Coolant leak into left front footwell

Sylvan · Sep 16, 2023

I've just spotted green coolant dripping down into the passenger (left) footwell.
I've lifted the floor covering and there is a bit of a pool there.
Anyone else had this issue and know what is causing it? I'm guessing heater matrix, but I hope it's something simple like a hose clamp and not the whole matrix.

Guess I'll be calling the agent Monday morning.

Ever Pragmatic · Sep 16, 2023

I think it’s just condensation.. nowt to worry about and a bit of lagging by the dealer should fix it..

Tom D · Sep 16, 2023

Taste it. If it’s really disgusting it’s probably coolant. They put a bitter taste in because it’s naturally sweet and also poisonous.

I’ll bet it’s condensation though.

klarie · Sep 16, 2023

Sylvan said:
I've just spotted green coolant dripping down into the passenger (left) footwell.
I've lifted the floor covering and there is a bit of a pool there.
Anyone else had this issue and know what is causing it? I'm guessing heater matrix, but I hope it's something simple like a hose clamp and not the whole matrix.

Guess I'll be calling the agent Monday morning.

No condensation should be green unless you collected and breeding algae.
Indeed a call to agent should verify this - perhaps a picture sent by email.
In my opinion also a loose clamp. Does the liquid smell slightly sweet?
(Dont know if vehicles in Australia need antifreeze.. but I think any vehicle will have a bit ethyleneglycol in cooling water.)

rovie · Sep 16, 2023

From my point of view, this is also condensation. I have that with me too. I have already been reported somewhere here. I've therefore been driving without the centre tunnel trim for weeks in order to trace the formation.
From my point of view, it is not a leak in the pipes, but is caused by condensation on the pipes. Depending on the temperature setting, it is more (air conditioning very cold) or less.

klarie · Sep 16, 2023

rovie said:
From my point of view, this is also condensation. I have that with me too. I have already been reported somewhere here. I've therefore been driving without the centre tunnel trim for weeks in order to trace the formation.
From my point of view, it is not a leak in the pipes, but is caused by condensation on the pipes. Depending on the temperature setting, it is more (air conditioning very cold) or less.

Condensation water should not be of lime green colour.

rovie · Sep 16, 2023

Sylvan said:
I've just spotted green coolant dripping down into the passenger (left) footwell.
I've lifted the floor covering and there is a bit of a pool there.
Anyone else had this issue and know what is causing it? I'm guessing heater matrix, but I hope it's something simple like a hose clamp and not the whole matrix.

Guess I'll be calling the agent Monday morning.

@Sylvan are you really sure it was green? If that's the case, then of course it's not comparable to my case (condensation). Please send a photo showing exactly where it is dripping onto the floor.
But I can't imagine that pipes with coolant are laid in the interior at this point. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

Eric · Sep 16, 2023

rovie said:
@Sylvan are you really sure it was green? If that's the case, then of course it's not comparable to my case (condensation). Please send a photo showing exactly where it is dripping onto the floor.
But I can't imagine that pipes with coolant are laid in the interior at this point. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

Surely there are coolant pipes coming through the bulkhead to feed (and return) the heater matrix. That said you can certainly smell coolant whereas condensation is usually odour less.

rovie · Sep 16, 2023

Eric said:
Surely there are coolant pipes coming through the bulkhead to feed (and return) the heater matrix. That said you can certainly smell coolant whereas condensation is usually odour less.

Yes, that is correct. But do these lead up to about above the accelerator pedal? That's about where the drops of condensation come down in my car. I assume it runs from the centre console to there. As I said, I'm still looking for it.It's time-consuming and partly incomprehensible.

DaveB · Sep 16, 2023

Tom D said:
Taste it. If it’s really disgusting it’s probably coolant. They put a bitter taste in because it’s naturally sweet and also poisonous.

I’ll bet it’s condensation though.

I wouldn't be tasting random substances in a car footwell.
If it taste's bad, and it's green, it could be condensation mixed with cow shit from your passengers boots.

Tazzieman · Sep 16, 2023

klarie said:
(Dont know if vehicles in Australia need antifreeze.. but I think any vehicle will have a bit ethyleneglycol in cooling water.)

Parts of Australia are subject to below zero temperatures.

AnD3rew · Sep 16, 2023

You can usually smell coolant, but another potential which may also be green and smelly is washer fluid, it’s possible that a washer fluid hose has come loose and dripping

DaveB · Sep 16, 2023

Tazzieman said:
Parts of Australia are subject to below zero temperatures.

When I first moved to Tasmania in 1987 I lived in Exeter, just north of Launceston.
Unfortunately the tractor lived under cover so the car was outside.
Every morning in winter the windscreen was covered in ice .
I had to start the day with a bucket of cold water to throw over the windscreen.
In Kalgoorlie WA there were quite a few morning in single digit temperatures

Tazzieman · Sep 16, 2023

DaveB said:
When I first moved to Tasmania in 1987 I lived in Exeter, just north of Launceston.
Unfortunately the tractor lived under cover so the car was outside.
Every morning in winter the windscreen was covered in ice .
I had to start the day with a bucket of cold water to throw over the windscreen.
In Kalgoorlie WA there were quite a few morning in single digit temperatures

The Tassy autumn/winter/spring can catch people out , especially when they rush to iconic places like Cradle Mountain.
Often it's below zero atop the magnet that is Mt Wellington. I would recommend antifreeze!
Oh and Launceston. Fricken freezing , Mr Bigglesworth!

D90ca · Sep 16, 2023

AC freon is green. My bet is that there is a leak at the connection to the AC exchanger in the cabin. Condensation is mostly clear and looks like water

Sylvan · Sep 17, 2023

You can see the white on the tunnel where the fluid is running down.
You can see the light green colour in footwell.

Unfortunately for me it is not condensation. It is cool here, so we weren't using the A/C anyway. It is green, it smell's sweet, and it's coolant.

DaveB · Sep 17, 2023

Sylvan said:
You can see the white on the tunnel where the fluid is running down.
You can see the light green colour in footwell.

Unfortunately for me it is not condensation. It is cool here, so we weren't using the A/C anyway. It is green, it smell's sweet, and it's coolant.
View attachment 7827030 View attachment 7827031

Yeah but what does it taste like???
Is it minty fresh?

Eric · Sep 17, 2023

AnD3rew said:
You can usually smell coolant, but another potential which may also be green and smelly is washer fluid, it’s possible that a washer fluid hose has come loose and dripping

Sylvan said:
You can see the white on the tunnel where the fluid is running down.
You can see the light green colour in footwell.

Unfortunately for me it is not condensation. It is cool here, so we weren't using the A/C anyway. It is green, it smell's sweet, and it's coolant.
View attachment 7827030 View attachment 7827031

Also the white stain very much suggests coolant

emax · Sep 17, 2023

klarie said:
Dont know if vehicles in Australia need antifreeze.

The coolant mixture is not only an antifreeze, but also a sealant against oxidation in the engine coolant channels.

Tazzieman · Sep 17, 2023

emax said:
The coolant mixture is not only an antifreeze, but also a sealant against oxidation in the engine coolant channels.

My old Disco had silt in the system when I first flushed it . The young chap who had briefly owned it told me it had "got a bit hot but not overheated". I suspect he or someone else had a boilover and filled up from a silty creek!
(It was definitely silt, not corroded block/head)
Back in the day of course, we all just used plain. water. Kids today they wouldn't believe it.
Actually they don't have a clue about these things. Cars maintain themselves , it appears...

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Coolant leak into left front footwell

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AnD3rew

Inch deep and a mile wide.

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