******* anti-freeze. what the....

[Darth Menace]

Hey guys, I planned on parking my viper a few weeks ago, but i decided to take it out on the road to get the federal and provincial inspection done so i could register it in my name. I passed both with no problems, but i just came home from a rip an i noticed some drips coming up the driveway. I looked under my car and right beside the front tires (more on less in the middle of the car) i see antifreeze pouring out. The car didn't overheat when I drove it, but it did run hotter than I thought acceptable (there are the 3 lines at the 190degrees, and it went just above the last line at the 190 and then the fan kicks on fine and cools it fine.

Oddly it is pouring antifreeze, but it doesnt overheat or anything. can anyone tell me what this could be?

I do have pictures, but i figure you all know what a puddle of antifreeze looks like, and you likely know where I am describing.

 

[AndyMac]

You have a GTS right? I believe you will probably find the water pump to be the culprit, but there really is no way to tell for sure other than crawling under it and having a look for yourself. Bummer.

 

[Darth Menace]

Yes it is a gts. How can I tell if its a water pump vs a head gasket vs bad thermostat vs bad hoses? I did the hose squeeze and it seems full still...so I'm confused. Let's pray its not a head gasket?

 

[plumcrazy]

radiators are known to go too.....did you have the fascia off ? maybe the overflow is cracked ?


190 degrees is perfect, dont worry till its at 250

 

[ViperTony]

What year is your GTS? There have been issues with bad water pumps on 2000 or 2001 water pumps whereby the plastic impellar on wp spindle stopped rotating/loosens. I had this happen to me and the result was coolant barfing/pouring out of my overflow bottle in the front fascia. This is one possibility. I'd get under the Viper and check the block, timing cover, hoses, etc. Not sure how to check for a bad WP though.

 

[Darth Menace]

radiators are known to go too.....did you have the fascia off ? maybe the overflow is cracked ?


190 degrees is perfect, dont worry till its at 250

no i didnt have the facia off...im kinda mediocre at mechanics and super new to the viper world too...i have to take the bumper off to get to see the overflow?

 

[Darth Menace]

What year is your GTS? There have been issues with bad water pumps on 2000 or 2001 water pumps whereby the plastic impellar on wp spindle stopped rotating/loosens. I had this happen to me and the result was coolant barfing/pouring out of my overflow bottle in the front fascia. This is one possibility. I'd get under the Viper and check the block, timing cover, hoses, etc. Not sure how to check for a bad WP though.

my gts is a 1998. not saying that the water pump isn't a likely option. hopefully it's one of the lesser stressful ones vs head gaskets.

 

[MTGTS]

Check the obvious first, the hoses. The check the radiator and the pump

 

[Darth Menace]

is there a specific way to check these?

 

[AZTVR]

Is the overflow bottle in the fascia empty now? It is common for it to get cracked/punctured by one of the fascia screws coming up from underneath it. If empty, fill it and see if you get water underneath the fascia without running the engine. (In case you don't know, you fill it by removing the top small hose from the tank that has the cap on it. The one that the pressure relief in the cap would let water flow into. Pour into that using a small funnel.)

 

[Fatboy 18]

Its really hard to say exactly where water could be coming from. find a level dry piece of ground,start up the car and have a good look around. I had a leak from the front of the engine just behind the Alternator, it was the timing cover gasket which had split and under pressure when the engine was hot it was leaking.

There is a coolant overflow bottle in the front fascia just in front of the right front wheel. if you turn the steering wheel you will see a slot in the inner front wing where you can check the fluid level. Sometimes its hard to see the level so what you can do is remove the 4inch rubber **** in the inner fender and put a small torch inside the hole and shine the light towards the coolant bottle which should show you if you have any coolant in there It has been known for the plastic bottle to split ( but coolant would not really be coming out of there if you say the leak is in the centre of the engine)! The other thing to check is the thermostat gasket ( just under the intake manifold, top front of engine). Pain in the Butt to change as it involves the removal of the manifold.
Good Luck.

