Leak at new elbow
 

I recently replaced the badly leaking elbow between the LIM and the tensioner housing. Cleaned out all the old O-ring and remains of corroded plastic of the two holes and lubricated the O-rings on the new elbow, but I still have leaks at both ends. The leaks are somewhat slow as they will hold at 9 psi but not above with a slow drop from 15 psi down to 9.

Is this common for new elbows to leak? Is there a fix for it?

Thanks for any guidance on this.

Sometimes the LIM housing can crack around the elbow. This is hard to see when it's in the car.

Thanks Dan, but it is leaking just as much, if not more, from the tensioner end.

Could be wicking over there. It's also possible you damaged the elbow when installing it. You may need to remove the elbow and inspect it.

Thanks again.

If you clean it up and dry it off, you can wrap it with a paper towel, then pressurize the cooling system until you get some leaking. Remove the paper towel and look for where it's wet. That will show where it's leaking. That way it may help show where the problem is.

That's essentially what I had done to confirm that it is leaking from both ends - no wicking as it is dry on the bottom of the elbow between the ends. With 15 psi on the system it did not take long to see the small leaks at both ends. I know I need to pull it apart again - just wanted to make sure that if these elbows are problematic so that I know what to be looking for. Doesn't sound like they are typically much of a problem so it could be I have a spot of debris that I missed. So I'll pull it down again and see what I can find.

Kind of sounds like the O rings are leaking. I would suggest inspecting the holes real close after you remove the elbow.

I just had to replace my elbow between the tensioner and LIM. It was new just a couple of months ago when I replaced the UIM and the LIM gaskets. Mine only leaked when cold though. It was absolutely clean and the tensioner and intake were spotless when installed. The NAPA guy said we have been selling a lot of those elbows as of late. Made me wonder if there was a bad batch. Installed new one last Sat morning and no more leaks. Just my .02 cents worth.

Good to know, thanks.