07 CX-9 Leaking coolant

ripper225

Member
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Mazda CX-9 2007/Touring/V6
So I just recently replaced the radiator on an '07 CX-9 that was leaky and have been watching the coolant level and ground for any leaks. I didn't notice any leaks initially and have been using the Prestone prediluted neon green stuff.

Well today I noticed coolant resevoir was low. I brought it up to the mid point line and went ahead and cranked it up and then noticed ground spotting/dripping with the engine running. I started checking everything I touched while doing the radiator change and haven't been able to find any leaky hoses or anything from the radiator and everything is dry looking from the top.

When I get under the car, its a mess with coolant sprayed all on the undercarriage and appears to be seeping coolant somewhere up near the the oil filter and then again to the right of the exhaust on the underside/front (not even sure what to call this call this after reviewing the service manual)

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How F'd am I?
 
So I just recently replaced the radiator on an '07 CX-9 that was leaky and have been watching the coolant level and ground for any leaks. I didn't notice any leaks initially and have been using the Prestone prediluted neon green stuff.

Well today I noticed coolant resevoir was low. I brought it up to the mid point line and went ahead and cranked it up and then noticed ground spotting/dripping with the engine running. I started checking everything I touched while doing the radiator change and haven't been able to find any leaky hoses or anything from the radiator and everything is dry looking from the top.

When I get under the car, its a mess with coolant sprayed all on the undercarriage and appears to be seeping coolant somewhere up near the the oil filter and then again to the right of the exhaust on the underside/front (not even sure what to call this call this after reviewing the service manual)

How F'd am I?

Hard to say how bad this really is from your pics.

First - Is that Prestone coolant F22-rated? If not, get it out of there and buy some F22 from Ford, Mazda, or elsewhere.

Second - Finding the source of your leak is likely to be tough. I agree with your first instinct that it's related to something you did, however if the dreaded water pump failure is upon you, then the fluid may be coming from the weep hole.

See the info here for a picture: https://mazda.oemdtc.com/598/engine-coolant-leak-behind-alternator-2007-2015-mazda-3-7l

This video also shows abnormal weep hole leakage in a Ford Edge with your engine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEggEI0JEws

You should also check your oil for color. If it is chocolate milk, then your water pump has died and you should not start the engine again.

See my pump replacement DIY here if you want to tackle this job yourself. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yjma0fz8erwwot0/AABFWhv7jUDn-E1Fl669LHUja?dl=0

Finally, should you find no clear signs of water pump failure, and still can't find the leak in work you did, you may want to buy some flourescent dye and add it to your radiator. Wash off all signs of coolant from the engine first and then run it. Using a blacklight, the source of the leak will become very obvious.

Good luck and let us know what you find.
 
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agree with everything Thaumaturge said.....

just to add, check your engine oil to see if it is milky and looks like chocolate milk, if it does you have a water pump failure, and the coolant is leaking into your engine. I think you can check by using the dipstick without having to drain the engine oil.

hopefully you don't see something like this....... but I think due to your vigilance, you caught this in time, the weep hole is telling you have a imminent water pump failure.

http://sciencing.com/there-small-hole-water-pump-5187372.html

 
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That looks like the passenger side. If it is not the radiator then definitely the water pump. That is where i had the leak when my water pump went.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. The Preston 50/50 that I used doesn't say FL22 rated on it but everything I've come across would seem to indicate that it's fine to use.

The oil is still clean, no indications of contamination/milky consistency.

Upon closer inspection it does appear that the source of the leak is behind the generator (as viewed from the front top) there appears to be pooling of coolant just below it which would coincide with where I'm seeing it all sprayed on the undercarriage as it leaks down.

I found Thaumaturge's dropbox link yesterday and reviewed it (thanks again for posting it her for my ease of use), but the water pump is beyond my comfort zone. Looks like I'm going to have to turn this over to the pros.



With this being an '07, just shy of 160k miles on it, it does have a few quirks but has been a good car and the engine still runs well, AC is cold (had the clogged drain issue and replaced the fan once so far), I just replaced the struts/shocks/radiator and have been meticulous with oil changes -- after this water pump gets fixed are there any additional problems that usually creep up that I should be mindful of?

Its getting to the point where I'm wondering if this thing is going to start falling apart and maybe its time to trade it in, but not having a car payment is really nice.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. The Preston 50/50 that I used doesn't say FL22 rated on it but everything I've come across would seem to indicate that it's fine to use.

The oil is still clean, no indications of contamination/milky consistency.

Upon closer inspection it does appear that the source of the leak is behind the generator (as viewed from the front top) there appears to be pooling of coolant just below it which would coincide with where I'm seeing it all sprayed on the undercarriage as it leaks down.

I found Thaumaturge's dropbox link yesterday and reviewed it (thanks again for posting it her for my ease of use), but the water pump is beyond my comfort zone. Looks like I'm going to have to turn this over to the pros.



With this being an '07, just shy of 160k miles on it, it does have a few quirks but has been a good car and the engine still runs well, AC is cold (had the clogged drain issue and replaced the fan once so far), I just replaced the struts/shocks/radiator and have been meticulous with oil changes -- after this water pump gets fixed are there any additional problems that usually creep up that I should be mindful of?

Its getting to the point where I'm wondering if this thing is going to start falling apart and maybe its time to trade it in, but not having a car payment is really nice.


160k... That sounds like the pump change is definitely due but the coincidence with your radiator work is still a bit suspicious.

The F22 issue is one of seals being compatible with the coolant. You haven't had it in there long enough to hurt anything IMHO.

If doing the pump, have your pro replace the chain, guides, etc. as you see in my guide. The big expense is in getting things apart and back together, so good to have them do the rest while it's apart.

If you haven't done so yet (a couple times), you're overdue for a transmission drain and fill (not flush). The same goes for your brake fluid.

Since you did the struts I'm guessing you also checked out the ball joints and tie rod ends?

I can't imagine much else apart from the tranny dying that would cost anywhere near as much as the water pump job so now you're over the worst. While all this is adding up to a big chunk of change, if you still like the vehicle, it's still way less than the car payments you don't miss. As anyone who gets to 160k knows, the time to trade-in was about 80k ago. Now you're better off keeping it and budgeting for repairs each year.

Drive it till it drops!
 
Hi .. just joined this group and found this thread as I'm dealing with a similar problem - Going to post some photos to see if admin or other users have any comments for this issue. I was going to upload (2) photos but this system is asking for links vs. simply being able to upload a .jpg image.
 
Hi .. just joined this group and found this thread as I'm dealing with a similar problem - Going to post some photos to see if admin or other users have any comments for this issue. I was going to upload (2) photos but this system is asking for links vs. simply being able to upload a .jpg image.


First, delete your other post in the How-To sub-forum as that's not the place to be asking questions unless they relate to a DIY post and you shouldn't be double-posting anyway.

Second, if you've followed my suggestions from post #2 above and still have a specific question, I would be happy to help. Until then, not so much.(boom02)

Otherwise, yeah, you have a coolant leak. Causes for drips in that area include head gaskets, bad fittings, and water pump failure.


ps - The trick to posting pics here is to save the pic in a sharing service and link to it; or upload it here (like you did in your other post), then use the new link you then see in the post when "Insert Image" asks you for a link. Frankly, just linking to the uploaded image is enough as it doesn't force us to see the pic if not interested and saves on bandwidth.
 
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