What's the hole in the intake for....collecting antifreeze

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pauls340

pauls340

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Put a bottle of Water Wetter in the radiator and actually felt like it was running cooler in the engine well. Took it to Woodward Cruise tonight, and stopped after a stop-n-go trip of 6 miles. It was peeing everywhere. Got a rag out and it seemed like it was coming out of the hole in the intake (right in the middle of the pic). What's that for? Could antifreeze be coming out of there? thanks
Abody Antifreeze hole.JPG
 
A pressure test will find it.
While it could be the gasket behind there leaking, it rarely is. It is usually the T-stat housing. Tissue paper blotting can also find the leak. Just blot the area under the stat gasket.The housing may need to be surfaced with a lathe-file, and the recess for the stat deepened.Occasionally the intake needs to be touched up too. I install studs in that location with fine threads up top. Then I use the washers that hold on the slanty exhaust manifolds, which move the clamp pressure further inboard.
Plus I only use a 7# cap. My hoses are all circa 1998 or older, and the rad is a '73.

Housings are repairable several times over.But at 7psi, the bolts only need to be snug.
 
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I had the same thing happen to me after changing the thermostat in my car. I made sure I when I reassembled it I put a nice fine bead of water pump RTV both sides of the gasket but I still got a leak. I took it back apart and checked my housing and low and behold the ears were bent down slightly causing the bottom of the housing to not be flat. A few seconds on a belt sander and all was back to flat. I did do one other thing as well as it was a pain to clean up all of the rtv and even the good thermostat housing gaskets are just thick paper gasket material and seem to be hit or miss if they seal. I spent some money and bought a silicone gasket from Real Gaskets. No more rtv mess to clean up when changing a thermostat and a lot less clamping force needed to make a good seal so no more bending of the ears on the housing, plus it is reusable. I have not had a leak since installing it. So if you have the time to wait to have one shipped I highly recommend the Real Gaskets silicone gaskets. The part number for the mopar V8 thermostat housing is RG-53063, they are 9 bucks plus shipping and worth every penny.
 
You can see where it's running down from above at both of these places. It's seeping out under the thermostat housing and running down into that hole.

Abody Antifreeze hole1.jpg
 
The leak shown could be coolant climbing the threads at that thermostat housing bolt.
I personally think the most common mistake here is not allowing time for the sealant to cure before adding coolant and pressure. RTV = room temperature vulcanizing but... more than temperature is required. It also needs oxygen to atomize/release its vehicle. It can be very slow to cure in many applications. Humid chemical laden air is slower than dry air too.
 
Mine too. I have a crusty t stat housing that either needs reworked or replaced.
 
Those clamps are not doing you any favors.
Look behind the heater hose on the water pump.
 
TrailBeast said:
Those clamps are not doing you any favors.
Look behind the heater hose on the water pump.
Click to expand...
X's 2 Never cared for that style clamp. Not much width creating a seal. After the hoses take a set, move them around and they'll piss. Repeated on and off they lose tension.
 
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X -1, I dislike gear-clamps more.
My favorites are the flat-band spring-clamps. They are self adjusting as the rubber gets soft and squeezes out. And they are easy on the hoses, even though they put a lot of pressure down. Plus they are reusable like maybe forever.
At7psi, I have used cereal-box paper for a gasket there. No it doesn't last forever, but I think it went a few weeks for me.
Here in the Northland our summers are short and not very hot, so we can get away with some/lotsa stuff alrighty.
 
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