Coolant Leaked

[esegura]

i'm a bit puzzled about what happened the other day to my car. i had my car parked for a good 8 hours while out shopping. when i came back to my car i noticed a dark patch of something underneath the hood of the car. wasnt sure if it was from mine or not. so i smelled it and it smelled like coolant. car started up fine and didnt notice anything while driving on the highway for a good 45 minutes. i decide to stop at an oasis and check to see if anything is leaking. nothing. so i and get a bite to eat. when i get back i notice that the coolant is leaking, very little but you can see the drops coming down.. and then all of a sudden SPLASH! all my coolant emptied on to the pavement. put in more coolant and checked to see if anything was leaking. and nothing. there is not temp gauge on my 1978 Sedan Deville so I cant tell the temp. but i didnt smell anything out of the ordinary. check the car last night and there is no coolant on the ground where my car is parked.

any ideas how this could happen? or why this happened? its got me puzzled.

[Ranger]

Where was it leaking from? We need a lot more info.

[Cadillac Jim]

Possible causes:

• Less than 50/50 antifreeze in the coolant.
• Sticking radiator cap.
• Clogged bypass and/or heater hose.
• Sticking thermostat.
• Air in the system.

[KHE]

Check the radiator hoses first but if the leak source is still not obvious, Go to Autozone, Advance Auto Parts or any parts store that has a "loan a tool" program and rent a cooling system pressure tester. With the engine cold, fill the system with coolant and pressurize it with the tester. The leak location should be obvious.