Hi all,

Purchased my 2002 sebring (with rebuilt engine) two weeks ago and love it. Have done a few things to get it in excellent working order. Fixed power door lock, new rear brakes, replacing trunk lift struts, got keyless entry...etc.

There are no oil or tranny fluid leads however there is an odd coolant seepage which I just don't understand. Generally, coolant leaks are most prevalent when the system is under pressure. In northern Utah (where we live), it's about 30-40 degrees right now. When my wife leaves for work, I always go out and start the car and let it run for 5-10 minutes to warm up a bit. When she leaves, there is always about a 1/4 cup of green coolant on the garage floor. The car wasn't even close to coming up to full temp. When she comes home and the car is running at normal temp (180-200 degrees?) and parks, there are NO coolant leaks what so ever. No puddles of coolant..period until the following morning start up. Crazy.

Any advise would be much appreciated. Jim

 

That coolant leak could be happening at night after the car comes in the garage, but was not noticed until after the car was backed out. Anyway, carefully note where the leak is, and figure that when it drips on the floor, it falls straight down. Then look directly above that point and try to isolate where it's coming from. Liquids always go down but occasionally follow a curved path by clinging to the underside of something that is sloped. They usually leave a trail that you can follow. Look for white crusty deposits.
Check to make sure that the coolant level isn't higher than it should be.
BYW, that green coolant might not be the right stuff for your car. Chrysler recommends the use of HOAT technology coolant, which is usually not green but gold in color.

 

Thanks. I actually checked under the car a few times some hours after the car was parked. No leak. I'll try and isolate a location.

 

Coolant leak followup on my 2.7 2002 Sebring sedan.
Ok folks. I pressurized my cooling system to 15 lbs using my pump pressure device. Coolant began dripping at about one drop every 2 seconds near the lower radiator hose. I jacked up the car and crawled under with my drop light. Very difficult to pin point but it was dripping between the alternator and the engine below the thermostat housing. I could observe one freeze plug which was not leaking. The lower radiator hose, where it hooks to the thermostat housing appeared not "flush" on the housing so I loosened it and was able to push it further onto the housing and re-tightened. Still leaking.
Any ideas? Can I eliminate the water pump since it is located facing the right front wheel? Leak appears to be very close to the thermostat housing area....again, hard to tell. Thanks!

 

The water pump weep hole is right under the thermostat.

 

Thanks for the input TNtech. That's scary. I'll bet a water pump replacement is an $800 bill....dang. know this doesn't mean much but I bought the car from a mechanic at a local car care center. He bought the car after the original owner had the timing chain break causing all the collateral valve damage and such. He replaced the valves, timing chain, water pump and other stuff back in mid October. Have the receipts but of course it was sold "as is". Well, I had better schedule an appointment with him....Jim

 

You may want to make sure and look closely. There is a little milled hole in the side under the t-stat about the size of a pencil. Or let your guy look at it. If you pressure test it there should be no doubt. There is a small chance that something is filling up the V of the engine and it's running out and down. They're not easy to do.

 

I agree. The lower rad hose as well as a heater hose connects to the thermostat housing so it's possible it's leaking there. Without removing the alternator, you just get a "general" location of where the coolant is flowing. Really tight and hard to get good angles to pin point. Fingers crossed on this one! Thanks

 

Coolant leak resolution:

Took the sebring into the shop where the individual I purchased the car works. Turns out the leak was coming from the thermostat housing. He gave me the old housing that was made from injected molded plastic with three brass sleeves for the mounting bolts, unlike the cast aluminum thermo housings of old. The old housing was very noticeably warped where the gasket mates and it was obvious that the leak came from this area. The housing has two hose fittings, one for the lower radiator and one for the heater hose. Even the radiator hose male fitting showed signs of distortion from heat.
What a great guy. He didn't charge me a cent even though the car was purchased via private party three weeks ago! How many sellers would go the extra mile like he did. I gave him $60 and told him to take his wife out for a Xmas dinner. I practically had to wrestle him to accept the cash! Great story of integrity in our world where it often seems lacking.
Anyway all you Sebring owners, I hope this helps in future troubleshooting.

 

That's a great guy for sure. Removal of the thermostat housing on that engine is a 14-step procedure that requires pulling the alternator.