schumi

Coolant boils over the coolant reservior cap. Changed the reservior cap, changed the radiator cap etc but even then coolant spills over/boils over the reservior cap??

1- I have been filling up the radiator with water since the cooolant gets boiled over. Is this OK to continue till the issue is fixed?

2- Any suggestions on my next steps in resolving the issue??

thanks a lot

JThrasher79

are your fans turning on?

since when did you change the thermostat?

schumi

both fans are turning on...its been awhile/not changed at all regrading the thermostat...btw its on a 99 gsr with 90K miles on it....

hueyduey

this was happening to me too. I'd notice the splash marks on the underside of my hood. i would have to fill the radiator reservoir about every 3 or 4 weeks cause it would be dry.

few things I noticed in my situation:

-it was taking a long time for my car to warm up and when it did, when I drove in cold temperatures the temperature gauge would drop back to cold.
-if you've never changed the radiator it'll start to leak where the radiator core meet the tank (i forget the right word for the top of the radiator) at around 100 - 120k.

I was comparing the price between a stock replacement and an aftermarket radiator. I ended up spending about $140 more to get a mishimoto radiator with slim fan, and thats when I changed the radiator hoses and thermostat.

if you don't have the cash to change out the radiator now, just change out the coolant and replace the thermostat... get a OEM honda thermostat for $12 - 20.. I forgot how much I paid for it. plus it comes with a gasket which looks like it fits a lot better than a generic autozone gasket.

Dark@Powers

I would stray away from straight water.

http://www.team-integra.net/fo...earch

schumi

Thanks...I understand that I have to fix this ASAP, but doesn't know where to start from Any other inputs as to what exactly to be done are appreciated

Here is some more back ground info

Changed the OEM radiator with Koyo last summer.
Changed timing belt and water pump recently
Chaned the radiator cap and coolant reserviuor cap last week.
AC is working fine, radiator fans turns on, tempratures gauage shows proper range

Since I have a 80 mile roind trip everyday, filling coolant every day is not working out so changed to water for the time being.

Anyway for now, I will mix some coolant also to make it a 80:20 mix or so....

rebo0t

change the tstat.

God-Driven

does the car overheat at all or in idle after driving for a while

schumi

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by God-Driven &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">does the car overheat at all or in idle after driving for a while</TD></TR></TABLE>

No...this is assuming that temprature gauge works well.

After I drive around, when I look around the reservioir, I can see the leak

schumi

AC seems to be not working....but fans does come on....

rogersbm82

If you are going to use straight water used distilled water only and not for a long period of time. The clycol in the coolant is anti-corrosive. Using straight water will eventually cause rust=bad.

schumi

I have added more coolant to it today .....but kind of stuck as to what my next steps are?

hueyduey

i'd say fully flush your coolant system. I'll break it down for ya.

1. jack the car up and drain the radiator from the plug underneath and take off the radiator cap
2. while it's draining take off the intake piping so you can get the the thermostat easier.
3. take off the hose that connects to the bottom of the radiator on the engine side, this is where your thermostat is located. squeeze the hose before you do this so that you don't get so much coolant everywhere when you take the hose off.
4. There's 2 bolts holding the thermostat housing, they're a little tough to get to but not impossible.
5. take out the old thermostat, it might take a screwdriver to pop it out.
6. now put the housing back on w/o a thermostat as we're going to flush the coolant system. bolts don't have to be super tight.
7. connect the hose back up, plug the radiator and remove the top hose where it connects to the radiator.
8. stick a garden hose into the radiator and turn it on... water exiting will come out of the top hose catch the coolant that first comes out. then when you see clear water let it run for another minute or so and you're good.
9. you can also do the radiator separately from top to bottom and bottom to top, and also buy a radiator or coolant flush that you put in and the turn on your car and let the flush circulate for a bit, but that takes more time and it's up to you.
10. once flushed you can take off the hose that connects to the thermostat housing, and removing the housing, and remove the radiator plug to drain out all the water.
11. replace the thermostat with a new one and making sure it's inserted with the long side in. (i've heard stories of people putting this on backwards, so remember how you took it out)
12. replace the hoses, put in the radiator plug, fill that baby up with fresh coolant mix, and if you want some purple ice or water wetter. Read the instructions though as those additives are designed for a high amount of water than coolant concentration. (when filling up, leave the reservoir half full, fill the radiator and squeeze the radiator tubes to get the air bubbles out, turn the car on and fill the radiator and squeeze the tube to get the air out, then top off the radiator, if you squeeze the hose when the radiator is topped off, take it easy or it'll splash out)
13. wipe everything clean so that you can tell easier if leaks occur again.
14. take it for a drive then check for leaks.
15. let the car cool down, check for leaks again, and fill the reservoir if necessary.

tools:
drain bucket
funnel
channel lock or pliers
flathead screwdriver
sockets or wrench set

cost:
$10 coolant
$20 thermostat / gasket
$10 water wetter

time:
1 - 2 hours

schumi

Thanks, I would find some time to do this....but would like to make sure that its going to address the issue.

What is the root cause of coolant boiling over thru reservior? Is there a single reason for this to happen? Yesyerday, after the trip, I could clearly see water hissing out of the radiator cap

Tizight

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by schumi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks, I would find some time to do this....but would like to make sure that its going to address the issue.

What is the root cause of coolant boiling over thru reservior? Is there a single reason for this to happen? Yesyerday, after the trip, I could clearly see water hissing out of the radiator cap </TD></TR></TABLE>

Too much pressure building up in the radiator and pushing the coolant into the overflow? It happens to me at least 2-3 times each summer.

schumi

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tizight &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Too much pressure building up in the radiator and pushing the coolant into the overflow? It happens to me at least 2-3 times each summer. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks...How a coolant flush will correct this?

schumi

Changed the Koyo raiadtor to OEM kind of one... changed the coolant also.

So far things have been OK....AC blows cold, temprature remains OK....

Will post if something changes

JThrasher79

if you kept adding water to it then you were slowly lowering the boiling temp each time. thats probably what happened..