some wierd kinda burning spell coolant problme

[rookie_gsi_act]

hey guys, i replaced my thermostat in my gsi about two months ago following the diy. The one issues i had with this was that my fan never got to turning on and i wasnt 100% sure on the bleeding part.

anyway after replacing the thermostat and filing with honda coolant its been heating up fine to the 1/3 mark and staying there from about 2 to 3 mins so thats all good.... the problem however is that after a few weeks from replacing the thermostat i smelt something like it was burning whilst driving. i pulled over couldnt figure out wht it was; checked radiator and there was a sort of little bit of gel build of the coolant right under the cap; underneat that was the coolant. Also, the 'container' which contains coolant to the left of the radiator was almost empty even though i had filled it to max not long ago. So i preceeded to go home and filled it up with coolant and topped up the radiator (which needed the tinyest bit)

The next time i drove i noticedt he mburning smell again for a little bit after which it stopped. I didnt smell this again for a few weeks and now it came back again. But i ran out of coolant so i filled up the 'container' with water. Does anybody have an idea of whats wrong?

thanks guys

[OMG.JAI xD]

Its probably not bled right.


Once performing a coolant change, on overflow type cooling systems (in this case your car). Top up the radiator ONLY for the time being. Run the car with the radiator cap OFF, and put the heater in the car on, at maximum temp, doesnt matter what fan level. Some coolant will spill on the floor. Thats fine. Leave it running until the fan cuts in. And youll see the level in the radiator drop. Top it up as the level drops. This is to be repeated twice. (so let the fan cut in twice.)


You should also check for any evident leaks. Near the inlet housing (top radiator hose going to the block). The cap it self. Radiator.
Easiest way is to pressure test the cooling system. If there is a leak youll see it straight away.


I wouldnt do a DIY involving servicing or RnR of components unless youre sure of what youre doing. DIY on making things is easy. Make a mistake n start again.
Servicing and/or RnR can lead to potential damage. Careful and read instructions thoroughly.

[aaronng]

Check if there is any coolant leaking from around the thermostat housing seal or from the thermoswitch area.

[rookie_gsi_act]

ok, thanks alot... well yeh i remember when i replaced the thermostat it was freezing cold and i did everything correctly im certain apart from the bleeding part... i couldnt locate the bleed bolt ?... anyway one other thing is that the fan didnt run.. and i waited 30 mimns with the car on but the fan didnt run.... and yeh i took it for a drive later on and the temp went normal quick where as it would pretty much never heat up before. so i assumed that i had successfuly completed the diy. Clearly not... so what do you suggest i do now?

ps. i also know i sound like a douche but i seriously cant afford to pay a mechanic to fix sh** on my car as im ballin on a budget hence i try to follow the diy's but yeh i shud pay more attention to detail

thanks.

[Chriskoss]

Just check for leaks.. if its a burning smell, the coolant is obviously getting burnt by the hot engine and creating the smell. Check your top radiator hose, near the thermo as mentioned, your heater hoses where they meet the throttle body and etc, you may just find some sort of little leak!

Do that and correctly bleed your system, and see how you go dude

[rookie_gsi_act]

ty dude ill check in the morning

[MikeyG]

i would check the hoses my bet.. is that either its cracked happened to me last week.. one of the hoses was cracked and replaced it fukin fine :)

[vinnY]

make sure your cabin fan is OFF
and your heater slider is on full HOT
usually the top of the radiator cap is the highest point in the water loop but it wouldn't hurt to jack up the front a bit(or drive on to some bricks) to elevate the front a bit more so air bubbles can work their way there
might take your car 10-15minutes to get up to temperature(depending on ambient) while idling so wait it out and do it properly

do check for leaks though just incase

[rookie_gsi_act]

hey thanks heaps for ur replies guys, yeh im a retard.. i checked everything couldnt find any leaks so then i went and bought another radiator cap coz the end of the radiator cap part seemed as thought it was f**d fallling apart and what not... so i put on the new cap and then went for a drive, came back... and realised half the coolant had gone again.. it end up being a crack at the top of the radiator.. so gotta replace... thanks guys...