saw coolant! What do I do?

W

wantsnow

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Jul 3, 2006
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Hamilton
Hey guys, I have an 03 viper with relatively low miles. I think it's around 2500 -2700 last I checked. Last winter I noticed a drop or two of coolant down the side of the block which appeared to start near the head. I wiped it away and a few rides later I would check it and find maybe another drop of the green stuff. The sled is obviously stored right now for the summer and shows no signs of a leak at the moment. I just wanted to know what you guys would do. Do I change the head gasket or just keep running it until it becomes a steady leak. I have never found any puddles but seeing even one drop of coolant worries me on those long distance rides. Maybe I'm just too critical but need some reassurance that a few drops of collant is ok. What would you guys do?
 
You could check the torque on the head bolts to see if any are loose as well as the coolant rail bolts. I would reccommend the right torque wrench tho so you don't over do it.

Any chance it's from your overflow tube...check the routing to see.

I would not let it go. Now is the best time to fix it, not on the side of the trail.
You can start it now & let it run till it warms up with no worries. See if you can pin point it.
 
Fro said:
You could check the torque on the head bolts to see if any are loose as well as the coolant rail bolts. I would reccommend the right torque wrench tho so you don't over do it.

Any chance it's from your overflow tube...check the routing to see.

I would not let it go. Now is the best time to fix it, not on the side of the trail.
You can start it now & let it run till it warms up with no worries. See if you can pin point it.
Click to expand...
X2
Torque, overflow,or loose cap
 
wantsnow, the torque specs for the head bolts is 20ft-lbs. you won't have any bolts on the coolant rail, as the stock viper head doesn't have the rail like the srx's do. double check the coolant bottle cap and overflow tube like others suggested. if you want reassurance, IMO just buy a new head gasket for $35 and then you know the head gasket is good to go. while the head is off for the new gasket, check the head for warpage.
 
Should have been checking before it was put away. Hopefully it isn't a head gasket, and hopefully it didn't leak internally too
 
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