I don't understand the coolant bleeder/tank system

[Brian in Tucson]

Originally Posted by rp17

Drove the car and for got something at home. Returned to the garage, coolant everywhere in front the passenger side rear wheels.. checked the coolant resvoir for leaks... nothing but saw the bleeder valve showing signs of leakage.. Was going to replace the water pump but kinda lost now.. Been leaking for a while. Replaced shifter cables and saw red coolant from a drain hose that I know now is coolant...Could this still be a water pump issue or bad cap? I'm spent right now can't think...

The drain hose is an overflow hose. Fill the reservoir too much and it will spew out onto the pavement. It's generally in front of the right rear tire. If you have coolant dripping behind the right rear tire, you have a coolant reservoir leak and coolant is draining out of the trunk.

If you have a wet floor in your trunk, you need a new reservoir. If you do, get a new cap and a coolant level sensor, too. The clip clamps make it a pretty miserable job, they all seemed to be facing the wrong way. While you're in there, replace the little sections of hose between the reservoir where it goes thru the firewall and the metal system tubes.

I did all this stuff last fall, my hands are finally healing up!