eg civic weird problem?

[chriss89]

hey guys, about a month ago i had just got my car serviced, everything was running good, no problems. The next day i went for a 2hr drive to the beach, was a hot day, car didnt run hot, nothing. When i got there, my mate noticed that my car was leaking coolant, and it turned out my reserve tank/overflow tank, whatever its called, was full to the top and had been overflowing through that. i left my car to cool for a few hours and it lowered to just a little under the max line. Drove home fine, didnt overheat, and didnt leak when i got home. weird!


on the weekend that just passed, i went for a 1hr and a half drive away from home, drove up fine, again didnt overheat, temp gauge stayed at about little under half the whole way. About 45 mins after i had got there, i remembered about what had happened the previous time. I got to my car, opened my bonnet and saw coolant around the top grooves on the plastic around the fan, i checked the bottle again and was on the MIN line, and just thought, ****!, luckily my cousin has a house up where we were, so i was going to put some water in it for the time being. When i got there, he saw it and it had risen up to about half way between min and max, and he said it didnt need any, so i left it. drove home fine, no problems.

This morning when i checked my car, the coolant bottle was empty, and radiator cap was empty too, so i put a little water in it for the time being.

Does anyone know what the problem could be? bad thermostat maybe? i have no idea lol

really sorryy for the long post, but thought id give you guys the full story! hope you can help! thanks in advanced!!

[hmetro24]

bleed the air from the cooling sytem.
Bad cap.
Bad thermostat. Could be a lazy thermostat.

Check these 3 first.Than >
Do a leakdown test. and compression Test.
IF you feel that the car start overheating while driving, turn the heater to Hot and start the fan to max. That's will help cool the engine.

[dougie_504]

+1 for changing the cap.

[sebtoombs]

Also remember that if you look at the coolant level while the engine is hot, it may be much higher than when cold, and possibly over the max. line. This is normal, as the hot coolant expands.

[chriss89]

Also remember that if you look at the coolant level while the engine is hot, it may be much higher than when cold, and possibly over the max. line. This is normal, as the hot coolant expands.

when the car was hot, i checked the coolant, and it wasnt green how coolant supposed to look, it was a dark murky sort of colour. Maybe i should get my cooling system flushed?

[dougie_504]

Probably just sediment/crap in it. Flush it out and put new Honda coolant in. DIY.

[stndrd]

Don't pay for Honda labelled coolant when you can walk into bursons or repco and get a 5L bottle of coolant concentrate that will make up enough coolant for two complete civic cooling systems for the same price, if not less

[tiksie]

Also remember that if you look at the coolant level while the engine is hot, it may be much higher than when cold, and possibly over the max. line. This is normal, as the hot coolant expands.

When it gets too hot, it will go into your radiator reservoir (over-flow bottle). When it's normal again, it will stuck it back in.

Check under your radiator cap, if theres is sludge on it, most probably time for a new headgasket as your one might be on the way out.

As above, don't pay for Honda OEM Coolant, just use normal Nulon coolant concentrate (obviously pre-mix it accordingly). The only good thing about Honda coolant is that it's blue and looks cool.. That's about it.. Same shit, different colour.

Flush your system out. It's pretty simple.

Here is the DIY:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?11430-DIY-Coolant-change-%28EG-EK-DC2%29&highlight=RADIATOR+FLUSH

[phwoaaa]

to simplify if your headgasket is gone meaning the water is leaking into the engine then your engine oil will look a lil coffee colour like and sludgy as tiksie said .
if its leaking water and theres no sign of water leaking out then thats another sign that your headgaskets gone too.

do a simple compression test on the cooling system to find any leaks .
the overflow bottle shouldnt concern you too much .

[chriss89]

to simplify if your headgasket is gone meaning the water is leaking into the engine then your engine oil will look a lil coffee colour like and sludgy as tiksie said .
if its leaking water and theres no sign of water leaking out then thats another sign that your headgaskets gone too.

do a simple compression test on the cooling system to find any leaks .
the overflow bottle shouldnt concern you too much .

