Brown Liquid in coolant Resevoir?

[igixez]

Hi guys,

Could not find anything under search and I'm a nooob. This is my first post so here it goes.

I am having problems with my car. 99 Civic vti sedan. The problem is when my fan is on cool or my aircon is on, the car overheats. A little background:

- I identified that I have a coolant leak because everytime i used to put water in the coolant resevoir, it would disappear after a while (after a month). Also, it used to leave a brown residue afterwards or if I had checked it before it completely leaked, the water would be BROWN. After I found that it was leaking, I stopped putting coolant in because it would be a waste as it would just leak out.

- Initially, the mechanic flushed the coolant system out, and replaced the radiator cap with a brand new one. I thought it would be all good but it wasn't.

- Car recently started to overheat after having the aircon on for more than 30 mins. As soon as i turned it off it would cool down again.

- Seeing as I just top up the coolant with water, one day I noticed while topping up and the engine was on that steam or something was coming out of the radiator (where the cap is after you take it off). I kept putting water in (this is when the car's completely cooled down btw) but it jst continued to spout water out (just a little bit, but there was spouting).

- I checked the engine oil to see if it was creamy and it was still the same colour so thank goodness the coolant isnt leaking in there.


What could the problem be?

Any help would be most appreciated.


Thanks!

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Ok.

Waterdirectly in Radiator will cause holes to form...and the Radiator and its contents to go orange/brown.

Your radiator may have a block by the sounds.

How does it go with long drives vs short drives for heating?

[igixez]

Well, yesterday it started to overheat at around 45 mins from a cold start. And I had the aircon running since the engine was on.

After a 5-6 hr break, I drove back home and after 15 mins it would start to get hot again.

[V8KLLR]

I think you need to purchase a new radiator. If you flushed it and the coolant is still brownish after awhile, then the radiator might have a blockage or something or other.

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

You may also want to look into your thermostat and if its rusted shut or not.

How many K's are on the car?

[mrmango]

waterpump?

[VTi_b0i]

In short, brown water means rust. That's why we use coolant and not just water. I'd say get all that suit flushed out and put new coolant in. If there's a leak, I'd say that's where the rust is coming from

[igixez]

Ahh i see....so try to detect where the leak is I guess. I'll put a cardboard box flap underneath it overnight and try to see where the leak is coming from...

Its nearly at 160,000 k right now. Going to get it serviced next week for its 160k service at Hannys. What should I tell the mechanic?

Should I start looking for a new radiator?

[igixez]

Btw (theres a reason this is in the noob forum), but how do i locate the thermostat on a 99 Civic?

[V8KLLR]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=496ckFG7sk4 check that link out. There additional ones in related videos.

Once you get a hold of it, have a good look at it to see if its worn. Get a jug of boiling water and put your thermostat in it, if it opens its in good order but if its worn the get rid of it, if it doesnt then it definitely needs replacing.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-CIVIC-COUPE-EJ-93-00-1-5-1-6-THERMOSTAT-KIT-OE_W0QQitemZ300438476510QQihZ020QQcategoryZ10386QQ cmdZViewItem

Thats what your thermostat should look like. You've got an Ek right?

Rep me if i was helpful.

[Woozeh]

keep and eye out for your oil cap, if it starts to look creamy then it might be your headgasket. You can also check the tubes from the radiator to see if its still airtight. =]

[davoh]

yup..check for leaks, thermostat and waterpump....is your fan working btw??

worst case scenario....headgasket....

check for the cheapest solution first before spending on the headgasket....

as i have been told ...if you've been using water as your coolant for a long period of time now...keep using water unless you're gna change a new radiator....

kos coolant is acidic and can erode your radiator and might clog up you whole cooling system.....

[aaronng]

yup..check for leaks, thermostat and waterpump....is your fan working btw??

worst case scenario....headgasket....

check for the cheapest solution first before spending on the headgasket....

as i have been told ...if you've been using water as your coolant for a long period of time now...keep using water unless you're gna change a new radiator....

kos coolant is acidic and can erode your radiator and might clog up you whole cooling system.....
Coolant is not acidic. Using tap water in the radiator will cause corrosion. Using coolant will delay the corrosion. On our old CD Accord from 1994, we have been using Honda coolant since new and the original radiator is still rust-free. The only problem is that the plastic radiator goop is cracking after 16 years.

[igixez]

Yeah like i mentioned before, I've been a bit hesitant to use coolant after finding out there was a leak because of the rate it leaked out so i've been using water instead.

I'll try and locate the area of the leak and will post it up over the weekend when i find it. Thanks for all the help so far guys!

[Zilli]

as mentioned above somewhere the brown stuff is rust... if you are leaking it means there is air getting into the radiator/cooling system... air plus water plus corodable metals means rust...

my recommendation is to get yourself a new radiator... give them engine a god flush when it is off... (put the hose dwn the top hose and let it flush all the rubbish out through the bottom hose for a good 15 minutes... then when you put the new radiator on fill it with coolant...

you CAN just make it work the way it is for now by keeping a bottle of water and topping up etc etc... but the more corrosion in your water galleries etc etc the more damage you are causing... if you can, replace the radiator

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Not forgetting the little bits of rust will no doubt go into your engine at some point..

[najdi]

Leakdown test, acid flush ur cooling system, check thermostat and refill could be ur headgasket if its taking water n overheating

[igixez]

Can anyone give me a quote on how much a new radiator would cost? And how much it would cost to fix the head gasket?

Need to prepare myself... o_o'

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

EK Radiator can be had from 100 bucks to 2-300 for aftermarket.

Depends man.