[Stone2065]

So, here a few months ago, my gf bought a 1990 Brougham. Great condition, less than 100k miles on it. The only real issue with it was the radio was dead. A quick trip to Best Buy and $100 later, we got a new radio, with CD, Blutooth, etc. We just finished a longish (1600 or so miles) trip last week, then yesterday, she developed a massive, sudden coolant leak just as she was getting to work. When I went to check on it, I began to fill it (radiator and overflow were dry). Filling the overflow was nothing odd, then I got about half to 2/3rds of a gallon into the radiator when I heard a "woosh" noise underneath, and suddenly lost all the coolant. Without looking (like a dummy) I assumed it was a lower radiator hose giving up the ghost. So, today, with hose in hand, I crawl under where the sound was (driver's side) and no lower hose... it's on the passenger side... so, I started looking for the petcock. It has a plastic one, that had a super slow drip (once every 10-15 seconds, which makes sense... everything in it had leaked out already). I could slightly turn the petcock, but it seemed loose. Can the petcocks go bad like that? Or should I keep looking? Like the (shudder) radiator itself?


Any ideas would be great,
Thanks in advance, and FYI, first time poster, so be gentle.

 

[Stone2065]

That's interesting... 55 people looked at this so far, and no ideas?

 

[DonCiampaglia]

First things first, Look around all the hoses connections for signs of leaks, then, the radiator itself for signs of coolant leak, then, the bolt that connects the coolant temperature sensor, then, around the thermostat housing and hose, then, around the water pump, then the seals on the engine block. If you can't find anything, run a pressure test on the whole system

 

[Stone2065]

I appreciate the response. I ended up pulling the old radiator (preparing to replace it) when I noticed that the plastic petcock looked like it was too far out. So, I tried screwing it back in, but it felt like the threads were stripped. So, off to NAPA, and they had a replacement petcock that the counter guy helped me install right there, and poof... fixed for less than $4, although just to show my appreciation, I bought about $25 worth of odds and ends.