Nah my oil is normal colour, and my coolant level has always been the same, just when i go for long drives and with summer approaching ill be doing a lot of driving down to the coast. So i might flush my system and see how i go

[chriss89]

Also thanks tiksie foe posting the DIY :)

[phwoaaa]

thats a good sign :)
remember after adding new coolant run the car till the fan kicks in .

[stndrd]

and have the heater on max with the fan going (without a/c) so that you bleed ALL the air pockets out

[chriss89]

thanks for all your help guys, when i get some time, ill flush my radiator and what not, and see if it still happens after a long drive, ill keep you guys posted!

[mocchi]

thanks for all your help guys, when i get some time, ill flush my radiator and what not, and see if it still happens after a long drive, ill keep you guys posted!


i wish you good luck.

Sean.

[chriss89]

soo i just went past my mechanic and told him my little problem, and he said it could possibly be my water pump on its way out, or i think he said blockage in the radiator? not sure. I might just get waterpump + timing done seeing as its almost due, and also replace the radiator?

[dougie_504]

How soon til their due? I wouldn't replace the radiator on a hunch like that. Take it to a shop that will check it out for you mate.

[chriss89]

How soon til their due? I wouldn't replace the radiator on a hunch like that. Take it to a shop that will check it out for you mate.

i bought the car with 165,000 on the clock, but unsure when the timing was done last, my cars now done 171,000 so i probably should think about doing it soon yeah? or wait till i get to the 200,000 mark?

[stndrd]

with timing belts, it's always better to be safe than sorry. tho if you pull the upper timing case off you will be able to inspect the timing belt and make a visual judgement on the condition of the timing belt. look for cracks or anything that you believe is abnormal, take pics & confirm with your mechanic if you are unsure. With the radiator, if you believe that it is blocked, remove it and take it to a radiator repair shop & get them to do a flow test on it. That will tell you straight away if its blocked or not

[chriss89]

with timing belts, it's always better to be safe than sorry. tho if you pull the upper timing case off you will be able to inspect the timing belt and make a visual judgement on the condition of the timing belt. look for cracks or anything that you believe is abnormal, take pics & confirm with your mechanic if you are unsure. With the radiator, if you believe that it is blocked, remove it and take it to a radiator repair shop & get them to do a flow test on it. That will tell you straight away if its blocked or not

i might just save the time and get it done a bit earlier, like you said, better safe than sorry! seeing as i have no idea whats been done to my car before i bought it, i might just change shit like fuel filter, spark plugs have already been done, might do leads. What else can i change? would i bother with the thermostat? just leave it?

[stndrd]

if you are going to do cooling system repairs, either go the hog and change water pump, thermostat & get radiator flow tested (possibly replaced depending on results) & radiator cap, or just do one thing at a time. It depends on your budget

[dougie_504]

I bought mine on 169,000 KMs without knowing when the belt was due to be done. Belt looked fine, and I'm about 209,000 KMs now and still haven't done (although I plan to lol).

If I were you I'd inspect it, consider not changing it if it looks fine, and get the radiator looked at. The water pump might not solve your problem at all bro.

[Bludger]

I bought mine on 169,000 KMs without knowing when the belt was due to be done. Belt looked fine, and I'm about 209,000 KMs now and still haven't done (although I plan to lol).

If I were you I'd inspect it, consider not changing it if it looks fine, and get the radiator looked at. The water pump might not solve your problem at all bro.
inb4belt snaps on fwy.

srs.

change it.

[dougie_504]

Yeah I know, I know <facepalm>

[chriss89]

I bought mine on 169,000 KMs without knowing when the belt was due to be done. Belt looked fine, and I'm about 209,000 KMs now and still haven't done (although I plan to lol).

If I were you I'd inspect it, consider not changing it if it looks fine, and get the radiator looked at. The water pump might not solve your problem at all bro.

how would i go about inspecting the belt? is it easy to get access to?

[dougie_504]

Take your valve cover off and have a look at it for tiny cracks.

