Loosing coolant

[claude]

My Delica starting to loose coolant at a fast rate, I have not figure out where is leaking but I hopen the hood and see coolant splash around the engine. It is hard to see where it is the leak, I guess the best way is to crawl under. Since I live far from any repair shop I was wondering if it is safe to use those any products that stop leak temporarily until I get to a shop ?
Claude

[jessef]

Hi Claude

don't use stop leak. it can clog up the wrong cooling sys areas.

can you take a few pictures and post them?

With the engine off -

wipe down as much as you can with a rag/paper tower to soak up the excess coolant so you can see where the coolant is coming from

fill up the coolant expansion bottle with water/coolant (mix about 80 water/20 coolant to conserve while looking for the leak) water is harder to pin point. Coolant gives the leak/source a colour to trace.

How your coolant expansion bottle? - common to burst (old one's from Japan)

check the rad hoses for cracks/splitting

check the heater core bleed valve above the intercooler on the passenger side (1/2" black plastic bolt)

more details please

[claude]

Hi Claude

don't use stop leak. it can clog up the wrong cooling sys areas.

can you take a few pictures and post them?

With the engine off -

wipe down as much as you can with a rag/paper tower to soak up the excess coolant so you can see where the coolant is coming from

fill up the coolant expansion bottle with water/coolant (mix about 80 water/20 coolant to conserve while looking for the leak) water is harder to pin point. Coolant gives the leak/source a colour to trace.

How your coolant expansion bottle? - common to burst (old one's from Japan)

check the rad hoses for cracks/splitting

check the heater core bleed valve above the intercooler on the passenger side (1/2" black plastic bolt)

more details please

Thanks Jesse,
I was going to do that but right now we are in the middle of a snowstorm. No fun to crawl under the van in those conditions.
I add coolant to the expansion bottle and drove 12 km and the bottle was empty.
Hope the weather improve by tomorrow.

[nxski]

Worst comes to worst you can hook up a hand crank system to pump water into the overflow bottle while you drive. (I'm being partially serious but it is a good top gear solution). Basically you'll have to ensure the reservoir is full at all times if you attempt the journey. Water mixed with a bit of alcohol (to stop freezing) will work but I wouldn't trust the stop leak stuff. I had it in my Mighty Max's rad and it caused half the rad to stop working and I had to spend $750 on a new one.

[jessef]

not a good idea

if the leak is pre intake on the engine that water won't make it into the cooling system

Claude. You need to find the leak. Do you know anyone that has a covered area or garage you can use?

Can you take a picture of the expansion bottle and water pump please?

[claude]

not a good idea

if the leak is pre intake on the engine that water won't make it into the cooling system

Claude. You need to find the leak. Do you know anyone that has a covered area or garage you can use?

Can you take a picture of the expansion bottle and water pump please?

Sorry about my ignorance but where is the pump located?

[jessef]

look down the middle of the engine. the fan attaches to the water pump pulley. it's behind the fan.

[claude]

There is the pictures ,
I will do a leaking test when the snow stop

[jessef]

water pump and coolant expansion bottle appear to have been replaced so you can check that off.

If you pour water into the bottle, does water come out from the bottom? Two coolant hoses may be hard/not clamped.

Can you tell what area the coolant is coming from? Left/right engine side.. Back or engine or front?

Try to trace the leak somehow.

Have you had any issues in the past with the cooling system. Ie. temp gauge takes a very long time to get to operating temperature, coolant smell inside the cab when you use the heater, etc..

That may help pinpoint an area.

So possible heater core, radiator or rad/coolant hose leaking.

Those aren't the original batteries from Japan, are they?

Cheers

[claude]

Have you had any issues in the past with the cooling system. Ie. temp gauge takes a very long time to get to operating temperature, coolant smell inside the cab when you use the heater, etc.

Yes when I got the van after driving home it started to smell coolant in the cabin. The heather core was leaking inside the cabin. The dealer installed a used one from a spare part van

[claude]

Have you had any issues in the past with the cooling system. Ie. temp gauge takes a very long time to get to operating temperature, coolant smell inside the cab when you use the heater, etc.

