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Odd coolant leak - Printable Version

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Odd coolant leak - Jackflash - 08-24-2018

As related in another thread I drug the Aquahot exhaust trying to back into my driveway a couple of weeks ago and ended up with a puddle of coolant on the street.  I assumed that I had cracked the weld where the exhaust enters the tank.  I talked to Rudy and he tended to agree but suggested I pressure test it to make sure.  I finally got my hands on a pressure tester and after pumping it up I got no leaks.  I fired it up on diesel and brought it up to near boiling but still no leak.  After starting the engine to pressure up my air systems to check them I started getting the leak.  Any Ideas?

RE: Odd coolant leak - Georgeb - 08-24-2018

(08-24-2018, 02:04 PM)Jackflash Wrote:  As related in another thread I drug the Aquahot exhaust trying to back into my driveway a couple of weeks ago and ended up with a puddle of coolant on the street.  I assumed that I had cracked the weld where the exhaust enters the tank.  I talked to Rudy and he tended to agree but suggested I pressure test it to make sure.  I finally got my hands on a pressure tester and after pumping it up I got no leaks.  I fired it up on diesel and brought it up to near boiling but still no leak.  After starting the engine to pressure up my air systems to check them I started getting the leak.  Any Ideas?

Engine coolant?????
Pressure up your radiator And Check for leak

RE: Odd coolant leak - rheavn - 08-24-2018

Under where is this leak showing up at on the ground?

RE: Odd coolant leak - Jackflash - 08-24-2018

(08-24-2018, 03:14 PM)rheavn Wrote:  Under where is this leak showing up at on the ground?

Under the Aquahot unit, it seems to be coming out the same hole the exhaust comes through.

RE: Odd coolant leak - Trainer - 08-24-2018

Jack, Pull the in and out engine coolant lines from the front bulkhead connections to the heater and loop them with a 3/4 barb to barb connector and clamps. Pressure test the two tubes to the heater to test engine coolant loop. Start and run engine to see if leak is in lines from engine to heater and back.

RE: Odd coolant leak - Jackflash - 08-24-2018

(08-24-2018, 04:44 PM)Trainer Wrote:  Jack,  Pull the in and out engine coolant lines from the front bulkhead connections to the heater and loop them with a 3/4 barb to barb connector and clamps.  Pressure test the two tubes to the heater to test engine coolant loop.  Start and run engine to see if leak is in lines from engine to heater and back.

Thanks Rudy,
  I'll try that in the morning.

RE: Odd coolant leak - Jackflash - 08-25-2018

Took a ridiculously long time to gather the parts necessary to perform the recommended tests but I finally got it done.  I pressured up the Aquahot side of the system and found this.        That's the incoming line from the engine were it turns up and then horizontal to enter the tank.  The sweated joint at the elbow has lost it's seal,. coolant was streaming out at a fast drip under 12 or 13 PSI.  I placed a small stick against the underside of the line between the elbow and the tank to make sure the liquid wasn't running down the line from the tank.  I'm wondering if this is something that can be fixed in place or am I going to have to remove the unit to re-sweat the joint.  My experience with sweating pipe is it's tough to get a good joint without disassembling the joint, removing the solder so that you have clean surfaces, fluxing and re-sweating.  once I found this I haven't bothered with running the engine to test those lines, think it's an issue?

RE: Odd coolant leak - Richard - 08-25-2018

If you do take a shot at it in place. Put some fiberglass cloth behind it so you dont set the coach on fire. And use the the old plumbers trick of stuffing the upstream and downstream with white bread to absorb any liquid. If you have liquid in the joint it will not got hot enough to sweat.

RE: Odd coolant leak - Jackflash - 08-25-2018

Definitely familiar with that process, I have re-plumbed my entire house (it was built in the forties with galv pipe plumbing) with rigid copper. learned really quickly to use the heat shield cloth when working in the crawl space, almost caught a floor joist on fire. Any fluid in the line and you don't have a prayer of getting a good joint. Access will probably be a big issue as well.

RE: Odd coolant leak - Trainer - 08-25-2018

Jack, I have sent you an email with my phone. Call me, Rudy