LdySheri

2002 Honda Accord, 4 cylinder, automatic

I drove home tonight, a 10 minute ride, and after I got home and turned the engine off, I opened the hood and noticed a small amount of steam coming up from the region of the intake manifold and noticed a good bit of heat coming from the engine compartment in general, even though the gauge cluster thermometer inside the car was in the normal operating zone.

I purchased the Haynes manual a month ago and this is the first auto repair I have attempted. Two weeks ago, I removed the air intake, plenum, and intake manifold to clean them out and clean out the EGR passageway and to install a new EGR valve, install new fuel injectors and to install a new intake manifold gasket and a new gasket between the manifold and plenum.


However, when attaching the intake manifold back to the head of the engine last week, I noticed that the thermostat housing also needed to reattach to the side of the intake manifold, and that there was a small rubber-looking gasket that mates the thermostat housing to the intake manifold, however, the Haynes manual never said anything about replacing the rubber gasket that sits between the thermostat and the intake manifold.

Also, when tightening the 9 nuts which keep the intake manifold in place, the Haynes manual said I should tighten them to a certain torque, however, I do not own a torque wrench and have never seen or used one before, so I just tightened them with a wrench and socket until they seemed tight (I was worried about tightening them too much and damaging the aluminum or ruining the thread on the intake bolts).

Also, I never put coolant/antifreeze back into the radiator because the gentleman at the Honda dealership said I would be fine just using plain water during the summer months.

1) Do you think the steam or light smoke is coming from water evaporating at the intake manifold area?

2) Do you think some of those 9 intake manifold bolts are not tight enough?

3) Do you think the new intake manifold gasket has failed?

4) Do you think the little rubber ring gasket between the thermostat and intake manifold port should have been replaced (even though the Haynes manual made no mention of it)?

LdySheri

Also, the intake manifold has 9 nuts which hold it onto the engine, and some of those nuts are in recessed corners and have to be grabbed by a wrench, a regular socket cannot go onto them due to their position. Since that is the case, how can a torque wrench be used on those nuts, if a socket is not able to slide onto the nut?

poorman212

I will only try to answer the thermostat/gasket question.
As a start I would purchase a new thermostat and gasket, yes the gasket does slip around the outside of the thermostat and if you'er there might as well replace both.

If nothig else, if it is like my 95, it would be the easiest place to start.

The-Kid

Wow o WOW! Are you kidding me?! Water instead of coolant?! Obviously this guy is trying to get you to buy a new car. Anyways, you should definitely put in coolant, especially in the summer months. It's dangerous to the engine block as there is not enough cooling protection.

I would put in a new gasket of the thermostat and put in some coolant!

poorman212

Sorry, forgot one or two things.
I'm guessing you got the air out of the system?
If you are going to do things like this in the future then think about swivel sockets and or crows foot, they can be your friend.
Last, if this is really you're "first repair", congrants! Check your work, sometimes I spend more time re-thinking my steps then actually working. Worried I forgot "something". If the t-stat doesn't do it. Pull the tray, secure the car in the air, crank it up and watch under and around for any fluid leaks.

phootbag

I suspect the smoke you are seeing is steam caused by a cooling system leak. As stated above, always use coolant. Proper coolant/water mixture has a higher boiling point and lower freezing point than water alone. Water boils at 212 degrees F. Proper mixture of water/coolant boils at a much higher temperature. Which, is safer for your engine.