Yes when I got the van after driving home it started to smell coolant in the cabin. The heather core was leaking inside the cabin. The dealer installed a used one from a spare part van.

So possible heater core, radiator or rad/coolant hose leaking.

Yes possible that the heather core if the dealer did not bothered to have the used replacement pressure tested before installing it.

Those aren't the original batteries from Japan, are they?

No I think the dealer has he own supplier

[FalcoColumbarius]

My Delica starting to loose coolant at a fast rate, I have not figure out where is leaking but I hopen the hood and see coolant splash around the engine. It is hard to see where it is the leak, I guess the best way is to crawl under. Since I live far from any repair shop I was wondering if it is safe to use those any products that stop leak temporarily until I get to a shop ?
Claude

I had a nasty leak in my old Chevy van. I tried "Bar's Stop Leak" and it gradually restrained the leak it just a minor constant drip. Then a friend told me about using white pepper, you know ~ the kind you find in places like the general store in Goldbridge? So I tried it. I turned the engine on with a constant stream of coolant pouring out the bottom of the van; poured roughly a quarter of the little canister of white pepper into the radiator and the leak stopped immediately and although it is a temporary measure it held for quite a while. I was quite impressed. This was in the cooling system of a Chevy 305, will it behave as well in a 4M40 motor? Don't know. If I developed a leak in the MLB and I was in Goldbridge and had white pepper on hand ~ I would do it if I couldn't find another remedy on hand.

Looking at the pictures you posted your rad hoses look pretty old ~ could be a loose connexion or a small split in the hose? Also have you checked the rad cap? I would be inclined to grope over your upper and lower rad hoses when the engine is cold (and off) to see if you can find any soft spots or if it divulges the leak. If you have a split... in a pinch one could try a lot of duct tape, but I wouldn't bank on it. Do you have other means of mobility? Say to the Pemberton Greyhound depot?

Falco.

[jessef]

L400 4M40 is a pressurized closed looped system (no rad cap)

Coolant in the closed loop system is designed to absorb engine heat and transfer it to the radiator so that through convection and thermodynamics heat transfer may occur.

If you pour in foreign material into the expansion bottle, it goes into the engine and can clog the thermostat. Please do not put anything into the cooling system except for water, coolant and additive (Red Line WaterWetter).

Your radiator doesn't look good. In hindsight, it's a shame the dealer didn't replace it. If you trace the leak to the radiator, your cheapest/best option is to order a new radiator, have it shipped to you and install it.

changing the rad is easy
2 rad hoses
2 small transmission coolant hoses (bottom - use pliers on the hose clamps)
1 return line to the expansion bottle (brittle. be careful with it)

you'll loose most of the coolant from the engine. buy 2 jugs of coolant and mix them 50/50 with water

I'm heading up to whistler this weekend. If you need me to grab a radiator from you, I can pick one up from Mardy and leave it in whistler for you to pick up at my sister's place in Cheakamus or get a courier to take it up to you.

If you need more help Claude, just let me know. Cheers

[MardyDelica]

hi maybe your heater core, i never install a used heater core on L400 as its hard to replace .
put a new one pm me if you need it, i do have new mitsubishi original in stock.
i remember when i replace my customer joe delica heater core has small crack did not install it as its hard and takes time
to install in this L400.
i guees my suggestion is that never install used heater no matter how good condition is the heater core as it takes lots of
time to replace it.takes nearly 8-10 hour job. include the re and re.
this is just thru my experience replacing heater core not easy to do it.
also check the hose connection if possible maybe loose sometime.
good luck always check the coolant never loose any of it, as it will overheat your engine.
big problem will occur more
cheers;
Mardy

[claude]

Thanks Guys,
I will do a test this afternoon and find out where the leak. It's still to cold here -9.
When I got the van last year last year I choose one dealer because there was few good review at that time so I got it with trust but soon I discover I was wrong starting with stating trouble and heater core. Yes they did fixed the core for no charge but replace it with a used one also the fix the rough starting but it did no last long ( 2 days) back to the same problem.
I guess I learn a lesson.