So a couple weeks ago I noticed a coolant leak which I believed to be from the T-stat gasket. I bought a new t-stat and gasket cleaned up the housing and reinstalled it. Well, it's stilling leaking but now I'm wondering if it could be leaking for the cillender head gasket directly below the t-stat. Problem is it doesn't leak unless its being run so I can't really see it dripping out. Is this possible that it's leaking from the cillender head gasket directly below the t-stat? or could it just be blow back from the water pump? Help!

 

check hoses first - they are the cheapest and most likely. I did the same thing about a week ago - it was heater hoses. $5 fix.

 

I'll definately check that and it would be great if it was just a hose.

 

Water pump too, of course. The weep hole can be hard to see and the fan air tends to blow the coolant back on the block/head. But it will basically only weep while the engine is running, ie. when the coolant system is pressurized. For that matter, most coolant leaks only occur when the system is pressurized. For a smallish investment you can get a coolant system pressurizer. It's bassically a radiator cap with a pump attached and a gauge. You can pressurize the system cold, see where it's leaking (the gauge will show a slow leak-down as well), unpressurize and fix! I've had mine for years and don't really remember how much it may cost. But a it's a really good diagnostic tool. They also test radiator caps to see if they're holding pressure.

 

Thats where mine was leaking. also where my shop says the typically go. The new gasket is different and better.

 

My head leaks in that spot.

I asked about it 6 months or so ago and seems it is quite common. Everybody said just run it that way and don't worry.

If you are not getting compression in the rad or coolant in the oil.