- This topic has 39 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Topic
-
So… for the past three months and a bunch of cash later, I have had the radiator, radiator cap, belt, water pump, thermostat, AND headgasket replaced. The 2001 honda civic still overheats. I do not have heat in my car. The heat has been slowly dying out since spring. However, since it was getting warmer weather, I decided that I could deal with it once cooler months arrive. At the end of April, it started to randomly run hot, but the problem seemed to go away, until at the end of July when the poor radiator exploded with fluids and smoke. This was the beginning of my life’s dependency on cabs, good friends, and towing companies (obviously haven’t found great mechanics… until Eric “The Car Guy”). Do you guys think it could be a clogged heater, that (over time)just slowly started melting the gasket?
-
Replies
-
HOLY COW!!! The reservoir is full up to the top of the cap!!! Luckily the antifreeze looks good (no oil dripping or cloudiness). Found this out after checking the level in the radiator itself… There wasn’t any coolant at the base of the neck. What does this mean?
So I let the car run for a while and the big fans behind the radiator didn’t come on. It still didnt overheat though. Y’all think it is the radiator after all? Cause I really don’t think fluids are circulating and since the coolant looks good there is obviously no gases that are leaking from the HG.
A very high level in the coolant reservoir is not completely reassuring, since boiling of coolant happens inside the engine. That increases the volume inside a closed chamber, which pushes fluid back into the coolant reservoir. After the engine cools, if the cap is working correctly, coolant siphons back, but trapped air often remains inside engine passages. Just because you have little air inside the coolant reservoir doesn’t mean you have properly burped the system. That needs to be done first.
If you are just going to replace more parts at this stage without further diagnostics, I would not replace the radiator again. Rather, as I said above, I would test for combustion gasses inside the coolant system. You can buy such a tester at any parts store for about $50, or you could ask the mechanic who did the head gasket to do it for you. If you still have products of combustion there, your head gasket repair failed. If you want to replace a part without more diagnostics, then a new thermostat would be a lot less expensive than a radiator.
I will stop by the parts store today to grab a block testing kit. I still don’t know where the bleeder is though. Am I going to have to drain the coolant since it so filled up in the reservoir?
Used the block tester. No fumes- nothing was even going into the plastic cylinder of the test. Needless to say the fluid was still blue. Can someone please tell me where the bleeder is? Seems like coolant is going in the reseveroir and not going back into the radiator. But I do need to bleed the system (seems like that is the only thing that helps). Any clues on where to find the bleeder screw?
Don’t worry about the bleed screw.its only used when
filling the system.just keep following the bleed procedure.
how old is the radiator cap?The radiator cap is just shy of three months old. It looks okay. As far as bleeding the system, shouldn’t I be worried about everything going directly into the over spill tank and not coming back into the radiator? Also I do no have a spill free funnel. Should I just say screw it and stick a bucket underneath?
with the rad cap off. take some coolant out to make it
a little low.so coolant does not spill all over.That’s the problem… I can’t see any coolant in the radiator… It’s ALL in the reserveror filled to the very top/ to the cap.
top off the coolant.but leave it below the rad neck.
then due the procedure per the video.The more the system
is empty the more air keeps getting in.Isn’t it dangerous to the system to hav the reservoir that full? I am trying to drain the reservoir before I put anymore coolant in because it goes to the reservoir and stays there overtime.
It’s so difficult getting that tube off! Time to hockey tape a pair of needle noses to get that tube off with no damage. I hope that when it does come off, I will be able to put it back on! Lol. Still sounds like air in the system. As the air in the engine gets hot it expands. If the radiator and reservoir are all working correctly as the air in the engine cools it will contract and suck coolant from the reservoir back into the engine. The fact that the reservoir stays full indicates that this is not happening. If the pressure cap on the radiator is the wrong type or defective it might leak air into the system instead. Does the system build up pressure as the engine warms up? You can tell by squeezing the radiator hose, it should be firm when the engine is at normal running temp. You should fill the radiator with coolant and check for leaks with the radiator full.
I filled up the radiator and let it idle for a little over 20 min. Air bubbles were still coming up. Coolant never left the reservoir. Some coolant went down the radiator which I topped off with just a splash every now and then ( about three times). Oh , both hoses were hot after the 20min mark but the car never overheated.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.