Radiator cap? coolant leak

RadioFlyer

It's just the hose clamp. Spring clamps get weak over time. Clean off the area, and replace the spring clamps with worm screw clamps. Then see if it continues to leak. You should be able to get a pack of 4 clamps for $2. I'd do that instead of bringing it back to the dealer. Who knows what they will charge you for.

Remember - only work on your cooling system with the car cold (obviously).

Jhill

Spring clamps can get weak but usually it's the rubber that gets worn causing less clamping force. But yes you can get it tighter with a worm screw clamp. Just do not over tighten otherwise months later you end up with a cut hose. Good idea to use a spring style 1/4 drive screw driver when tightening a worm style, this will prevent over tightening.

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Darwins Child

More great news! (Maybe more like an update.)

I did as Dreadnaught suggested and after the engine was at normal operating temperature, I wiggled and pulled a bit on the hose near the OEM clamp. There was no leakage, but I also tried rotating the hose a bit and it did indeed rotate quite easily-- too easily, IMO.

So I spent $3.79 on two stainless steel hose clamps, cleaned the tube and the affected area of any remnants of coolant, removed and saved the OEM clamp and, using a manual nut driver, installed the new clamp just tight enough so that I could not rotate the hose using the same effort that had easily rotated the OEM clamp.

We'll drive the car for some more kms and this time, after each and every ride, I'll be checking for remnants of leakage. I'm betting that there will be none. (And because I have placed a bet, there will definitely be some leakage.)

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Dreadnaught

I'm glad you found that leak on the hose. Also, hoses should not move easily. Your clamp was definitely worn out. And as you said, just monitor the area.

__________________
Ford Diesel and Heavy Line Technician at your service.

Darwins Child

Our vehicle was purchased by its original owner in July of 2014, which means that the clamp has been in "hot" service for probably not much more than 2 years. How the heck it could have worn out in 2 years is beyond me. If it was indeed not holding the hose tightly enough, I bet it's because its spring steel was not quenched correctly by its manufacturer, or it was removed at some point and, as a result of that process, the clamp lost some of its tension.

This is why I think that it's best to stick with a clamp whose "squeeze" can be adjusted at will and re-adjusted over time.

This evening my wife and I went on a joy ride (I say "joy" because it included a stop at DQ to get my wife a banana split) that lasted about 45 minutes. No high performance anything, but when we got home I checked the usual suspect and there was no leakage whatsoever, so I believe I may have fixed with a clamp what an expert technician said required a new cap.

Dreadnaught

Haha! And as far as the clamp sometimes things just go bad prematurely.

__________________
Ford Diesel and Heavy Line Technician at your service.

Darwins Child

Yes, that's right. What would have happened if that clamp had been just a bit looser and the hose had inconveniently popped right off in Alberta's famous "middle of nowhere" -- for example, half way up some steep mountain hill located half way between Jasper and Lake Louise on the famous Icefields Parkway -- a trip we'd like to take this summer in our fabulous Z?

Considering the reality of what has just happened, I'm now seriously considering whether I should proactively / pre-emptively replace all of the coolant system's OEM spring clamps-- especially the larger ones --- to prevent this possibility. This would not be an expensive or difficult operation and it would completely eliminate both the nagging thought of such a possibility or the any inhibition to "floor it".

Am I being too paranoid?