Coolant Leak/Engine issues

[hhstnt]

Hello,

I have a 1967 Plymouth Fury III 383 V8 Commando with A/C.

I’m working on fixing a coolant leak from the lower radiator hose when I noticed there was coolant dripping from the third belt closest to the oil pan. Its dripping from the belt and the circular thing (I’m not sure what it is- I have some automotive background, but not with the older cars.) It’s leaking a good amount from there and I am not sure what it is to be able to look at reparing it… (photos attached).

I checked the upper radiator hose but its not leaking in the area and the lower radiator hose is leaking near the radiator, not up above.

This was my uncles plymouth which I recently acquired after he passed, and I’m trying to get it up and running again…

If I’m in the wrong section, I apologize, this is my first time posting…

Thank you for any help and I appreciate your time!

 

[The_Eagles’_Nest]

I would bet it’s the water pump going out. Sounds like you have not done enough visual inspection on the car.

 

[James Romano]

First, welcome... you're in the right place. The best C Body Mopar minds on the planet are here as far as my opinion goes.

Water is gravity effected. So best to start high, then work to the "wet area" (que the sex jokes). As mentioned, sounds like your water pump is leaking. There are 3 places for it to leak from because not only does it mount to the body with 2 ports on the housing, but the actual pump is mounted to the housing as well. So it could be that. Best to take a lot of pictures, and start taking things off the front of the engine one piece at a time. You can inspect without taking the hoses off, you're not going to remove the pump unless it needs to be, but most likely it's that.

Do this before running again. Make sure the water is not getting into the timing chain cover, because that will cause it's own issues.

 

[Big_John]

I checked the upper radiator hose but its not leaking in the area and the lower radiator hose is leaking near the radiator, not up above.

Welcome!

The radiator is pressurized, so that leak of the hose near the radiator could be spraying back on the belts and harmonic balancer. Antifreeze gets all over the place when it sprays out, then hits the airstream from the fan and forward motion.

So, before you go too crazy, fix that hose leak and see what happens.

the circular thing (I’m not sure what it is-

Harmonic balancer.

And to help you, download a service manual from MyMopar Grab a parts manual too while you are there.

 

[CBODY67]

Welcome!

From the looks of things, that issue has been there a while. Have to discover WHERE the coolant is leaking from. If you take the car to a shop, they can pressurize the system and look for drips. Otherwise, you can run the car and get it up to operating temp (might be about 10+ minutes run time). Then shut it off and let it sit. Might park it in a new spot, with no evidence of drips on the ground. In a few minutes, the drips should start and then you can look for the source with a bright light.

I concur that the most likely place is from the water pump, which is behind the upper 3-groove pulley. It has a "weep hole" in the casting for when the shaft seal wears out and leaks. Not hard to change, just takes some time and effort as all of the belts are involved.

Might be able to wash the coolant from the belts, but they all might need to be replaced, due to age. Use the old ones for a guide as to length AND width.

Keep us posted on your progress,
CBODY67

 

[hhstnt]

First, welcome... you're in the right place. The best C Body Mopar minds on the planet are here as far as my opinion goes.

Water is gravity effected. So best to start high, then work to the "wet area" (que the sex jokes). As mentioned, sounds like your water pump is leaking. There are 3 places for it to leak from because not only does it mount to the body with 2 ports on the housing, but the actual pump is mounted to the housing as well. So it could be that. Best to take a lot of pictures, and start taking things off the front of the engine one piece at a time. You can inspect without taking the hoses off, you're not going to remove the pump unless it needs to be, but most likely it's that.

Do this before running again. Make sure the water is not getting into the timing chain cover, because that will cause it's own issues.

Thank you so much! I have started to take pictures and I cleaned off the fluids that leaked out to see if I can find the source. So far it just looks like the lower radiator hose was rotted up top and at the bottom, so hoping its just that, but I’ll keep an eye on it!

 

[hhstnt]

Welcome!

The radiator is pressurized, so that leak of the hose near the radiator could be spraying back on the belts and harmonic balancer. Antifreeze gets all over the place when it sprays out, then hits the airstream from the fan and forward motion.

So, before you go too crazy, fix that hose leak and see what happens.


Harmonic balancer.

And to help you, download a service manual from MyMopar Grab a parts manual too while you are there.

Thank you so much for the mopar site for the manuals and so far it just looks like the lower radiator hose was rotted up top and at the bottom. I also have to replace the transmission cooler lines and I noticed some damage to the thermostat housing so I’m replacing that as well!