QuestionQUESTION: I just bought a car that had been sitting for the last 2 years. I put a battery on it and it started right up. I was able to drive it onto a trailer and then off the trailer at my home. Now, when I went back out to check on it, there was radiator fluid pouring out of somewhere on the top driver side of the engine. it was pouring into the fan and spraying around. I have been unable to see what the issue could be. Is there a hose under there that I can't see directly, or could this be a bigger issue like a cracked block or something? I haven't been able to find this answer anywhere yet, and a mechanic wants 150 just to look at it. Any suggestions?
ANSWER: When you came back out to check was the car still running? There is a main complex hose and two other hoses behind the thermostat housing, they are very difficult to get to. Likely one of those has burst. On a car that hasn't been run for two years I would have advised at least changing the oil before running it.
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QUESTION: I didn't leave the car running. Just drove it off the hauler and parked it. came back out and the fluid was on the ground. Restarted the car for a second to see if it actually came from mine. When I saw it, I turned it off.
any place you suggest on finding a repair guideline to fix this, or any help as to the best way to repair?
AnswerIt could be that it got awfully hot in that short time driving, or perhaps just hot enough to pressurize a weak hose. First you have to find the leak, probably one of the aforementioned hoses. Then you have to find the cause of overheating. On a car like this I would go back to basics! Start with a compression test if all OK, replace plugs then remove & replace the thermostats.