Oh and watch your fingers if you do go poking around with the engine running

Check out this thread, scroll down to see the pics I posted up of where my leak was
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...-gt-gt-(semi-write-up)?highlight=TIMING+COVER

 

[AZTVR]

and put a small torch inside the hole

oh, flashlight. (says the Yank) I don't know what them Canadians call it.

 

[Fatboy 18]

Yes, Flashlight, A little one

 

[Boxer12]

The cooling system on a Viper is like any non-turbo V8, V10 etc. Take it to your local Dodge dealer and put it up on a lift and see what's going on. Most likely just a split hose.

 

[Darth Menace]

Will this be okay to drive back and forth to work for a few more days until I park it?

Also if I fill it on the overflow, doesn't this mean possibility of air pockets?

 

[bluesrt]

its not lifting a rear tire and ******* is it?

 

[Darth Menace]

its not lifting a rear tire and ******* is it?

nope...

is it good to drive a bit back an forth to work before i park it> a couple days

 

[bluesrt]

i wouldnt do it, its not worth messing something else up- park it or fix it

 

[Fatboy 18]

You can perform a coolant pressure test, there are kits out there where you replace the coolant filler cap pump air into the system and test for leaks. Your Dodge dealer should have a kit like this.

 

[plumcrazy]

iwouldnt take it to work if it were me....not worth the possible breakdown and then towing

 

[jcaspar1]

Was my upper radiator hose when this happened to me. Huge puddle of coolant just after driving it. Never over heated. I replaced both hoses.

 

[AAKVIPER]

radiator cap could be toast..I had a simular problem last month..

read below..Arthur

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...or-cap-cause-the-reservoir-tank-in-the-front-

 

[Dom426h]

I get a kick out of him asking us for permission to drive a car leaking coolant all over the street being a danger to other vehicles that could slip in it just so he can have the pleasure of driving to work a few more days. Seems like a common sense No to me.

Drive her to the nearest lift and find where the leak is. I doubt it is your headgasket or waterpump.
It is likely not a big deal; Hoses, Overflowbottle are easy fixes.

goodluck and keep us posted on the outcome.

 

[Darth Menace]

ends up getting really hot when idle, but shooting straight down to 190 when driving.

my neighbor (heavy vehicle) mechanic looked at it and he said he thinks it's the water cooler. Either way replacing the hoses and water pump through the winter might not be a bad idea. thanks for the help guys

 

[Fatboy 18]

What the Hells a water cooler?

Do you mean the pump?

A leak in the radiator?

Is the radiator fan coming on when the car gets hot?

What are you calling really hot?

Has it gone into the red on the temp gauge?

Is it wet under the car?

 

[plumcrazy]

snap a picture of the gauge when its really hot and post it here.

my car runs hot when im driving hard in the summer, the gauge looks like this below and i was told not to worry about it.

You must be registered for see images attach

the same kind of driving in spring or fall looks like this

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Darth Menace]

What the Hells a water cooler?

Do you mean the pump?

A leak in the radiator?

Is the radiator fan coming on when the car gets hot?

What are you calling really hot?

Has it gone into the red on the temp gauge?

Is it wet under the car?

Sorry man, yes I did mean the water pump. I wrote that after a 12 hour night shift. My bad.

I would think that the rad fan doesn't come on at idle, but when being driven the temp goes back down to normal. I will have to double check that

Yes, it has gone to the red on the temp gauge...when at idle. When I am driving it sits nicely at 190 (ish)

Yes, it is wet under the car. Antifreeze drips out none stop after a drive

 

[Darth Menace]

snap a picture of the gauge when its really hot and post it here.

my car runs hot when im driving hard in the summer, the gauge looks like this below and i was told not to worry about it.

You must be registered for see images attach

the same kind of driving in spring or fall looks like this

You must be registered for see images attach

Yes, that is what my temp gauges looked like before the antifreeze/overheating problem arrived. I guess I was okay at that time

 

[plumcrazy]

did you ever BURP the system ?

 

[Fatboy 18]

The car should not be going into the Red at idle, If the hood is up do you notice the raidatior fan kicking on? If not It may be worth you checking this thread out.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/646716-Relays-question..?highlight=heater+relay