honda em1 coolant all over engine bay help!!

[nastrox]

hi all, was driving for 30mins with vtec once open and the coolant was boiling inside the tank. opening the engine bonnet and found out coolant spill all over engine bay. now the tank is emptied with no coolant. anyone know what is going on? can i just topup the coolant and contimue driving?

[senna]

Check that all hoses are intact and refill the bottle with coolant.

Start your car with the heater on and watch the level, top up the bottle as needed then watch the temp gauge.

Was the gauge indicating hot before you stopped?

[EG52NV]

Cracked radiator could lead to coolant spraying in engine bay as well as slight crack in hose.

[xclusive_eg8]

yep definitly leak. same thing happened to me on when my stock radiator cracked on highway. let car idle on level surface with hood open and wait till it warms up. look for steam and your leak should be there

[nastrox]

hi senna i just top up the coolant when the burst occur the temperature gauge was cold however after topping up the temperature started to increase and hitting hot. check all hoses no leakage etc wonder what is wrong? can i get any help from any mechanics?

[nastrox]

hi all i check all hoses and radiator. no leakage probably boiling in the coolant tank cause the spill? check underneath the car with no leaking as well. problem now is the engine temperature kept increasing till hitting hot

[grifty]

what type of coolant are you running? the cheap $10 stuff? the cheap stuff doesnt not have anti boil or anti freeze so it is possible that it boiled and went everywhere. but it woudlnt go all over the engine bay.

Also check the condition of your radiator cap.

[nastrox]

Bought new coolant castrol from petrol station. My car was serviced at Top One automotive. But now i have no idea whats going on after that happened. Open radiator cap after switching off the engine and coolant start spraying out. With coolant tank level intact.

[nastrox]

Anyone got mechanics that is able to come over my garage and have a look? as i am unable to drive the car anymore due to overheating.

[dougie_504]

Errr where do you live? That would help lol

[senna]

You may have an air pocket in the cooling system.

Let the car cool down overnight, then remove the radiator cap. Fill it up with pre mix coolant. Now start the motor and push the heater control all the way to hot. Let the car idle and watch the level of coolant in the radiator, if it drops top it up, after around 5 mins of idling the thermostat should open and let the level drop more, top up again and let it idle for another few minutes watching for any more air coming out.

Aside from that, get it back to top one

[nastrox]

i stay in kingsford area(NSW). Any kind soul able to help me out?

[nastrox]

may i know what is premix coolant? can i just pour the coolant(castrol) directly into the coolant tank?

[mytfoz]

so u checked the hoses and ur saying its fine?
does radiator fan come on?
blow head gasket? (open oil cap, look at cap if theres a milky-gray around your oil cap.)
check ur thermostat?

pre-mixed coolant means you just have to pour it into radiator. no need to add water.
concentrated coolant means you have to add water to spec.

[nastrox]

Hi all i just check all hoses elasticity and leakages, all are okay. Following senna's method, and found out the coolant in the reservoir is emptied again. Top it up and idle the car(heater on) with temperature gauge on the cluster remain normal. However, i am not sure why the radiator fan (Driver side) does not turn on at all except the AC compressor fan(passenger side) turn on intermittently. How can i check if the radiator fan is ok?

Check engine oil(no milky)
Check top hose (hot), bottom hose(cold)
Check hoses (no leakage)

[mytfoz]

good start.

try testing the fan.
next to the thermostat there's a 2-wire plug. which controlls the fan. You can unplug it, stick a jumper wire in and leave your fan running. whenever the key is on your fan should be running.

[nastrox]

Hmm what i dont understand is my fan from ignition of engine to 20mins idle, the radiator fan never once turn on. And my friend's civic gli 1995 shows the same thing. Idle the engine temperature was normal (1/3 range). However when started driving for 10mins, the temperature gauge started climbing up till close to red. Anyone live near me could help me do a troubleshooting? greatly appreciated

[EG52NV]

Why the hell you insist on someone coming to help you diagnose something which everyone else has given clear instructions on what to do?

[EG52NV]

If your car is heating up and you cannot find a leak in the radiator, or the hoses and you have followed the correct procedure to eliminate air pockets in the system as well as diagnose whether fan is working. As well as checked for signs of milky substance under oil cap with not results.

theres a few more things.

Check radiator cap is holding pressure but usually cap doesn't fail,

My guess would be your car has a head gasket leak (not completely blow hence no white smoke coming from exhaust) and the leak only shows up when car gets hot which is driving heat into cooling system forcing the radiator cap open and pushing coolant out of the over flow bottle.

True story

[nastrox]

Checked Radiator Fan by using a bypass wire and the fan works. On AC full blast but fan does not spin. Air pockets in the system is eliminated. Checked for signs of milky substance and there are none. Checked for relay system and its fine. Guess i will just wait for tuesday and call Top One to give me solution. Thanks

[senna]

Only other thing I can think of is thermostat failure, hard to check without removing thermostat though...

[EG52NV]

Only other thing I can think of is thermostat failure, hard to check without removing thermostat though...

