Hey all, Happy 4th.!! i have been plagued with a persistent coolant leak for months now. I have replaced all cooling hoses other than the one above and below the SC (2003 STR) mainly as a few were starting to swell so why not do all. changed the coolant tank with new unit. I have an illusive leak, never a puddle anywhere or even a drop of coolant, no smoke or steam but it absolutely stinks when running and the level continues to drop every couple of days. belt squeaks a bit first start up in the morning but i have checked all hoses and the belly pan seems dry. I have noticed there is no typical hiss when taking off the radiator cap after an hour. do these water pumps have a weep hole ?

thanks for your help i am beyond stumped

 

I think the 2 most important tools to help your situation would be a block tester and a cooling system pressure tester.

 

Sounds like that hose under the SC is the culprit... check the threads - this is covered extensively.

 

fixed a small leak (weak clamp) up front now on my way to work I lost aprox. 4" of water from the tank .... is there any way to look down the back or from the bottom to see if coolant is escaping the back of the engine ? or is it just best to tear all the parts out to access the SC hose ?

 

Is there room for a borescope?

 

Yep, definitely sounds like the system needs to be pressure tested.

 

The hose under the SC when it leaks usually puts an orange stain on the back of the block. Hard to see unless you get the car in the air.

I would borrow a coolant pressure tester from most any auto parts store and pressure test the engine cold. When everything's hot you just can't get to where you need to.

You might be surprised where you find the leak.

Have you checked the DCCV for any staining??
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just rented one and will check it in the morning, i see orange stains on the back of the belly pan although that says little as my driveway is steep, truly hoping it is not that hose under the SC. As a vent what ever inspired Jag. to put a weak rubber hose in such a location? guaranteed income for their dealers is all I can come up with :/ Anyhow thanks for all the replies! hoping it is something else

 

found the leak was the large diameter hose going from the thermostat housing to the engine block right in front of the super charger, next time going to get some long hose pliers a it was a bear to get down there

 

Pressure tester is one of my best tools in the box. After your easy repair put it back on and make sure it holds the pressure for 10min or so, you mite be surprised to find more than 1 small leak. Don't pump it to high.

 

On my 04 STR, I had a similar leak from that manifold. The manifold is cast alum. and the hoses are attached with steel tubes that go into the alum. casting. In my case, the leak was between the casting and the steel tube so doesn't matter how tight the hose clamps were.