Need some help with this "leak"...

[DMeN Z]

Alright so I was driving from my friend's house about 20 miles away from home. Nearing my town I thought, hey the car is up to temp and I haven't done any spirited driving with it since I've bought it. So I gun it from a stop light on a empty street up to 70 from 0. The rest of the way home I go only 40 to not drive my car so hard so often. When I get home and park I see just a little vapor coming out from my cowl vents. I think "man that better be condensation" because it is a cold night. I pop my hood and I can see white water vapor come from the drivers side on I think the exhaust manifold or bottom end (couldn't see/ to dark at night even with a flashlight). I look under the car and see water mixed with antifreeze on the ground.

Crankcase has no antifreeze or milky oil.Oil is fine and just changed 1k miles ago.Motor did not overheat: Temp sat in the middle during the whole drive home

Is it possible for the AC run off or whatever its called to drop coolant too? Not sure if it's a leak or the run offHope it isn't a head gasket prob...

[Z-owned]

You wouldn't have any coolent with the AC, try to pinpoint the leak of the anti freeze. How is the fluid lvl on the radiator? I would start with checking the lower rad hose as well as the two small coolent bypass hoses between the timing belt covers.

[Zwicked]

Could be one of the many hoses under the plenum, turbo coolant lines/hoses, or maybe even heater core hoses.

If you are in the mood some day to pull the plenum, it's a great time to do the bypass as well as replace the heater core hoses. It eliminates all those problematic hoses that will one day go, usually one at a time, and leave you stranded.

Best way is to find the current leak is pressurize the coolant system and have the car raised so you can look where it's coming from, from all angles.

[mac_daddy]

I agree with Zwicked. best thing to do to test for a leak in the coolant system is to pressure test it. it should pinpoint exactly where it's leaking from.

[DMeN Z]

@ Z-owned:Fluid in radiator was full. Reservoir was nearing empty. Will check the bypass hoses seeing as they are nearest to the spot I saw under the car that was dripping coolant. Thanks

@ZWicked:Grr so many hoses! I might as well replace all my hoses. I'll check the heater core, bypass, lower rad first. Damn, reaching and checking the turbo coolant line is going to be a pita. Pressurize you say? hmm will have to give that a try... Thanks.

@macdaddy: I'll do that once I get some free time from painting my friends houses. I'll definately do that, once I know which hose is leaking I might just replace all my hoses anyway.

I'll update you guys when I get a chance to look at it again.

EDIT: Leak fixed.Very skinny/small coolant hose was cracked and leaking. plenum pulled and majority of hoses changed with silicone replacements.
Modified by DMeN Z at 2:29 PM 1/3/2010