1996 Toyota Corolla Leak in radiator

PENGUIN

MEMBER
1996 TOYOTA COROLLA
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
173,300 MILES

Leak from the hose on top of the radiator.(Right below the cap) It will cost me $400 to fix it. My mechanic said it needs immediate attention. Before it's fixed, I need to make sure there is enough water.

What happened: right after the diagnostic, I drove 25 miles to home. It was raining. The car was fine all the way until I parked my car. I saw steam coming under the hood. After the engine cools down, I opened it up and saw tiny bubbles coming out from the leak.

Since this car has high mileage, I'm just not sure if it's worth to do the fix or if there are more fixes after this.

Is there any temporary/cheaper fix for this leak for now?

Thanks.

2 Replies

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,938 POSTS

Hi there,

you may be able to pick up a cheap sound radiator from a wrecker, but this is only a temp repair as you just don't know what you are getting this way, there is no way of knowing if there are any more repairs around the corner, we just have not perfected the crystal ball just yet. Lol, this leak will need attention before it does cause you more worries, you will run the risk of doing engine damage from overheating, tins of stop leak just don't work so save your money and get a new radiator or try the wreckers as an option.

Mark (mhpautos)

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Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 AT 6:53 PM

KEVIN12881

MEMBER
336 POSTS

If the leak is really from just the hose that sounds like a lot to pay! You can chang the hose yourself, it is very easy. Fist I will say that as long as you keep it full of water and anti-freeze, then short drive will not cause much damage as long as you keep an eye on the temp gauge, keep it under about 210. Drive to advanced and heve them look at you hose for free and the will tell you how to chage it, but from the quote of the mech it sounds like there is a problem with how it connects to the radiator that is the problem

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Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 AT 6:58 PM