Coolant? Leak

[Patrick2005]

I got my thermostat problem all taken care of now but I noticed a clear colored fluid dripping from what looks to be off the back of the block. It's a pretty slow drip but still concerns me. Anyone have any ideas what this may be?

[Ken99]

Originally Posted by Patrick2005

I got my thermostat problem all taken care of now but I noticed a clear colored fluid dripping from what looks to be off the back of the block. It's a pretty slow drip but still concerns me. Anyone have any ideas what this may be?

Condensation off of the A/C unit. You can ignore it.

[kiaracer]

i didn't see him state that he had the a/c on or off so i don't see how you can be the quick to assume that's the problem.

i would take a look at your heater hoses and make sure they aren't leaking coolant.

[Ken99]

Originally Posted by kiaracer

i didn't see him state that he had the a/c on or off so i don't see how you can be the quick to assume that's the problem.

i would take a look at your heater hoses and make sure they aren't leaking coolant.

Well, it's like assuming a lot of automotive problems over the internet, one can never be absolutely sure. Coolant is never clear and since he just had the thermostat repaired, I did assume the engine had fresh antifreeze in the system. I also assumed the hoses were checked for leaks at that time, which is a standard practice when servicing the cooling system. The leak would also have produced the very distinctive sweet odor of antifreeze if dripping off a hot engine which most people mention, and Patrick 2005 did not. A slow drip of condensation off the condenser unit after running the engine for a few minutes made sense to me.

Patrick2005, does this car have automatic climate control?

[Patrick2005]

No the car doens't have climate control and I didn't have the a/c on. I was a rather slow drip and I didn't smell any odor at all. It looked clear but it felt like antifreeze does when you get it on your hands. Is there a common problem with these and bad heater hoses? the car does have over 87000 miles on it.

[Ken99]

Originally Posted by Patrick2005

No the car doens't have climate control and I didn't have the a/c on. I was a rather slow drip and I didn't smell any odor at all. It looked clear but it felt like antifreeze does when you get it on your hands. Is there a common problem with these and bad heater hoses? the car does have over 87000 miles on it.

Then Kiaracer is correct, you must have a seeping leak on one of the heater hoses. It is a common problem on any car that has a heater hose and mileage. I would start by figuring out which hose is leaking. Disconnect it and then see if the rubber hose feels punky or soft. If so, some guys would try to cut back the bad end but that is usually a short term fix. Replace the hose. Hope that this isn't a leak in the hose barb protruding from the heater core. That fix is expensive and time consuming. Sorry for the confusion.