coolant leak

[chrismistro]

was driving up a hill in my 92 4runner v6, when it started to run hot. so i turned the heater on in the cab, and parked as soon as i could. after turning it off and leaving it for a while. i came back and tried to start it, it had a very rough idle, and was sputtering as if there was water in the engine. i also noticed some coolant dripping off the bottom of the front skid plate. the radiator was empty(im assuming the rest of the coolant was in the engine hence the sputtering), but the recovery tank is full, and i cannot figure out where the leak is. any suggestions?

 

[the_dingman]

Check your dipstick for milky white oil, if you've got that, it's probably a blown head gasket, which could cause water in the engine.

 

[chrismistro]

yeah i checked the dipstick and looked under the oil filler cap already and the color seemed fine.

 

[ronbo613]

There are little bypass hoses at the rear of the engine that can break and leak on the engine, there is a tube under the intake manifold that can leak as well.

 

[chrismistro]

took it to a shop and i guess the problem, or one of them was the block heater had popped out, and that was why the coolant was leaking.