currently the coolant in my cooling system is leaking. around 1 litre every 2-3 days.

I've been topping it up with coolant + water every now and then for the past week.

I suspect the reason could be the snapped head on the drainer plug when i tried to flush the coolant. (Not realising that the plug is made from weak plastic. I snapped the head off and left the thread in). However I did this around this around 1.5 months ago. Back then it was fine.. until now

The leak is coming from that area. (near the drainer plug)

I took it to the mechanic today and he put some silcone on it and 'hope for the best'

i checked the car a few mintues ago and it's still leaking, and the silicone has already dried up around the thread.

my question is how do i get rid of the thread with the silcone on top? is it possible to use a screwdriver and slowly tap the thread out? (there is a metal plate below the plug, restriction access to the plug.

alternatively could this really be the drainer plug? (since it was fine 1.5 months ago)

i am really getting worried about this cos i can't drive my EL on long trips.

Well first things first take it back to that mechanic and tell him you want it fixed properly and no bandaid fixes!!! Seriously they should have done properly it the first time.

A similar thing happened to me with an old mazda, fortunately access was not an issue and i fixed it immediately, the drain plug came out easily.


Seems like this was a long shot and more in the mechanics interest than yours. Not what i would have done.



If you are not mechanically minded, best to take it to a radiator place and they will fix it for a small charge (maybe $50). If you want to try and fix it youself, take out the radiator and it should be easier to see what condition the radiator drain plug is in. Depending on how much of the head is left on, you may be able to use pliers to unscrew it, or even a hot flat bladed screwdriver to melt a slot into the leftover bits then let it cool and unscrew it.

I haven't removed a ford radiator but i believe you remove the fan assembly (4 bolts?) first, drain the radiator , remove the 4 radiator hoses (top, bottom, + 2 going to the remote tank on fender) and if you have an auto you remove the oli pipes (plug them to stop s**t getting in). Finally you undo some bolts and the radiator lifts out.
When putting it all back together, you may need to top up you auto fluid.


Personally i would get it fixed now and not wait for the problem to get bigger. Don't what the plug to fall out and loose all the coolant - could mess up an otherwise good engine and cost big dollars to fix

You sure it is coming from the plug? Because I thought I had a leak coming from my Radiator Until I had a closer look and then could see that my WaterPump was cactus and coolant was leaking out from the front of the block

that's the thing... i am not sure because it was fine just after i did my coolant flush 1.5 months ago...

i was driving the car around today and ntoiced that the area is very dry.

So yeah... it could be the water pump, how do i inspect the water pump? and where is it located?

Best bet is to pop into a radiator repair place as most will do a pressure test for free. This should show when the leak is coming from.

Cheers.

how did ya go with this one? was it from the pump or the plug?

If it's from the pump, then its the shaft seal that's likely to be stuffed and you will see coolant stains below your crank pully

Cheers.

go down to liverpool and see Joe @ crescent motorsports, least you can get someone who everyone elses trusts to hvae a look at ur car and not stuff u around..