[chriss89]

well, my car's problem was getting worse, i would only drive it for about half an hour before the coolant reserve would fill up to the top and overflow, so as im writing this, its at my mechanic getting the radiator, caps and thermostat changed. I hope this fixes the problem lol, i will let u all know how i go with it! buuttt thanks for all your help! :)

[Bludger]

My guess is it won't.

sorry,

[chriss89]

My guess is it won't.

sorry,

and what do you think could be wrong?

[Bludger]

head gasket.

lol

[chriss89]

head gasket.

lol

how.. my oil is clean, no sign of water in my oil, i wasnt losing water anywhere, but from the top of the CAP of the reserve because it would overflow, car has never overheated, or ran anywhere near hot

[Bludger]

something is getting into the cooling system it sounds like.

trial and error, prove me wrong

lol

[TheSaint]

honda coolant is blue - not green

also i have always had much better results using OEM fluids/oils and parts on my EGs and Dc2 than aftermarket stuff

for example - i had problems with like 3 different coolants in my EG8 from repco/auto1
kept either dropping lvls, not warming up properly or pushing too much into the overflow tank
finally gave in and put in OEM Honda coolant and its been going without a single problem for almost 20k kms now

[Glocker]

how.. my oil is clean, no sign of water in my oil, i wasnt losing water anywhere, but from the top of the CAP of the reserve because it would overflow, car has never overheated, or ran anywhere near hot

Maybe change overflow bottle cap? Shit's old, thread could be worn out and over flowing through the gaps

[stndrd]

Maybe change overflow bottle cap? Shit's old, thread could be worn out and over flowing through the gaps

Changing your overflow bottle cap is pointless. It is not for pressure like a radiator cap and you will see nothing from changing it. By the sounds of the problem sounds like it is head gasket or possible crack in the head. Get your mechanic to do a TK head check test to see if any combustion gases are getting into the cooling system. Also don't think that just because car has not overheated, that this could not happen. I have seen cracks in cylinder heads come from hot spots air pockets in the cooling system create due to not bleeding the cooling system correctly. I know it doesn't happen often, but still the off chance....

[chriss89]

Changing your overflow bottle cap is pointless. It is not for pressure like a radiator cap and you will see nothing from changing it. By the sounds of the problem sounds like it is head gasket or possible crack in the head. Get your mechanic to do a TK head check test to see if any combustion gases are getting into the cooling system. Also don't think that just because car has not overheated, that this could not happen. I have seen cracks in cylinder heads come from hot spots air pockets in the cooling system create due to not bleeding the cooling system correctly. I know it doesn't happen often, but still the off chance....

well usually when i drive to my work, about 30/40 min drive, it would overflow and go everywhere. today i got to work, and opened my bonnet to see a dry engine bay! coolant level was at the max line! ill still keep an eye on it to make sure it doesnt play up still, but hopefully its fixed!

[TheSaint]

what do you mean the coolant was at max level ...?
the over flow bottle should not be filled up - its there for overflow only
to know when the coolant level is right you open the cap - if you can see coolant its fine - if not than it needs topping up

my guess is that you need a new radiator cap

[chriss89]

what do you mean the coolant was at max level ...?
the over flow bottle should not be filled up - its there for overflow only
to know when the coolant level is right you open the cap - if you can see coolant its fine - if not than it needs topping up

my guess is that you need a new radiator cap

on the bottle it has a max and min line, the coolant was at the max line. I always thought this was how u tell if your car needs coolant or not?

[TbM]

on the bottle it has a max and min line, the coolant was at the max line. I always thought this was how u tell if your car needs coolant or not?
The bottle is your overflow tank it should be filled to between the max and min line but you must also check the radiator itself is full by removing the radiator cap(make sure the radiator is cool/unpressurised first or Inb43rddegreeburns) then check the radiator is full, if you cant see coolant in the neck of the radiator add some till you can.

[chriss89]

well its been almost about 2 weeks since i got the radiator changed, and everything is still good! so the radiator was blocked and shit! thank god for that! haha thanks for all your help though :) appreciate it