Coolant leak under the intake manifold

[DarylInDurham]

Hi everyone,

My son just bought his first car (he's 16). It's a 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX with the CA18DE engine and manual transmission. He bought it "as is" and without me getting a good look at it so of course the car has some issues. There's a few things wrong with the car but for now I'm asking for advice on the most important...we've got a fairly serious coolant leak coming from somewhere underneath the intake manifold. When the revs are mid-to-high it bleeds out about a litre of coolant in 20-30 minutes.

We've had no luck yet seeing exactly where the coolant is coming from, getting access to the area is proving impossible due to lack of space.

I'm unfamiliar with this car and engine so apologies if my questions are noob-ish...I'm a gearhead and my son is learning so we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty.

1) Can anyone provide a pic the underside of the intake manifold looks like? Maybe with the engine out of the car? I know there are coolant hoses (including a metal one?) running underneath there but would like a pic to see what at the moment I can currently only (barely) feel.
2) Is this a typical problem/weakness with this engine?
3) What's the easiest way to change the hoses underneath the intake, can we access all the hoses without having to remove the intake manifold or pull the engine?
4) Is there even room to remove the intake manifold without lifting the engine? Seems access to all the mounting nuts is impossible!
5) I'll probably want to change ALL the coolant hoses, where's a good source to buy a complete coolant hose kit for this car?

I don't have much history on the car, the PO passed away about 4 years ago and the car sat ever since. His widow (who knows next to nothing about cars) told me that the engine was changed a few months before the PO died so there are almost no miles on it (I think that's probably correct, the engine is super-clean and runs like a Swiss watch).

If there is anything else about this engine I should watch for or question I should have asked but didn't please feel free to let me know!

Thanks in advance for the replies.

Cheers,
Daryl

[Buddyworm]

In RWD CA's the heater lines run under the intake manifold. I'd imagine the FWD ones to be fairly similar. There's also a bunch of other auxiliary coolant hoses under there.

A coolant pressure tester would help you run down that leak without having the engine running and hot.

[float_6969]

First off, welcome to NICO! Your best bet for this car is to become acquainted with the FSM (Factory Service Manual). You can find it here; http://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual? ... r_1989_FSM I would suggest downloading it to your PC so it's always available. Also be aware that when you're looking in the FSM that you're making sure you're looking at the CA18 engine and not the GA16. In a given section (LC-Lubrication and Cooling for example), the GA engine is listed first, then the CA.

To answer your specific question, I'd say to get the vehicle up on a lift and observe it running from below. Access to below the intake manifold from under the vehicle, at least on the RWD CA18's is pretty easy.

[dash]

let's hope it's not that stupid little coolant fitting screwed into the block
I'm about to pull my ca18 from the s13 in a bit, because of that corroded sucker
Too much of a pain to do in-car. Gotta change turbo same time, and a few other items

[ratu_kai]

Reviving the old thread...I have the same exact issue of coolant leak on my 1988 Pulsar NX SE with the CA18DE engine from under the intake manifold. Hard to see from exactly where. Anyone have a pic of the engine and where the hoses go? Online owner manual available on here somewhere?

[Izento]

intake-manifold-hose-diagrams-t572062.html
https://www.driftopia.com/2007/11/14/ca ... ines-to-1/

Granted these are from the RWD model, so it might not be exactly the same, but as far as I know, the FWD model is pretty similar for intake manifold and stuff.

[float_6969]

I'm pretty sure the DE is less complicated than the DET due to the lack of coolant lines for the turbo.

I know it will suck, but it will be WAY easier to deal with the leak if you remove the upper intake manifold. Everyone who's been around these engines will tell you to simplify the coolant lines under the intake manifold.

The links Izento posted will help a ton.

[ratu_kai]

intake-manifold-hose-diagrams-t572062.html
https://www.driftopia.com/2007/11/14/ca ... ines-to-1/

Granted these are from the RWD model, so it might not be exactly the same, but as far as I know, the FWD model is pretty similar for intake manifold and stuff.

Yes, I did look at them earlier, little similar but also a bit different. I'll study it once again...problem is that I don't have a car lift, so just using jack stand/ramp and trying to see from under the car...

[ratu_kai]

I'm pretty sure the DE is less complicated than the DET due to the lack of coolant lines for the turbo.

I know it will suck, but it will be WAY easier to deal with the leak if you remove the upper intake manifold. Everyone who's been around these engines will tell you to simplify the coolant lines under the intake manifold.

The links Izento posted will help a ton.

Thanks, that will be my decision if I cannot fix it without removing it (intake manifold). Let me see if I'am able to to identify the leak...thanks for the comments...

[ratu_kai]

Thanks for the input folks, put the car on ramp today and traced the leak to this bypass line from manifold to the block? It's a small hose about 6 inch that had a weak spot and had busted. Was a pain to take it out, but i did manage to get it off without taking the manifold out...was very hard to reach. Went to the nissan dealer ship and they did not have this hose - part number is 14055D4205. Went to Napa and got a foot long coolant type hose, but could not get to fit without kinking it. tomorrow I'll try the copper wire and heat gun to mold the hose and fit it....

Pic attached.

[ratu_kai]

Pic of my pulsar for reference from today...

IMG_8023.jpg (27.9 KiB) Viewed 263 times

[Izento]

Yes a lot of these little hoses you can't really get from factory, so you have to get creative.

[ratu_kai]

just an update: Was not able to bend the hose to shape with cable inside of it and heatgun method as the s curve were too close to each other...Went to a different NAPA and picked a longer S tube that worked out...thanks everyone!

[Izento]

Awesome stuff. Glad to hear another CA is about to hit the road again.