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Step 1
When you discover your auto is losing water or antifreeze, find the originating area of the leak. If the leak is coming from an area where a hose connects to the engine or radiator, verify the hose clamp screws are tight. With luck, tightening a lose clamp screw can stop the leak.
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Step 2
When a leak from a radiator hose is very near where it connects to the engine or radiator, determine if the hose is long enough to cut the end of the radiator hose off, where it is leaking, and reconnect it. (A box cutter or a sharp knife will be needed for this job, as well as the appropriate screw driver).
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Step 3
When you discover a radiator hose leak, away from where it connects, verify it has a hole in it instead of a crack. Cracked hoses are beyond repair, to the best of my knowledge. The easiest way to slow down a leak caused by a hole in a hose, is to put the appropriate size screw into the hole. (This is a slow down the leak attempt to make it to the shop without needing a tow).
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Step 4
A hole in a radiator hose can be repaired using a tire plug, designed to fix leaking tires. Just follow the same directions you would for plugging a tire, when you want to patch a hole in a radiator hose.
