Coolant leaking after turning engine off

[AgBronco]

Newbie here...and definitely not a mechanic! But I'm handy and willing to learn! I bought my EB back in June and have had no problems with it...Today I drove it to work and noticed a puddle of anti-freeze from just behind the front bumper. It was a small amount but concerned me, I drove home from work, about 3 miles and parked in the driveway and waited to see if anything would happen. About 3-4 minutes after turning the engine off anti-freeze began pouring on the ground from the hose that comes off of the radiator cap. Any thoughts on a solution? I'd really appreciate the help!

 

[Rustytruck]

Put in a coolant recovery bottle to solve this little problem. You don't say what year bronco you have. later models came with a coolant recovery bottle from the factory mounted on top of the passengers side inner fender.

 

[AgBronco]

Do I run the line, that the coolant is overflowing out of, into the recovery bottle?

 

[broncnaz]

Yes you run a the line into a bottle usually you want the line to be covered by the fluid in the bottle so it can be sucked back into the engine when needed.

 

[AgBronco]

Great, thanks broncnaz and rustytruck. Can I ask the question....Why is it overflowing now and it never has before?

 

[dave67fd]

You can keep it simple or go a little further and use one from a late model Bronco/F150 etc..
Do you have a temp gauge? are you running a bit hot? Was it overfilled lately? You could have air trapped in the system, failing radiator cap, not the proper mix or needs a flush etc.. the list can go on.
Burping out a small amount here and there can be normal and I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's a fair amount I would investigate further.

 

[AgBronco]

Ha! Love the Mt. Dew can! I think I'll keep an eye on it the next few days and install a recovery bottle soon....no overheating so far. Thanks for the help dave67fd...been following your build, looks like a great project!

 

[Rustytruck]

If you install an overflow bottle and fill the radiator to the top and then only fill the overflow bottle about 1/4 full. Make sure the tube going into the bottle goes all the way to the bottom. If the recovery bottle is working properly the excess pressure flows into the bottle and gets sucked back in when the system cools. If it still overflows the bottle and doesn't get sucked back in have your coolant checked for combustion gasses indicating a leaking head gasket. Could be nothing more than a bad radiator cap or an overfilled radiator. If you don't use a recovery bottle the coolant should be about an inch below the cap. With a recovery bottle full to the top. What ever you do make sure you check it daily until your happy that the coolant is staying where it is supposed to.

 

[savage]

My over flow is the stock one that come with my 74.