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Hoping you could help me to get an idea of what is leaking in my 99 RX. I have a decent coolant leak that is coming down on the front of the engine on the passenger side. It is hard to see clearly but I can see coolant coming down the engine just to the left of the oil filter, if you are looking at the car head on. I am guessing head gasket but cannot see the exact source of the leak and there is no coolant in the oil and the exhaust is perfectly normal. Not sure what else there could be that would come dripping down in that region.
Hoping you could help me to get an idea of what is leaking in my 99 RX. I have a decent coolant leak that is coming down on the front of the engine on the passenger side. It is hard to see clearly but I can see coolant coming down the engine just to the left of the oil filter, if you are looking at the car head on. I am guessing head gasket but cannot see the exact source of the leak and there is no coolant in the oil and the exhaust is perfectly normal. Not sure what else there could be that would come dripping down in that region.
Wow great call, this might be it. I am looking up pictures of the engine and this is right in the area where the coolant is dripping from. I have to change the oil this weekend and secured a coolant pressure kit so we shall see. I hope that this is it as opposed to a head gasket. Noticed that the water pump is on the passenger side as well but I cannot see how the coolant would travel around the engine block to drip down next to the oil filter.
I wonder why the labor to replace it is so high? Guess I will find out when I take a look at it during the oil change.
Wow great call, this might be it. I am looking up pictures of the engine and this is right in the area where the coolant is dripping from. I have to change the oil this weekend and secured a coolant pressure kit so we shall see. I hope that this is it as opposed to a head gasket. Noticed that the water pump is on the passenger side as well but I cannot see how the coolant would travel around the engine block to drip down next to the oil filter.
I wonder why the labor to replace it is so high? Guess I will find out when I take a look at it during the oil change.
It's in a crappy spot, left of the oil filter and behind the exhaust manifold. I tried getting a socket on it without removing the manifold but the fasteners seemed reluctant and I decided to let it be. It's not leaking that much anyway.
Just wanted to provide an update. maxSteel was 100% correct! It was the water seal plate. I picked up a telescoping mirror and was able to see that it was leaking there. Had to do an oil change so I figured it was a great time to try to get this taken care of. It was very challenging to get to but I was able to remove the plate, clean it, and reinstall with some JBWeld Black RTV stuff that cures in an hour. Waited a few hours and turned it on and she works like a charm! No more leak.
Just remember to fill the radiator when you have completed this job. I filled up the overflow tank but that was clearly not enough and when I saw the temp guage start to rise beyond the midpoint I immediately turned the car off and realized what I had done.
Glad it went well. Any DIY advice to share?
I'm assuming you removed the oil filter first.
Did you access the plate from above or below? Use a box wrench or a socket? Power tools or manual?
Drain coolant first, or if not, did much spill when the plate was removed?
Spray penetrant first or just remove dry?
Sorry on the delay! So I definitely removed the oil filter and did an oil change at the same time. Always good to kill two birds with one stone IMO.
I accessed the top bolt of the plate from the bottom by snaking my right hand up there and the bottom bolt from the top. I used a regular socket wrench with an extension. The bolts were not too bad to get off and not very tight making it easier to remove given the difficult location. I then used a needle nose pliers to pinch the flange of the plate near the top and pull it off. Cleaned the surface on the block carefully with razor blades and did the same, with goo gone, on the plate itself. No penetrant needed.
I would definitely have drained the radiator first. I think a pretty decent amount came out given that I had to put about a bottle and a half in the radiator once I realized it was not full after completing the job. It would have been nice to have the coolant as low as possible when removing the plate because it kind of goes all over the place. Make sure to put flattened boxes under whatever you are using to catch the coolant.
Make sure to top off radiator when done. I did not realize that so much coolant had come out and I just topped off the overflow tank which was a huge mistake if I didn't catch it so quickly.
As for coolant, I just used the Asian Formula 50/50 from Zerex.
So far so good, it has been a week and a half and the car is working very well with no coolant loss. Phew!!
11-13-20, 09:40 AM
Coolant leak 99 RX300, need help sourcing!
