Coolant Leak Mystery

[spira]

Hello everyone. This is my first post to the forum. I own a 96 Maxima GLE that is completely stock.

I recently noticed a puddle of coolant on my garage floor, and began investigating to find the source. It didn't take long to see that it wasn't going to be easy to track it down. After getting underneath the car and taking a look, all I can tell is that the leak is dripping down from the front lip of the oil pan. I can't see where it is actually coming from, only that it is collecting and dripping from there.

For lack of a better solution, I put some radiator "stop-leak" in, and that seems to have slowed the leak for now at least...

Any help or suggestions for tracking down the source of this leak would be much appreciated. I'm hoping I don't have to have this thing completely disassembled to find it...

I have included an image that shows as much as I can see:

[sergey85]

one quick advice dont use that stop lleak stuff it dont work. see where its coming from i think its dripping from somewhere down to by the oil pan. you might have a blown gasket or pipe somewhere. if its coming form the oil pan its definatly not good. wipe it off clean and see where its coming from if you got access to a lift somewhere. it might just leak somewhere in the pipe but do what i said clean it well then see where its coming from. post later with more info

[zacknolden]

Hmmmmm... Well I guess, spring on the rad cap must have weakened over time. Installed a new one and it elliminated problem.
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My fresh installs: buick regal muffler & buick regal oxygen sensor

[sergey85]

yeh i dont think its as simple as that

[JBRollo]

I have exactly the same problem sometimes. I only get a tiny bit of leakage after the car has cooled down overnight. Please let me know what you find out or what fixes it. I think it may be the water pump.
I changed the bottom hose and re-torqued the thermostat housing...no effect!
(it could be the gasket under the thermostat housing)

They tell me the water pump has a weep channel about 5 inches below the thermostat housing just above the oil pan. I could not find it.

Mine is a 96 Maxima GLE w/ about 75K miles.

Jim R.
Tallahassee, fl

[FixUrNissan]

First off, Stop Leak is the worst thing you can use for nissan coolent systems. Flush that stuff out right away, it clogs up the heater core!! Anyway about your coolent leak, just by looking at the location on the picture, you see coolent down by the oil pan, most likly it is the water pump. The water pump is located in the timming cover area. There are 2 small black covers on the front timming cover. One to remove the tensioner. After you remove the tensioner then the other cover is to remove the water pump. Where the wep hole for the water pump is behind the back timming cover. That is where your leak seems to be coming from, but then again, I am not actually looking at the car. Gl..

[JBRollo]

Agree with last post. Its probably the water pump. One last thing you might try is to tightem the thermostat housing bolts slightly Like half a flat, no more). It leaks in about the same place. I tightened mine and the leak was reduced about 50%. I plan to replace the thermostat and gasket before I jump into the water pump.

When I replaced the lower hose there was a lot of crusty build up on the housing under the hose I took off. I was thinking (hoping!) that this might have broken the thermostat housing seal also.

But I think I have a water pump problem too.

Jim R.