Need help on two leaks

[Guns and Chile]

The other day I left my Roxor outside in very cold temperatures. The following morning I pulled my Roxor back into the garage and went to work. When I came home, I found that about 3 cups worth of coolant on the floor under the front of the engine. I assumed that the water pump cracked so I ordered a new one that is one the way… I finally had a little time to look it over and I can’t actually find the leak. I replaced the 3 cups of coolant back into the reservoir and have been driving it around a couple days with no coolant leaks or drips that are detectable. What do you think happened?
I also have a very small power steering fluid leak. It forms on the banjo fitting. I’ve already replaced the two copper crush washers but the banjo fitting still has a drip that forms. It seems to be only one drop on the floor each time I park it back in the garage. Any thoughts on where the leak might be originating from? Thanks for the help!

 

[txroadkill]

What year?

 

[SteveinUT]

As far as the power steering leak, check your return hose clamp (the line that runs from the reservoir to the back of the pump). My hose clamp was loose, but I ended up replacing that line altogether because the hose had a lot of cracks in it. That stock hose clamp was a POS, so replace it with a quality hose clamp that you can really torque down on. The stock one stripped out the worm gear on the clamp when I tried tightening it up.

PS: When my return hose was leaking, it always dripped off that banjo bolt so that threw me off for a bit.

 

[jbrenza]

The other day I left my Roxor outside in very cold temperatures. The following morning I pulled my Roxor back into the garage and went to work. When I came home, I found that about 3 cups worth of coolant on the floor under the front of the engine. I assumed that the water pump cracked so I ordered a new one that is one the way… I finally had a little time to look it over and I can’t actually find the leak. I replaced the 3 cups of coolant back into the reservoir and have been driving it around a couple days with no coolant leaks or drips that are detectable. What do you think happened?
I also have a very small power steering fluid leak. It forms on the banjo fitting. I’ve already replaced the two copper crush washers but the banjo fitting still has a drip that forms. It seems to be only one drop on the floor each time I park it back in the garage. Any thoughts on where the leak might be originating from? Thanks for the help!

I'm looking forward to other people's input on your coolant leak. My (new to me) 2018 has leaked a very small amount this winter (about 1 oz or 30 ml). I'm not worried - just very confused. There's a small amount of corrosion on the outside of the water pump near the main connections - but nothing dramatic. Perhaps a tiny bit of staining below the pump on the engine block. I'm guessing the gasket needs to be replaced if tightening the hose clamps doesn't cover it. It's not as dramatic as losing 3 cups worth of coolant - but very concerning / confusing considering it only has about 300 miles on it.

 

[Longslyde]

Just another thing to check, but if you have "Worm Clamp" style hose clamps, the hose can contract enough in the cold to allow coolant to seep out. I never used to like the "Spring" style clamps when I started working on cars when I was 16, but after changing to them years ago, I've never had a leak since. The sping style clamps always keep the proper tension on the connection, cold or hot. That has fixed a lot of cold leak isues I've have over the years. Ditch all the worm gear clamps and switch them to the spring style. They're not expensive, but you'll have to pop the hoses off to put them on, so a little work is involved.

 

[Guns and Chile]

What year?

2019

 

[jbrenza]

Just another thing to check, but if you have "Worm Clamp" style hose clamps, the hose can contract enough in the cold to allow coolant to seep out. I never used to like the "Spring" style clamps when I started working on cars when I was 16, but after changing to them years ago, I've never had a leak since. The sping style clamps always keep the proper tension on the connection, cold or hot. That has fixed a lot of cold leak isues I've have over the years. Ditch all the worm gear clamps and switch them to the spring style. They're not expensive, but you'll have to pop the hoses off to put them on, so a little work is involved.

@Longslyde Thanks! I'm seeing a couple of different styles. Can you be kind enough to drop a picture of the style you feel does the best job?

 

[MRAdventure]

I had the same coolant leaks in my 2021 All Weather for two years. I replaced the gaskets on the thermostat housing and thought that had solved the issue, but during the next cold snap, I experienced another coolant leak. Interestingly, I also started to notice a coolant leak on my JD tractor when temperatures dropped. Since the tractor was still under warranty, the dealer resolved the issue and identified the root cause as a "cold water" leak. What does that mean? The dealer explained that they went through the tractor and tightened all the screw clamps for the engine and cab, as this is a "known issue" in the industry. I tightened my Roxor clamps again, but the leak persisted.

I was about to throw in the towel and consider using a stop leak additive. Not wanting to use an additive as a band-aid solution, I recalled hearing about pressure testing a cooling system. So, I began my search and quickly realized that the cost of some testers was high, and this would likely be a one-off test. Instead, I came up with an alternative solution: I pressurized my cooling system with 15 psi of air by attaching my air source to the overflow bottle hose. Guess what? Coolant started leaking around the thermostat housing hose connections. Totally taken aback by this finding, since I had already "tightened them," I tightened them further with a socket and ratchet to the point of almost breaking. No more leaks! Hope this helps!

 

[Longslyde]

@jbrenza Factory Style GM clamps work well if the hoses are the cause of your seeps.

This style:

 

[TomRox]

double check that steering return hose. mine was completely rotted on a new rig, full of cracks. there are other reports of the same issue

it seems to be an odd ball 9/16 size also, 1/2 wont fit, 5/8 is slopy but will clamp down