2001 Infiniti I30 leaking antifreeze

[frenetic]

The A/C cut off last Monday and I assumed it needed another recharge (there's a leak in the A/C system, will fix it in the winter) until the next morning, I tried to drive to work and noticed the defrost wasn't working. Heat wasn't hardly working either. I was a few blocks from the freeway when I started seeing steam/smoke from the hood. Pulled over and saw leaking antifreeze, so I tried to make it back home and take the other car to work. Needless to say, I didn't make it home. The car was still driving but I must have lost too much antifreeze because I could feel it. I got the car towed home. Got around to taking a look under the hood and noticed this one metal pipe connected to a hose that looked like it runs to the A/C system (the pipe runs to the firewall and back out to the driver side) - this pipe is covered in antifreeze. I can't determine the location of the leak, unfortunately.

I have attached some pictures that hopefully show a clear location of this pipe. Does anyone know where this leak is coming from?

I appreciate the help. I have been helped so much by this forum in the past!



This is right between the radiator and the front of the engine on the passenger side.

[SteveTheTech]

Oh how I like pictures.

Do me a favor. Take that camera with the same flash and exposure and stand with one foot on either side of the passenger side wheel. Stand with your back straight, holding the camera parallel with the top of the strut tower take a few pictures withe the camera held vertically. Move forward and focus on the area directly under the cap filler neck.

The aluminum tubing you have there is the low pressure (suction side) hose. It looks like it was dirty and leaking, which actually might be beneficial since the tracer dye adhered to dust. But that is only why the AC stopped working (maybe). If the car over heated that is a different issue. You may have blown radiator too and that may be your more pressure concern.

[frenetic]

Whoops I should close this thread.

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You figured out what was going on better than I did haha.

There's a crack in the upper tank of the radiator. The thing I took a picture of is exactly what you said, tracer dye from when I got the leaking a/c system refilled. It was, unfortunately, the only thing I could immediately see when the engine was off and dry. I turned the car on with water and started seeing it bubbling from under the air intake. Thankfully, it's only a $100 part!

[frenetic]

Alright then. It took almost 2 months to get a upper radiator tank. That's a tale for another day. But for anyone with a similar problem, I advise you to just buy the whole radiator. Replacing the upper or lower tank is easy enough, but without the suggested tools from Nissan (some weird plate pliers) to pry off those metal tabs, it's nearly impossible to re-assemble without leaks. I have re-done this four times now, and the latest time I just said screw it, and went with a liquid sealant. That didn't work. Now I get to wait for a whole radiator assembly.