Nah just check the bottom hose if it's cold your thermostat isn't opening

[Bludger]

Nah just check the bottom hose if it's cold your thermostat isn't opening
all of a sudden, you're expert on cooling system.

naiceee








OP - I always examine the spray of the coolant, it leaves it's residue and you can work your way back to the source of the leak.

[EG52NV]

all of a sudden, you're expert on cooling system.

naiceee








OP - I always examine the spray of the coolant, it leaves it's residue and you can work your way back to the source of the leak.

Lol sounds like something from CSI, re-examine the blood splatter from the gun shot wound to find out where the shooter was standing...

Nospringcompressorsrequiredhere

[hayashi_1986]

This particular issue will occur if the rubber seat on the radiator cap has shrunk or warped. Have fixed my car as well as my mates with simply replacing the rad cap. Have you checked below the car as well to see if there's any fluid? Or inside the cabin area underneath the carpet? If not, check it as the heater core might also be leaking.

I racked my brains trying to fix this issue of mine...replaced all the piping in the car, till one day my window fogged up inside the cabin. I only managed to fix this when I tore the car down for a build project since I couldn't be f'd taking the dash out of a working car.

[Glocker]

Change the radiator cap and see.

[nastrox]

Checked the radiator cap and rubber seal. Good condition. :( the only thing left is thermostat and head gasket. Which i dare not open as i am not a mechanic, waiting for topone to open tomorrow and give them a call.

[Glocker]

Checked the radiator cap and rubber seal. Good condition. :( the only thing left is thermostat and head gasket. Which i dare not open as i am not a mechanic, waiting for topone to open tomorrow and give them a call.

If fan is not switching on your fan may be rooted?

[nastrox]

If fan is not switching on your fan may be rooted?

Hi mate, May i know what u mean by fan may be rooted? After driving for 10mins at approximately 60km/h the engine temperature started to rise till Hot. Opened the bonnet and check the two hose[one hose coming out of engine(hot), the other one is entering the engine (fairly cold)]. Is there a possibility that the thermostat is not opening hence temperature rises?

[Bludger]

Hi mate, May i know what u mean by fan may be rooted? After driving for 10mins at approximately 60km/h the engine temperature started to rise till Hot. Opened the bonnet and check the two hose[one hose coming out of engine(hot), the other one is entering the engine (fairly cold)]. Is there a possibility that the thermostat is not opening hence temperature rises?
top & bottom hose different temp after extended driving is a sure sign of thermostat.

can't be 100% until you take it out and check.

[Bludger]

might be blocked

[nastrox]

Thanks mate, Guess i will just wait for top one as its too risky to remove the thermostat housing being too many wires surrounding it.

[Bludger]

Thanks mate, Guess i will just wait for top one as its too risky to remove the thermostat housing being too many wires surrounding it.
srs?

unclip the wires.

if you're not sure what wires go where, label them or write it down.

thermostat is an easy change, even for a beginner.

you gotto start somewhere.

save yourself some money.

DIY all the way.


get the area clear, label if you must.

undo thermo housing, take the thermo out (remember which way it goes in.)

test it in boiling water.

go buy a new thermo, bring the old one to make sure you buy the correct thermo.

install reverse of removal. You might need a new thermo gasket.

thats it.

simple stupid.

[nastrox]

srs?

unclip the wires.

if you're not sure what wires go where, label them or write it down.


thermostat is an easy change, even for a beginner.

you gotto start somewhere.

save yourself some money.

DIY all the way.


get the area clear, label if you must.

undo thermo housing, take the thermo out (remember which way it goes in.)

test it in boiling water.

go buy a new thermo, bring the old one to make sure you buy the correct thermo.

install reverse of removal. You might need a new thermo gasket.

thats it.

simple stupid.

Yup i know i could save money from DIY. However, i just went for major service at top one one month ago after owning the car. Thus guess will be better to hand the car back to them :(. Btw anyone got recommended of towing service from NSW kingsford to Arncliffe?

[Bludger]

major service has nothing to do with thermostat.

more charges. & you want to tow it there?

GG

spend $500 to fix a thermostat.




wat.

[grifty]

Its pretty easy to change a theromstat, download the service manual before hand and have a good read of it. Would only cost you $70 max which includes thermostat, good coolant and gasket.

Also if the housing has a bit of corrosion give it a good sand with some 300-400 grit paper untill it is clean. Also apply some gasket glue between the block and the housing.

Its a really simple job and should only take 1hr max even for noobs.

[kcokla]

i havent read the entire thread but judging from a few posts it sounds like thermo stat

bottom hose cold top hose too hot = thermostat!

very easy job, and a new thermostat is around $40.

[nastrox]

Thanks everyone. Its the THERMOSTAT!! ARGHH..well got it fixed up by top one..cheers~~ next step is da clutch~~

[EG52NV]

What about the clutch?

[nastrox]

hmm wearing out..so i ordered clutch from ebay and waiting for benjamin to help me fix it up