My wife moticed a puddle under her car today and it appears to be coolant. We have a 2008 Clubman S auto with 36,000 miles and this just started.

I backed the car out of the garage and you could see a good sized puddle under the engine compartment where it was parked. Then I started it outside and I got on the ground and could see a small hose under the car towards the middle dripping fluid. My wife said it's leaking up here too and I found it leaking by where the hose goes into the tank.

I checked the tank and it's still near the MAX mark, so besides possible being overfilled at my last dealer service, it's no where near the LOW mark.

Can anyone steer me to what i need to replace/repair?

Thanks for any help!

 

it's either the thermostat or water pump - normally. water pump coolant leaks will show somewhere near the passenger side of engine.

 

It's also leaking at the tank - I read on here that someone had the same leak and replaced their coolant tank cap to fix it.

I can see fluid dripping out of a hose under the car towards the rear of the engine - is that an over-flow hose?

 

The hose under the car at the rear of the engine could be the drain from the air conditioning system. I would touch that fluid to see if it feels like water or antifreeze (slippery).

Remove the screw holding the coolant tank to the radiator support. With the engine cold, and the cap on, lift the tank and inspect the bottom. See if you see any cracking or any blue/green leakage. There also could be a chalky residue that is blue or green. My coolant tank was leaking, but would only leak when the engine was hot (and the system is under pressure).

There is also a small water pump that is behind the radiator, in front of the engine. This is to cool the turbo. I have not heard of any common leaks here, but there are several small hoses attached to this pump.

The lower radiator hose is attached to the radiator support by a plastic clamp. Some people have had this clamp fail and the lower radiator hose got damaged from rubbing on the ground or other objects.

Can you jack the car up to narrow down what areas the coolant is coming from?

Mike

 

Thanks for the ideas Mike!

The coolant is leaking up near the overflow hose at the tank. I can see coolant on the lip on the side of the tank after I start it.

Something is dripping from the hose at the bottom behind the engine.

This just started and my coolant tank is still at the max mark.

I'm going to take it to a local imdependant shop tomorrow and let them have a look.

 

I've seen coolant reservoirs leak towards the bottom where the hose attaches. Sometimes small cracks can form in that area.

 

I have also seen the coolant reservoirs leak at the bottom where there's a plastic (elbow) L-shaped fitting, mine only leaks when I try to remove it when performing oil changes. I hang my coolant reservoir out of the way by using a bungee cord with hooks and has a few drops from the strain of being pulled/stressed while still connected. Also there's a plastic pipe that connects from the thermostat housing and connects directly to the water pump, if the rubber seals are bad this could be your leak. This plastic pipe runs under the intake manifold close to the block.

 

I took it to a British Car garage and they pressure tested it and found the tank was leaking at the top where the rubber hose goes into it. They are ordering a new tank and will flush the system and fill it with new coolant. They also checked the car over and other than I'll need new rear brake pads in about 3,000 miles - everything checks out fine. The total charge for everything will come to $215.


Thanks for all the advice and Happy Motoring!

 

Great news, I would have checked the expansion tank at the bottom for cracks ( driver side front of engine puddle. , back of the transmission leak coolant ( its thermostat housing), and water pump it will be on the passenger side near the rear leak and puddle.

Sounds like a crack at the tank and got it fixed, they get hairline cracks.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...pass-side.html

 

Thanks!

It was the the little nub at the top left where the overflow hose attaches. I wiped the tank down and had my wife start the car and I could see it weeping out from there. The shop comformed the leak and pressure tested it to see if there were any other leaks - there wern't.

With my luck I was expecting to replace the water pump or thermostat - but I guess those will be later down the road.

I appreciate all the times you help us on here with your knowledge and photos. If I was mechanically inclined I would buy all my parts from you and do the work myself.

 

You are welcome.

Thanks for the complements.

Seen it at the bottom most of the time, only a few at the overflow neck. Couple with bad caps.

Never too late to learn and get some tools to become a grass roots mechanic.