Catastrophic radiator failure?
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Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Western Oregon
2005 E55 AMG
Catastrophic radiator failure?
So I just got my car running good again after replacing the failing I/C pump with a new CM30 and am enjoying a spirited morning drive when I notice a small amount of steam coming from the engine compartment. I of course pull into the nearest parking lot and as I get out the first thing I notice is a stream of coolant on the ground behind the car. When I pop the hood there is still steam everywhere but no apparent leak and no hissing but everything is wet on the front of the engine…GREAT!!!
My first thought is I must have damaged one of the hoses when I replaced the pump and it just took a little while to show up so I call the tow company and have them just take it to my house. After it cools off a bit I take everything apart again and inspect as much of the radiator and i/c hoses as is practical without taking them all off but none show any signs of fatigue. My next thought is maybe I didn’t tighten something enough the first time around so I put it all back together and start to refill with coolant. I only get about half a gallon of coolant in it and all of a sudden I hear fluid running out onto the floor. I throw the drip pan under it and try to see where it’s coming from but there is still no obvious leak in any of the hoses but it's coming out in a pretty good stream so I’m wondering if it might be coming from the radiator itself. Is there any way to know for sure and is there anything else that I might be overlooking that would cause the fluid run out at that kind of rate without any pressure in the system? Thanks in advance for any insight.
A sad sight to see....
My first thought is I must have damaged one of the hoses when I replaced the pump and it just took a little while to show up so I call the tow company and have them just take it to my house. After it cools off a bit I take everything apart again and inspect as much of the radiator and i/c hoses as is practical without taking them all off but none show any signs of fatigue. My next thought is maybe I didn’t tighten something enough the first time around so I put it all back together and start to refill with coolant. I only get about half a gallon of coolant in it and all of a sudden I hear fluid running out onto the floor. I throw the drip pan under it and try to see where it’s coming from but there is still no obvious leak in any of the hoses but it's coming out in a pretty good stream so I’m wondering if it might be coming from the radiator itself. Is there any way to know for sure and is there anything else that I might be overlooking that would cause the fluid run out at that kind of rate without any pressure in the system? Thanks in advance for any insight.
A sad sight to see....
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From: London, UK
W212 - E63 AMG
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From: Western Oregon
2005 E55 AMG
Originally Posted by novae500 
Not sure what to say, but try again and follow where the coolant is coming from. If i didnt leak before your mods, or could be just a coincedence.
Not sure what to say, but try again and follow where the coolant is coming from. If i didnt leak before your mods, or could be just a coincedence.
I know, it's hard enough to try to diagnose while I'm here looking at it let alone asking you guys to try to do it over cyberspace. I was hoping there might be something common that I was missing but probably not. And it could totally be that it's coincidental but seemed odd after just messing with the pump.
I tried again using the coolant but it's just too hard to tell where it's coming from. Maybe I'll see if there is some kind of dye that I can use to help.
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03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
NAPA sells a UV dye and a lil flashlight and eyeglasses for ~$25 or so. Fantastic for tracking a leak down. They make different additives for oil/trans/coolant-antifreeze. NAPA seems to be the only chain store that usually carries the stuff. Never found it at other chain stores in my area.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Western Oregon
2005 E55 AMG
NAPA sells a UV dye and a lil flashlight and eyeglasses for ~$25 or so. Fantastic for tracking a leak down. They make different additives for oil/trans/coolant-antifreeze. NAPA seems to be the only chain store that usually carries the stuff. Never found it at other chain stores in my area.
I started to dig into the car after talking to Shardul but got called in to work so had to leave it for now. It'll be worth the $25 if I can pin down the leak before getting any deeper into it. Thanks again!
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From: Jacksonville, FL
05 White Pano E55, Cadillac CTS-V
This may or may not be your problem but I just replaced this like a week ago in my car. I came home from a drive and then went back out to the car a few minutes later and there was coolant all over the driveway. I looked from above and took pan off from below because I couldn't quite tell, but it ended up being a little rubber cap on a T fitting on passenger side of radiator on the bottom hose.
There is a big hose (like 2" diameter?) up high then below it about 6" is another smaller hose. It 90s out of the radiator and goes for a few inches then there is a plastic T fitting with the bottom of the "T" facing down which had a clamp on it and a rubber "nipple" or "cap" then the other side of the "T" had a rubber hose that continued for a few inches then turned in to a metal pipe that ran across to driver side along the bottom of the fan and then up to the fill resevoir.
My little "cap" on the plastic T was dry rotted and cracked causing coolant to come out of it. I saw the coolant shooting a stream out of the area when I first looked from above but couldn't quite tell if it was the cap or one of the hoses, so that is when I got under the car and then discovered it was the actual cap leaking after adding more coolant and running the engine. Since you said you can't tell where it is coming from I am not sure this may be it, but it is worth checking.
There is a big hose (like 2" diameter?) up high then below it about 6" is another smaller hose. It 90s out of the radiator and goes for a few inches then there is a plastic T fitting with the bottom of the "T" facing down which had a clamp on it and a rubber "nipple" or "cap" then the other side of the "T" had a rubber hose that continued for a few inches then turned in to a metal pipe that ran across to driver side along the bottom of the fan and then up to the fill resevoir.
My little "cap" on the plastic T was dry rotted and cracked causing coolant to come out of it. I saw the coolant shooting a stream out of the area when I first looked from above but couldn't quite tell if it was the cap or one of the hoses, so that is when I got under the car and then discovered it was the actual cap leaking after adding more coolant and running the engine. Since you said you can't tell where it is coming from I am not sure this may be it, but it is worth checking.
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From: México City
2008 E63, KTM990, 2012 CLS63, 1972 W108 280SE 4.5
I had an issue a couple of weeks ago ... park the car at work and afterwards ,when going for lunch, I found coolant in the floor .... all of it.
I took it to the dealer and it was the thermostat housing and seals.
I took it to the dealer and it was the thermostat housing and seals.
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From: Western Oregon
2005 E55 AMG
Well, mystery solved..... After buying the UV kit from NAPA as BBBSS had suggested, it was fairly easy to see that the fluid is coming from the seam about half way up my radiator. I'm extremely glad that the ol' girl decided to wait until I got back from my trip to S.F. for the tuning day last month. Now I just need to find a decent radiator to put back in it.
If anyone ever has a leak that is hard to pinpoint I would definitely recommend this method. The kit only cost $27 and can be reused with any number of different fluids. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help. This forum rocks!
Here's the CSI ultraviolet kit from NAPA
If anyone ever has a leak that is hard to pinpoint I would definitely recommend this method. The kit only cost $27 and can be reused with any number of different fluids. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help. This forum rocks!
Here's the CSI ultraviolet kit from NAPA
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Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Western Oregon
2005 E55 AMG
Passenger side, yes. Date of mfg is 02/05 and how can I determine who made the radiator? I don't remember seeing any stickers or name plate or anything. When I disconnected trans lines the fluid looked as it should. It would be milky, wouldn't it?
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From: Colorado
07' SL65, 04' E55, 03' Evo8, 08' GSXR, DSM's...
Most of the radiator issues and the mixing of tranny fluid was with the 03' models. Being as you have an 05', i personally wouldn't worry about it.
Aaron
Aaron
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From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Glad it worked out for you. 
You should be able to get a radiator for a few hundred online. Try rock auto. The 03's had the problem with leaking into the trans. By 05 the radiator was redesigned.
You should be able to get a radiator for a few hundred online. Try rock auto. The 03's had the problem with leaking into the trans. By 05 the radiator was redesigned.
