Developed a coolant leak

[shamanie]

Came out of the grocery store and said "F@#$, I hope that isn't me".

It was. A pool of coolant was sitting underneath the blazer. I couldn't see any visible leak spots though. I checked all appropriate tubes and saw coolant dripping from somewhere(Everywhere on the underside) but looked fine top side.

I checked the overflow container adjacent to the radiator, which was completely empty, along with the coolant level in the radiator, totally empty. WTF?

I had some qick fill and poured about half the bottle in and made it home without getting the temp gauge over 180..

still leaking when I got home. Is this a good time for a replacement..?

Thanks in advance.

[DmaxMaverick]

Dont' get all bent out of shape just yet.

I could just be the block heater, or an expansion plug that blew out. Leaks low on the engine are usually not too serious. When they are, other problems make themselves known in short order. If you don't have any fluids mixing (oil/coolant), it's probably not too bad.

If you are lucky, it will be the block heater. It is located on the driver's side middle of the lower block, in an expansion plug hole. They are sealed with an O-ring and do fail. Very easy (comparitively) to repair. The part is less than $30 at NAPA, including a new cord. One hour and a flush and fill of the coolant system and you're good to go. Expansion plugs are nearly as easy, unless it's the one behind the starter. Just more time is all. The worst part of the job is the coolant running up your arm and into your armpit!

Good luck.

[catmandoo]

if it leaked out at the grocery store refilling it should have it running out again,if not go to an autozone or o'reillys and rent a pressure ppump and pump it up to 15lbs and see where it leaks,my guess is you won't make 15 lbs and it will be spewing somewhere,the seep hole out the bottom of the waterpump is a good spot and yes soft plugs are good too.

[gavio]

Another potential place is the bypass hose - since it's hard to see and hard to get at, it often doesn't get replaced and may be much older than your other radiator hoses (unless, of course, you've had your truck a long time and have stayed on top of it).

It can make a pretty sneaky leak as the fluid dribbles down over your timing cover to the bottom, although it would be unlikely to drain your system completely.

Good Luck.