17 November 2014

Coolant Leak in the DeLorean

A few days ago, I noticed a small puddle underneath the DeLorean.  At first, I thought it was some oil or fuel.  Either way, anything dripping from a car is not cool.  I took a sample, no science involved, I dipped my bare finger in the puddle and noticed it was green.  Obviously, I had a coolant leak.

Coolant appears to be dripping from frame
I drove to work and back a couple of times to see if it was just a one time thing.  Again, I noticed small puddles at the end of the day.  My guess it I lost about 500 ml of antifreeze.  I found it odd that it was dripping off of the frame on the driver's side, since the coolant bottle is on the passenger side.  The location also lead me to believe that is was oil, since the drip area was near the oil pan.

Before:  Coolant leaking from the otterstat
Upon further inspection, I figured that it was leaking from the Cooling Fan Switch (100816).  Notice the wet spot on the frame, the coolant was dripping from the switch on to the frame, then on to the pavement.  This made it appear to be 'leaking from the frame'.

Well, this seems like a job for the pros, way more complex than swapping out light bulbs. Back to DMC-California and have them work on this.

New Coolant Pipe
They replaced the 33 year old Coolant Pipe (110131) as well as the Cooling Fan Switch and Cooling Fan Switch Seal (106959).  The hoses were replaced in March 2013, so they are pretty much new.  This is why you still see the feather sitting there from the time I killed a pigeon

New pipe, switch, and seal
They also drained, flushed, and refilled the cooling system.  I may have been able to replace the pipe, switch, and seal...but the whole flushing of the system is beyond my capabilities, as I do not have the tools nor facility to do that.

After:  No more leaking of coolant
So, there you go.  Another three decade part replaced with new.  Hopefully, this will last a few decades.  Now, I am just waiting for the next 33 year old part to replace.  I already have something I want replaced the next time I head over to DMC-California.  Stay tuned.

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