I have a coolant leak from my 95' F-150 5.8 liter engine somewhere. I have replaced the water pump and the lower radiator hose with the two smaller hoses.

It is still dripping from the oil filter housing and also puddling up behind the water pump in the valley.

Is there a coolant by-pass tube in the valley and if so is this a common problem? If so, is it hard to replace?

Also, I want to pressurize the coolant system but am unsure about how much pressure to apply to it. Any sugestions?

 

have you checked to see if the thermostat housing is leaking??

what condition is the top hose in ?

have you checked to make sure there is not a hole in the radiatior somewhere?? if the radiator is leaking it could blow back onto the water pump etc when you are driving.

 

I cleaned off the coolant from the channel and then pressurized the system and found that the coolant had returned to the channel area.

Now things are really strange because it has not leaked in the last two days. I don't know what the heck is going on.

I don't think that there is a hole in the radiator because it doesn't seem to be leaking from there. I did check the thermostat and it seems fine. The upper hose is okay too.

 

Your water pump bolts to the timing cover and the timing cover bolts to the crankcase. Years back the cover would corrode from the inside and eventually collect in the cavities just below the t-stat housing.