Dripping coolant.

Possibly a pinhole leak in the manifold?

Jim

 

Eric,

Remove the big aluminum pipe and look around the area it touches the fuel tank strap. Normally, thats where the pin hole appears. Take to any radiator shop and have it welded.

 

Yes

 

Not to sound like a smart @ss....but first, you have to acquire the drain from SR Innovations (reach out to Dave Helms on this board). Then you install it in the front of the car, on the lower hose from the radiator. Then next time your ready to drain the coolant, you remove the front access panel and have a nice pet-cock to drain neatly from.

Otherwise, all you can do right now is strategically place a bucket or some other liquid capturing device, loosen a clamp and wait. Best to do this from the front end, as in the back, the coollant can get all over everything.

If there is a hole in that pipe, you can have it welded closed and then the weld can be ground smooth. Of course, bringing two pieces to the welder (your oil pan) at once may save you a couple dollars.

Dave also fabricates tank strap protectors, to avoid those straps from grinding/cutting into anything near them over time.

Phil

 

Just disconnect the riser at the lower coupling, there is no easy "drain"......as mentioned a catch pan is handy to use.....

 

THAT plug is in the cross connect line for the fuel tanks...it'll drain but it won't be coolant.

 

We are here, you aren't the first one to learn on these cars....

On the coolant lines, there's so many rubber couplings I'm sure they just figured you'd pull the simplest ones....in the engine bay it's the riser tube in front of the alternator, at the radiator there's a lower one that's pretty easy too.....

 

Remove the pipe, and inspect at the top too! There is a Technical Service Bulletin from the late 80s' related to the plastic air intake rubbing near the top of the pipe. Mine did this, I had the aluminum tube welded up, then covered the offending area with some coolant hose and a couple zip ties to prevent it from ever happening again. This is an issue with all 1986 to mid 1988 328's. Somewhere in late 1988 production they molded a "relief" in the plastic intake snorkel to better clear that pipe...

With a little input from me, Carl Rose wrote up a really nice service article for this issue, hats off to him for posting it:
http://ferrari.cdyn.com/carl_rose_docs/Ferrari%20328%20Airbox.pdf

 

Before you drain the coolant, take a look to see if it really is coolant. I had the identical leak appearance on my '88, and it actually turned out to be the refrigerant oil from the AC compressor. The oil is often dyed florescent green, and with the compressor mounted directly above that pipe, when it leaks it drips down on the top of that pipe, and then runs around to the bottom. The two fluids are nearly the same color - the only way to tell them apart is to get some on your hand and feel the consistency of it. The AC refrigerant oil will have that "oily" feel; it also won't tend to evaporate the way coolant/water mixture will.

If you think it might be the compressor, take a close look on the lower body of the compressor - there should be some evidence of green oil accumulation (although it can be very hard to find).

And just because your AC is still blowing cold doesn't mean you can't also have a oil leak from the front seal - I know that from personal experience!

 

Although less likely to leak if not running, depending on the oil level in the compressor, the output shaft seal can be below the oil level, so even without any rotation (i.e., the A/C clutch not engaged), it can still leak. Acceptable oil levels range from just below the bottom edge of the crank counterweight to the bottom lip of the seal.

It appears that the replacement seals being sold for the York compressor don't seal as well as the original ones, and are more prone to leakage/seepage. It even says as much in the service manual for the compressor:

http://www.demirco.com/docs/2CylinderServiceManual.pdf

 

That looks exactly where the aluminum pipe on my old '85 308 ruptured a few years ago. In my case it was rubbing against the fuel tank ridge and finally decided to break through at midnight in Montreal during a Formula 1 weekend! I had it welded up the next day and slid a hose over the area as an extra precaution.

 

There's a bleed screw on the top right passenger side radiator. Maybe it just needs tightening.