Hi All. I noticed the smell of coolant the last few days and then got a low coolant message. I looked around and found the leak. It's towards the back of the engine near the cabin under the wind shield (see attached picture). I stuck a small camera under there and could see a small dollop of coolant form and then drop. Looks like its under the manifold but if I stick my hand in there I could feel the coolant dripping out slowly. It only leaks with the engine on. If I leave the car for a few hours its dry. I looked at the cooling system diagram in the manual and it looks like there are a few hoses there (EGR coolant inlet, Feed to throttle heating assembly). Has anyone else had an experience with a leak in this area? Could it be something other than the hoses? Is this a reasonable DIY job or do you recommend I take it into a mechanic. I have to admit it doesn't look like it would be easy getting in there to check where the leak is coming from.

Thanks in Advance
Andy

Picture 1 for reference orientation of the location of the leak.

Picture 2 for reference orientation of the location of the leak.

The leak is small as I start the car but accelerates if I rev the engine.

 

Lucky you... you don't need to remove the supercharger to replace those hoses.
Yes, deal with them now. DIY... varies.

 

It will almost certainly be the small hose in the valley which feeds the EGR valve which has split. The new hose is cheap and just needs removal of the inlet manifold which is not particularly difficult. The inlet manifold and EGR metal gaskets are also not particularly expensive. You can unbolt the EGR valve and move it to one side without needing to remove it or dismantle it. The workshop manual clearly explains the full procedure.

Richard

 

Mine leaked back there and I thought all my valley hoses were failing. Turned out to be a seal on the oil cooler. I replaced everything anyway though.

 

It's the rear water manifold and I doubt any hoses are leaking but it would be a great time to swap them out too.

He has the early "Fat Lipped" seams on the plastic. These are a for sure failure point. Consider replacing with the way better after market Aluminum versions.




Check the front of your engine and I bet those are also the old style fat seam versions. I would change all of that out ASAP.
Your very lucky as you have a forward opening hood and a NA engine so the repair will be simple and straightforward.

I did it on a XJ with the SC in place and that was a nightmare repair.
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