Engine coolant on ground! Any Ideas?

Sniper

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Started the car for a half an hour after it has sat for a month. Pulled it back in the garage and put the cover back on. Went back into the garage a couple days later and a nice puddle of engine coolant was on the floor right at the front of the car. I popped the hood and checked the coolant bottle and it was full.
Anyone have any ideas what happened?
 

Steve-Indy

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Assuming that you have checked ALL HOSES and connections and the radiator itself, check the overflow bottle in the front fascia...run cycle may have over filled this bottle, blew the stuff out of it's over flow spout...only time that I have had this happen was after a hose change/coolant change-flushing on a Gen I..problem solved with a new pressure cap, though I am NOT completely sure as to the reason why.
 

garolittle

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You may have punctured the front coolant bottle referenced above. Look carefully and you will see an unwisely placed screw right underneath the bottle. Sometimes a big jolt (high speed bump, etc) can actually puncture the bottle. Other than that, I would suspect you are facing the age old problem with Gen I Vipers .... bad head gaskets
 

95Viper

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Matt, I went through hell with this EXACT problem last winter. Drove me nuts, freaked me out because I thought the worst. Your solution is as simple as a cap change or as complicated as leaking gaskets. Do these steps in order all at the same time.

Search my old post for more detail
1. Check front facia bottle for puncture. If it is currently full, this isn't your problem. Siphon out to fill line on wheelwell with right size hose pushed into the hose going to bottle. While you are at it, remove screw just below bottle and cut the screw in half, file the top round.
2. Put small hose clamps on connections between coolant bottle and front facia puke bottle. You currently have push on fittings between metal/hose transitions. Reports have been made of air getting sucked in during cooling cycle when fluid is returning from facia bottle, which will eventually cause fluid to push out. I bought a small hose package at Murray's for $2.
3. Replace radiator cap with factory 2001 model. It is 1 pound more than yours (which isn't a problem) but most important is that it is a spring type cap instead of a drop type cap. Hold the cap as if it was installed and you'll see the small washer looking seal dangling with a drop type cap. Don't buy that one. I'm not sure what year range the 2001 spring cap covered but that's the one I bought.
4. Jack up right passenger side and burp car. The jacking up really helps. Turkey baster out coolant tank to 1/2 full, get partner to help you squeeze upper hose, 4 hands are better than 2, and don't be afraid to squeeze it a billion times. Always check the coolant tank to ensure it doesn't empty. Fill full, put new cap on, lower. Facia bottle should be to appropriate line on inside wheelwell in step1.
5. Post results because there are more next steps if this doesn't work but I bet it will.
 

Bandit3

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Matt, I'm assuming you also have a gen one? If so, the most common (?) problem is probably the crossover tube between the heads. This hose is located on top of the engine at the rear, under the intake runners. Use a small flashlight to observe. I just had mine repaired by the dealer. I thought it was the head gaskets, but only this hose. I think you gain access by removing the wipers, and cowl. Might as well as change the thermostat while you're there. John
 

Steve-Indy

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Here's where I NEED to put a POSITIVE PLUG in for this board and it's members...LOTS of good info here, certainly a huge help in problem solving...the "gang" has SURE bailed me out of several problems !!!! THANKS, All.
 

garolittle

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Here's where I NEED to put a POSITIVE PLUG in for this board and it's members...LOTS of good info here, certainly a huge help in problem solving...the "gang" has SURE bailed me out of several problems !!!! THANKS, All.

Agreed. This site has saved me thousands of dollars and I am always grateful for the excellent hints offered by Viper owners.
 

Jay Herbert

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Lots of good suggestions here. I had a similar problem with my '95. In my case the coolant was dripping out of the fascia. I was getting frustrated when I noticed that the hose from the radiator capped bottle to the overflow bottle "looked wrong". It turned out that the hose had cracked where it connected to the overflow bottle (tucked in the passenger side inner fender below the headlight) and was merely stuck into a convenient place by a previous owner.... i.e. the hose was no longer connected to the overflow bottle.

It was a royal ***** to get it back on (easy if you take the fascia off).
To get at the hose, I ended up removing the driving light and scratched the living dikins out of my forearm while using a "curved needle nose pliers" to tug the hose back over the bottles connection. I agree with the person above that suggests adding a clamp (wish I had done it while I could get at it), as it is just a "push on" connection to the tank. After burping the system with Jon B's instruction, no coolant on the floor since.
 
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