the things that were mentioned.

 

[Quebecguy]

I don't know about your TYM tractor but at the 50 hours service it would be normal to check the tightness of all radiator hose clamps. I'd place a small wager that you'll find the leak in that area.

 

[carmedic310]

Take a flashlight look under the water pump where the shaft goes in you should see a vent hole for the bearing>It the shaft seal is bad it would be wet there at the bearing vent hole.If it has been seeping for a while you will see residue there.

 

[aturne67]

Finally had some time to take a look at the tractor better and found that it was leaking from the hose going from the radiator into the top of the motor so tightened that up and good to go now! Thanks for all the input

 

[gwstang]

Glad you found and fixed it. A tip for the next leak that is hard to find...take a container of baby powder and dust/shake around the area of the engine and the leak will show up after running the machine for awhile. I learned this from working on my '66 mustang. Something about Fords...they just like to take a leak wherever....lol

 

[arrow]

Finally had some time to take a look at the tractor better and found that it was leaking from the hose going from the radiator into the top of the motor so tightened that up and good to go now! Thanks for all the input

Glad it was a simple fix and not something like a head gasket. Also, thanks for the return input as the eventual answer to a posted problem helps many more people