To help find a radiator hose leak is there a special tool (air pump) you can use to find the leak? How do you connect it into the system, on the expansion tank or radiator. The drip starts on an electrical wire hanging in front of the engine, that runs up to the top of the engine under some radiator hoses.
There are pumps that are traditionally hooked to the radiator. I am not sure what they do now with the proliferation of fill-cap, reservoir types. My question to you is, why not just replace the hose if you know that is where the problem is. You should be able to inspect the hoses to see where the likely problem is.
As the engine warms up, pressure will rise in your cooling system. This may be enough pressure to “see” any leaks you have. Be careful as the engine and coolant will be hot! It may be something simple such as a hose clamp that needs tightening. Or something more complicated such as a water pump. A small telescopic mirror and flashlight will come in handy here. As for a pressure tester, the variety of adapters needed and initial cost may make it a tool only for a professional who will recoup his/her investment from the cooling system service it could generate.
This problem in on a 2001 ford focus and there are 4 hoses in the area it is leaking form. Thanks for your ideas.
Your message nor your profile indicate what kind or age of car. Unless the car is relatively new, I would suggest changing out all four hoses while you are there. While only one may be leaking now, they are all likely about the same age and it is quite possible that replacing any one of them may get a leak started in another due to age.
Like Bobster said, the leak may be from a clamp.
Old hoses can get hard (some feel soggy when the rubber collapses inside too)and crack around the area of the hose clamp and sometimes tightening the clamp won’t stop the leak.
The ones that get hard and crack at the ends are usually the ones next to the engine block.
Also, some hoses tend to only leak when they cool off as the rubber shrinks a bit and the result can be a ‘loose’ clamp.
It could be any of the hoses. Usually when one goes bad the rest go bad too. Make your life simple and change all 4 hoses.
FURTHER INFESTIGATION LEAD ME TO THE THEMOSTAT HOUSING GASKET OR HEAD GASKET. THE THEMOSTAT HOUSING WAS WARPED WHERE THE FOUR HOSES CONNECT. $53.00 HOUSING, $120 LABOR AND GASKETS. THIS IS ON A 2001 FOCUS W/MANUEL TRANMISSION. CHARLES#45