Coolant leak from radiator

A NEW RECORD FOR LONGEST 1ST POST.
2004 Camry XLE 4 cylinder 207 thousand miles
guess at 2.4L engine. but there are 3 engines offered.
2AZ-FE ENGINE SURE.
THAT OVERHEATS,
LET ME CONDENSE YOUR POST.
1: NEW LEAKING CAB HEATER CORE.
And sure after it stinks how can it not 50%AF toxic fluid in the passengers foot well carpets. gee get them steam cleaned by pro's (removed and pro cleaned)(

2 :now the coolant is leaking and spraying in the engine bay well that is normal on all cars this old (not serviced, abused)
all hoses bad and 19 years old cracked and leak what's new there, zero..nada.

or water pump leaks
or radiator leaks, sure, 19 years old sure it can.
nothing new there.
what will be ,will be. there is no magic to car repair
--------------------- NOW COMMENTARY BLIND------------
best guess:
he used bar's leaks to stop tiny leaks. that is all it does
it never ever fixed cracked hoses ,bad water pumps nor fixes radiator leaks. or bad head gaskets or warped heads.

if he was a pro he;d have told you the car needs major service, and parts but when told by him, the wallet was dry
outcomes snake oil BAR's leaks.
fix it right or patch it and pray. <<<< your CALL !

BAR'S: (MAKERS REAL NAME)
it can help some times in pinch 1000 miles from home
it's a band-Aid to a broken leg. ( not magic, it is a desperate act)<, NO BLAME ME IT IS YOUR CAR.

old cars are all like this they have vast problems and most ive seen 10 problems ignored by the owner.past and present. (all) they add up, and then the camels back is broken with 1 more gain if straw.!
machines need service, if not they fail or fail hard.

if the engine is allowed to overheat too badly the engine is wrecked, ever price out cracked heads and engine blocks.
some cars heater cores are $2000 fix, dash out 12hours labor.+parts.
seems to me you got a SUPER DEAL there.
MY GUESS JUST HEATER COR HOSES BAD
AND ARE THE HOTTEST HOSES AND WHY.

Each leak must be found and if hoses crack they are all bad, for sure if 19 years old.
the RAD tank ends can crack TOO.
and the pump fail and the path of the whole coolant loop can fail and crack a real pro finds them all.
even intake manifolds can leak or thermostat housing can crack, SEE????????
TOYOTA Camry 04
lot to fail on any cooling system
even rad fans.
WE CHECK AND CURE ALL LEAKS FIRST
UNDER FULL HOT ENGINE PRESSURE,NEAR 15PSI
FOR LEAKS, PARKED HOOD UP EVEN RUN FOR 30 MINUTES TO FIND THEM ALL
CAREFUL AND COMPLETE OBSERVATION,
FOR SURE DRIPS OR TRICKY SQUIRTING OF 50%AF COOLANT.
NO 19YEAR OLD THERMOSTAT IS GOOD
AND IF BAD AND CAUSES OVERHEATING THE SIDE TANK NEXT TO RAD EXPLODES IN STEAM AND IS SUPER BAD FOR ANY ENGINE (JUST BEGGING TO WARP THE HEAD)
AND A NEW SERP BELT TO THE PUMP IS BEST.
THIS OLD.

Cooling systems in vehicles function under pressure. The best way to find a coolant leak is to get a pressure tester.

It could be anywhere
But let it cool and fill with water see if you can see it leaking. If not fill it to top put cap back on and squeeze upper radiator hose to put pressure in system.
If you don't see anything it could be water pump

Hello and welcome to FixYa!

If you have overheating problem, it can lead to multiple issues. You may be running on low coolant that's why the vehicle overheats. If that's the case, please add coolant and make sure that it sits on the right level, too much coolant can cause overheating too for coolant will overflow.

The vehicle may have a faulty or worn out radiator blower motor that's why it overheats. If that's the case then you will need a blower motor replacement to resolve the issue.

If the radiator is clogged with dirt and rusts this issue occurs too. The coolant doesn't flow normally on the cooling system if it's clogged. If that's the case, I strongly suggest that you have the radiator flushed to drain out dirt and rusts. If you think that the radiator served you enough then it's better to have it replaced.

Please do check the radiator hoses, If you have worn out hoses it can cause coolant leakage which can result to overheating. A tiny hole is good enough for the vehicle to overheat.

A faulty thermostat sensor can cause the issue too. If you have worn out thermostat, the fan may not trigger that's why the fan won't work when under stressed conditions. A blown radiator blower fuse can cause this issue too so I suggest that you check the radiator blower fuse and replace it when necessary.

Hope you find this information helpful enough and thank you for using FixYa! Have a good one!

i recommend you don't drive to far and get a mechanic too check it out as you risk overheating and blowing the head gasket which is expensive. You need to get the cooling system pressure checked too find the leak and rectify it. hopefully just a hose but possably a water pump.

No, you can't add too much coolant. Rather, it does not hurt anything if you do. Did you add it to the radiator, or to the overflow tank?

Let it cool, then remove the radiator cap, and if needed, add coolant to the radiator. Put the cap back on, and fill the overflow tank to the "full - cold" line. Start it and run it a few minutes and look for leaks. If you find no leaks, drive it for a day or two, then let it cool and check it again. If it is down a lot (without overheating), you have a leak somewhere. If you lose enough coolant, that will make it overheat. However, if it overheats, that can cause loss of coolant, when you stop the car, you will see steam and smell coolant, and often hear it boiling.

If it overheats again, make note of when it happens: driving on the highway, or stop-and-go around town. Overheating on the highway usually indicates a clogged radiator, while in-town overheating usually indicates a bad cooling fan (you don't need the fan above about 30 MPH). A bad fan is usually the fan relay, but it can be the fan thermostat (different from the engine thermostat), or a bad fan motor.

This one is not easy to tell without seeing the car. But, a logical guess would be that the water pump is starting to go bad and is leaking intermediatly. If you can pressure check the cooling system or have it done that should give you the answer.

My wife honda Accord 1996 have the same problem, it was the hose from the radiator to the engine leaking when the pressure goes up after a while. a new hose fixed the problem.

i have a 2000 olds intrigue thats been overheating alot lately the other day my drain plug for my radiator came on the way to work so i lost all my antifreeze on the way, i got to work and wound getting another plug to replace...the one that came out...topped off antifreeze...anyhow i go home and car overheats on the way home...i took it to a radiator shop today and they checked for, leaks, checked the water pump, pressure tested it...and they told me that the only thing they found was a airlock, but however the guy did recommend taking it to a mech and having it checked for a blown headgasket, so i go home today and i noticed my temp gauge going up and down on the way home it would get hot then cool down then get hot again...the car did eventually start to overheated so i pulled over and let the car cool down...i know this is getting frustrating, so do you have any recommendations or solutions as to whats cause the car to overheat.

broken fan belt water pump dont turn water dont circulate its gonna overheat alternator dont turn battery light stay on you said the bottle was full and when it cool down it was on low level that normal radiator took back what it was missing check the belt HOPE IT HELP FIXYA OUR POST THANKS PIERRE