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Ghost Radiator Leak

If youi can't find it, how do you know it's the radiator? If you can't find the leak when it's well heated up and pressurized, a couple of possibilities come to mind. One is that it isn't pressurized, and the coolant loss is from a bad radiator cap. Another is that it's leaking internally from a bad head gasket (hope not!). If you're sure it's not one of those things, your best bet is to find someone who has a radiator pressure tester, and pump it up and look for the leak that way.
 
well theres a little pool of green radiotor liquid every morning and i can see little puddles of it around in my engine compartment on the rubberized mat... i dont know, ill keep you posted
 
get the brightest flashlight you have and get your head right in there and look for wet spots.. the engine end of the lower radiator hose can leak and be very decieving about the source.. there must be green drips on the underside somewhere... follow them up to their source..
 
ChandlerXJ said:
well theres a little pool of green radiotor liquid every morning and i can see little puddles of it around in my engine compartment on the rubberized mat... i dont know, ill keep you posted

A water pump can have an intermittent leak depending on the temperature of the coolant.
Look under the water pump, find the hole and see if there is sign of leakage in the area.
 
It is common that a leak doesn't happen when it is hot and then leaks as it cools down. An old trick is to take a squirt bottle and mix up a mixture of baking soda or flour with water. Get the engine hot and then shut it off. Mist the entire front of the engine with the mixture. It will evaporate quickly, leaving a white residue. Then as the engine leaks, it will wash off some of the residue, leaving the telltale signs of the leak. When you are all done, you can just take a hose and wash the engine.
 
Check the lower hose, too. It's not uncommon for it to chafe on the power steering lines, and eventually wear a hole. Also make sure that the overflow hose isn't leaking (if it's an open system with pressure cap on the radiator). It could be holding pressure fine, but if the overflow hose or the nipple on the radiator leaks, it will dribble. The plastic nipple on the radiator neck is a weak spot.
 
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