Caught a problem

[red.line]

Well as some of you know I have a DB2 that I bought over 2 months ago and haven't been driving because I
A: Have a 240 to sell and
B: Have been unemployed for over 6 months and haven't had the money to insure/register it.

Anyways, once in a rare while I'll take it for a quick spin around my block (yes, illegally) and today I'm glad I did.
Parked it back in my driveway after 5 minute drive, got down to look under to make sure there's still no leaks and sure enough, there's coolant leaking onto the ground.

I'm thinking the lower rad hose became very dry and cracked due to the car sitting outside in the 25+C weather we've been having here.
All I can say is I'm glad I caught it now, rather than letting the car sit until I get it on the road (now that I'm employed, should be good for the beginning of August ).
Now I think I'll order either some Samco or Mishimoto rad hoses (I'll make sure that this is the only issue and not the rad, but either way I plan to upgrade to a Mishimoto unit in the future) and replace them when I do my minor garage tune up and then I'll take 'er in to a shop to have them look everything else over.

And with the number of people posting the cars they've just bought recently, it just goes to show that a tune up is a MUST on any car you've just bought/has been sitting for a significant period of time to avoid any potential problems in the future.:thumbs up

 

[evilempire]

wow it's lucky u noticed it
on such a rare occasion u drive it too
gd luck with that

 

[SpooledupRacing]

nice that u caught it.. sine u have down time I would fix that leak then o a full tune up..

NGK plugs
NGK wires
new cap/rotor
Fuel filter
air filter
change trans fluid
coolant change when u do the hose
maybe a thermostat

 

[red.line]

Yeah it's extremely lucky, especially since the last time I drove it to the 7-11 a few blocks away from my house, I saw a cop and said I wasn't going to drive it until it's legal but it's a good thing I did today.

But yes a full tune up is in order.

 

[red.line]

Also, I can hear something that sounds like one of my brake pads is touching the rotor ever so slightly, so that's something I'll have the shop look over.

 

[heykosal]

don't forget to replace the timing belt

 

[red.line]

Timing belt was replaced not too long ago by the previous owner.

 

[bfatdaintegra]

i bought my 91 rs about a lil over a year ago havent drove it since january,then i snatched the motor out and built it with itr pistons its about 10.5:1 compression and i havent even drove it cause i have my license suspended and when i did take it out to put some break in miles i get nervous cause i only got 4 more months left till i can reinstate but i feel the urge to just go out and cruise the local spots and go to sonic and chill but i know by the time i get my license its gonna be snowin here so i know how u feel about wanting to drive ur car illegally

 

[red.line]

Yeah..like I never go out of my cul de sac and it's very rarely, usually to get my dog when he gets out of the yard lol.
And it's never a bad idea to run it once in a while to make sure all systems are still go and it paid off this time.

 

[red.line]

Woo, finally got under the car today to find out that it's actually leaking from the rad itself (from the lower end tank.)
Is there any way I can remove the end tank and reseal it to the core to fix the leak? Or is the rad toast now?

Not trying to cut corners, just weighing my options:

1. Used rad (no guarantee it won't leak and since I'm planning to upgrade in the future it's a waste of money really.)
2. Mishimoto (means waiting an additional 2 weeks before I can register/insure my car, since I also have tickets to pay.)
3. If I can fix it, then I can start driving the car (would make getting to work a lot easier) without having to take my chances on a used rad and can upgrade to a Mishimoto rad the following paycheque.

 

[Mishimoto]

How bad is the leak? Give this a try, it's a lot cheaper than buying a used OEM. http://blog.mishimoto.com/2009/05/fix-leaky-radiator-with-egg.html

 

[Samurai_Blue]

mishimoto to the rescue! :thumbs up

 

[dc2b18]

i bought my 91 rs about a lil over a year ago havent drove it since january,then i snatched the motor out and built it with itr pistons its about 10.5:1 compression and i havent even drove it cause i have my license suspended and when i did take it out to put some break in miles i get nervous cause i only got 4 more months left till i can reinstate but i feel the urge to just go out and cruise the local spots and go to sonic and chill but i know by the time i get my license its gonna be snowin here so i know how u feel about wanting to drive ur car illegally

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a true run-on sentence.

 

[SpooledupRacing]

I say go with the new Mishimoto Radiator...

 

[red.line]

I say go with the new Mishimoto Radiator...

Ideally that's what I'd like to do, but my work isn't the easiest place to get to without a vehicle so we'll see.
I would still like to find a temp solution for the time being if it's feasible, without compromising the integrity of the cooling system as a whole too much.

And I don't believe the egg solution would work in my case, since I don't have a hole in the core, rather a pretty significant leak from where the core meets the lower plastic end tank.
I'd also be worried about it gunking up the system but then again, nothing a coolant flush wouldn't take care of.