Coolant leak, S3 220

[Edxr6]

Fellas,

Much to my disappoint, I had noticed Green coolant on the garage floor when I was leaving for work today. I was very concerned due to the location of the spot, it appeared to be at the rear of the motor.

I managed to call into my mechanic on the way home and asked if we could put the car up on the hoist so we could inspect the leak, and as I suspected a concerning leak. The leak was coming between the gear box and the rear of motor, we suspected the rear welsh plug on the S3 220 has perished.

My mechanic said he would need to drop the gear box to fix the problem, and would do the job for $400. Usually I can do majority of the mechanical work at home, however this job is little out of my league to fix, more so tools and equipment. So firstly, is the quote reasonable and should I consider changing anything else whilst the box is off.

I was thinking may be it's an opportunity to change clutch and rear crank seal and possible sump gasket. The clutch feels good, I am unsure if the clutch has been done in the past, I have had the car for 12 months, and it's only done 107,000klm?

I drive the car daily and not hard, nor do I drop the clutch to spin the rear wheels, as I tend to look after my XR8 because it's in fantastic condition for it's age, plus I am getting to old for that stuff.

Any opinions or advice would be a great help.

Cheers

[PridenJoy]

Depending on hourly rate, $400 seems reasonable as it would take close to four hours to do that job on a manual V8. It took me around 6 hours total to do that same job on an auto six but it was my first time and i was purposely taking my time to make sure i don't miss anything. So someone who knows what they're doing should be able to do that on your car in 4-6 hours depending what else is done (replacing rear main seal etc).

And yes i would have the rear main seal replaced at the same time if you're paying him to remove flywheel etc to get to welch plug.

Mechanic should be able to make a judgement call when removing the clutch as to the condition of it and whether it's worth replacing, however it's worth noting a good clutch kit is $450 plus so the job will become pricey. Also worth checking all other welch plugs for condition and replacing them also if they have not already been replaced.

[XC50077]

There is no welch plug in the rear of the Windsor block [apart from the camshaft rear plug], the only welch plug is in the rear of the head on left and right heads. You may be able to get a small mirror to check if they are in fact corroded and leaking. Also check the inlet manifold for correct tension as coolant could leak from manifold head joint.

[XC50077]

Originally Posted by XC50077

There is no welch plug in the rear of the Windsor block [apart from the camshaft rear plug], the only welch plug is in the rear of the head on left and right heads. You may be able to get a small mirror to check if they are in fact corroded and leaking. Also check the inlet manifold for correct tension as coolant could leak from manifold head joint.

Just to clarify, there are other welch plugs in the side of the block, 3 each side.

[Edxr6]

xc50077,

OK, this puts a different light on the situation, it was strange to see the coolant seeping directly centre between the gear box and motor as if it was leaking somewhere in the centre of that location? I will try and grab a mirror to inspect behind the heads.

Cheers

[Edxr6]

Originally Posted by XC50077

There is no welch plug in the rear of the Windsor block [apart from the camshaft rear plug], the only welch plug is in the rear of the head on left and right heads. You may be able to get a small mirror to check if they are in fact corroded and leaking. Also check the inlet manifold for correct tension as coolant could leak from manifold head joint.

XC50077,

Just checked the welsh plugs on the rear of the heads, no issues there. I will try and take a photo of the leak over the weekend, this should give a better indication.

Regards

[b2tf]

Heater core or tap not leaking? The tap is on the firewall and if it leaks down it may end up where you're talking about. They're only plastic so if it is the original one it would be due for replacement anyway.

[Edxr6]

Originally Posted by b2tf

Heater core or tap not leaking? The tap is on the firewall and if it leaks down it may end up where you're talking about. They're only plastic so if it is the original one it would be due for replacement anyway.

b2tf,

I will have a good look over the weekend, I am confident the heater tape is fine.

Cheers

[XC50077]

Hose clamps around the firewall area may need a nip up, not uncommon for a minor leak to appear as the weather begins to get cool, just completed that task on XC today.
Cheers.

[Edxr6]

Originally Posted by XC50077

There is no welch plug in the rear of the Windsor block [apart from the camshaft rear plug], the only welch plug is in the rear of the head on left and right heads. You may be able to get a small mirror to check if they are in fact corroded and leaking. Also check the inlet manifold for correct tension as coolant could leak from manifold head joint.

XC50077,

After contacting Ford today, I was told that the Windsor 220's do have a welsh plug at the rear of the block. They had mentioned that there had been no significant change to the Windsor block since the early 70's. If this is correct, it would confirm the coolant leak coming behind the block and in front of the gear box. All other avenues have been checked and know apparent leaks observed elsewhere, however I will double check further about the rear welsh plug before I commence removing the gear box from the motor.

[XC50077]

Definitely no welch plug in the rear of a windsor block apart from the camshaft bore plug which seals oil only.
Cheers.

[Edxr6]

Originally Posted by XC50077

Definitely no welch plug in the rear of a windsor block apart from the camshaft bore plug which seals oil only.
Cheers.

XC0077,

Are you sure, because my sources tell me there is, can anyone else confirm.

Regards