Cooling System acting weird. - Honda Forum / Acura Forum

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 12:27 AM

just for background, the radiator is new, an all metal dual core kind.

my coolant system has been leaking, small pools at a time, but the radiator comes up empty sometimes, not completely, but so much that it takes a while to fill back up.

would i be best to just replace hoses and clamps etc? even tho they looks fine? or should i do something to test the radiator for leaks. i got the radiator from radiator barn and my dad noticed that it might have been reconditioned or something like that.

my engine head and block have been getting a lot hotter now and im getting worried. please some suggestions. btw: it makes loud hissing sounds after i park and turn off the motor, but no coolant, maybe just air from the pressure? that could be the leakage spot, but since the radiator was significantly low on coolant i couldnt tell where it was hissing from.

edit: so here are some pics, as you can see the hose is a little crooked, but no leakage from that area. and both sides of the radiaor are seeing leakage, i dont know if its run-off from the other side, so im gonna take it off and see whats up. also there was smoke coming from the passenger side of the radiator, so i immediatly turned off the motor.

i need to get this done by 1:45pm in time for class, i have a astro exam today.

flyracerx · 04-20-2005, 01:13 AM

take the radiator back out and check for leaks. also check the hoses leading to the back of the head and to the tb/im. make sure none of those are leaking. start the motor and wait for the temp to go up and watch closely. keep us posted

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 01:26 AM

how do you suggest i check for leaks, while i installed it, i didnt figure out how to check, so i didnt, but the leaks havent started until recently, and i installed the radiator like in Feb.

flyracerx · 04-20-2005, 01:42 AM

new hoses and everything? iono, when i had a leak i just started the car, waited for it to warm up and watched for dripping.

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 02:00 AM

alright thanks, i'll get to it tomorrow before class, keep everyone posted.

A_White_GS-R · 04-20-2005, 10:41 AM

Check all the hoses to make sure you tightend the clamps again after putting them back on. I left a clamp loose and it leaked after i tightened it it stopped leaking.

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 01:15 PM

so i took off the radiator, made sure the hoses were on tight, did a visual inspection of the radiator, then ran some water through it and nothing happened.

so i put everything back in, turn on the car until it warms up, the radiator now gets warmer a lot quicker, but the engine is backto normal temp. but the coolant is still leaking at an alarming rate, i cant tell for the life of me what wrong, im thinking it might be from some spot that coolant is leaking when under pressure. i think im gonna have to replace this radiator, i dont know what else to do.

A_White_GS-R · 04-20-2005, 01:44 PM

Try to cover both ends of radiator if you have it out and then with a hose on top fill it and see if the radiator leaks or the pressure builds up. When i say both ends i mean the one that goes to the engine and the return hole plug them both and stick a hose in the hole ontop where you normally fill it.

Just an idea.

Btw why did you change the radiator in the first place? Did the old one leak? Did it break beyond repair? Did you have this leakage problem before you changed it? That radiator you have might have a hairline crack along one of the seams it happened to me. Advice, take the radiator back tell them it leaks they should give you a new one and put the new one in if it still leaks like that then your problem is something else and also that hose in the pic on the bottom doesnt look very tight.

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 01:56 PM

i bought the radiator online, the hose in the pic is on tight actually, the connection port is very long, and it has a good seal on the hose.

and the old radiator was the stock plastic OEM one, it broke when someone leaned on it too hard and cracked the top plastic part.

lugnutRS · 04-20-2005, 04:23 PM

there is a thing that you can buy and you pump air into the cooling system. you do that when the car is off and whereever it's leaking from, coolant will start to piss out. You said you changed the hoses too right?

A_White_GS-R · 04-20-2005, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95db8

i bought the radiator online, the hose in the pic is on tight actually, the connection port is very long, and it has a good seal on the hose.

and the old radiator was the stock plastic OEM one, it broke when someone leaned on it too hard and cracked the top plastic part.

Well if it didnt leak with the old radiator until it broke and this one is leaking either two things can be happening. 1. Some hose somewhere is not tight or 2. The radiator is damaged/bad/needs to be returned. Since you checked it to see if there was anything lose then ide have to go with the radiator being bad. And the pressure idea above is not a bad idea try that out and coolant should piss out from somewhere quickly.

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 05:51 PM

yeah... its just weird this is starting all of a sudden, well i got this radiator from rad iator bar n. com, hopefully i still have my receipt somewhere and i can ask them to send me a replacement before i have to send mine first. or buy another one and get them to refund me.

A_White_GS-R · 04-20-2005, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95db8

yeah... its just weird this is starting all of a sudden, well i got this radiator from rad iator bar n. com, hopefully i still have my receipt somewhere and i can ask them to send me a replacement before i have to send mine first. or buy another one and get them to refund me.

I can tell you right now they wont send another one till you return yours first. Most companies dont do that and becareful they might make you pay for shipping.

95db8 · 04-20-2005, 08:28 PM

good news -- radiator barn gives a lifetime warranty on the radiators, and i found a OEM gsr radiator online for about 60 bucks. i guess i will use the OEM radiator until that one breaks and keep this metal one as a spare, or vice versa. :w00t

btw: they dont cover return shipping on the radiators, should i try to get them to pay it? i bought this radiator in Feb. and im pretty sure now that the leakage is in the radiator itself, as the hoses are in good condition, and have never felt wet at all.

lean · 04-20-2005, 11:18 PM

To find the leak, try cleaning up all traces of coolant around the radiator. Start the engine and try to find exactly where fresh coolant it's leaking from with a flashlight. Or, when the system is hot and the engine off, squeeze the large radiator hoses with your hand (careful, they will be hot) to pressurize the system even more and help force coolant out of the leak. With that much coolant coming out, you should be able to find where the exact leak is somewhat easily if you clean it all up first to have a fresh starting point.

If all else fails, pick up some coolant dye, run it in the car for a while and use a black light. The dye will stand out like crazy. Techs do that a lot to find leaks.