Hey guys,
Last year I replaced basically the entire cooling system on my new to me 2001 Dodge Ram van,including the radiator,water pump,thermostat, hoses,belt,etc. It wasn't a fun job if you have ever worked on a van(especiallyy the dodge version),and it was even wrse because I had to basically do it twice due my stupidity in using the factory spring clamps on all the hoses instead of going to a screw type clamp. I thought the spring clamps were superior to the screw type units,by boy was I wrong.
Well the past week or so I have been seeing a small amount of coolant under the van,and smelling some coolant after returning from a trip. I finally got some time to work on it yesterday,and pressurized the system via the radiator. Once I did this I found the upper radiator hose connection was leaking slightly,so I tightened it up some more. Also I found coolant leaking at the engine as well,which I was hoping wasn't the water pump(my luck usually). I took the alternator off,and found the connection at the top of the thermostat neck was wet,and leaking. I tightened that up,and re-pressurized the system. I left it for about three-four hours pressurized,and came back to find it had lost about 2 psi of pressure over that time. I didn't however find anymore leaks. Is this normal to lose a little pressure over time,or is this a sign that I have a leak still? Why would these connections leak after a year plus of leak-free life?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Chris 74 REPU "for sale" 78 RX-7 GS 01 Ram Wagon 2500
