cooling system problem

[[T][L]]

can a bad radiator cap cause loss of coolant..
i went to the mech..and done pressure test and there was no leaks..
its not the headgasket because the oil is not milky colour??
anybody knows..

[michael_antoi]

and you've looked for leaks already?

[[T][L]]

yes..

[michael_antoi]

so how do u know ur losing coolant?

[[T][L]]

because i fill the radiator like every couple days!!

[ATSE]

Are you loosing coolant from the reserve tank? Have you bleed the system recently? You might have air bubbles in you system, causing it to use up coolant.

[iamhappy46]

Park the car on a hill with the front heading uphill, rotate internal fan onto heat.
Remove Radiator Cap once engine is cool.
Fill radiator coolant level up and start car, re-fill as required. Check all heater/radiator hoses.
Check the interior carpet to confirm that water is not dripping out of interior heater core.

Other than that, it could be a cracked head and whenever your engine gets hot, the crack seeps water into the combustion chamber... Obviously that is not good.

[[T][L]]

if it is cracked head wouldnt the oil be milky colour?/?

[Twincam16]

not cracked head, as yes, it would be a coffee colour.

coolant is green... hopefully yes?

After you drive can you smell coolant in your car? really bad smesmell after you check under bonnet?

Turn on car, let it idle, it might be a leak in waterpump... so sit your car on concrete, give it a few minutes of high revving, and check under your car for leaks, near the tyre's especially... if there is a small amount of fluid, it shouldnt be too bad, if there is puddle I would reccomend going to honda and getting it checked out.

[[T][L]]

coolant is green... hopefully yes? yes its green

After you drive can you smell coolant in your car? really bad smesmell after you check under bonnet? no i cant smell coolant in the car..no bad smell when i open the bonnet either...

i replaced the water pump late last year..

[Twincam16]

Could be, i had a water pump on my old corolla for 4 months and it started to leak (not enough gasket goo)...

Id get it checked regardless of age & condition, if its been installed incorrectly, it can go wrong. Simply get somebody to rev it a bit, and check for drops in the area...

Might not drip, it might be sealed in under a sealed area which is trapping the coolant, then heating that up and steaming it off everynow and then... maybe its a loose welsh plug under the timing cover? (small silver blocked off holes which are found around the block)

What engine is it?

[[T][L]]

its a d15b4 dual carby..

[iamhappy46]

Actually, if the head cracks so that water goes into the cylinder bore/combustion chamber, the oil will not change colour(It goes out the exhaust valve)
VL Commondoors(Cyl 5) are a common example of this but other alloy head motors do have it happen.

If it really is only a small leak, you could try products such as CHEMI-WELD, which will seal your cooling system leaks.

Seeing as it is the dual-carb D15, I would hazard a guess and say check the water hose on the passenger side that goes into the passenger side carby. The hose is directly above the alternator and goes in a sort of horseshoe.

[civiceg9]

If the rubber on the radiator cap is worn, replace it.

If you using a high pressure radiator cap, eg Mugen, Spoon etc it may use abit more water.

[Samo]

the guy said he took it to mechanics to do a cooling system pressure test and its ok .. so if its a leak it would loose pressure during the pressure test ... and having 10-15 psi of pressure in the system during the test would make whereever leak pouring out.
so i say its not a leak ...

[iamhappy46]

Depends on whether the mechanic had the motor hot when he pressurised it(most mechanics don't) When rubber hoses are hot, they can sometimes even become porous, not to mention metal components deforming and allowing water seepage.
A simple pressure test would not diagnose these types of leak.