96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

I have a 96 Accord that is leaking like crazy from the backside of the motor, right by the water pump where the pipe that connects to the thermostat.

Has any one had a similar problem? I don't want to spend to much time, nor money fixing this car. It was hand me down with over 200k. I can do the work my self, but I just wanted to see if any one has had the exact problem, and what is it?

Also does any one have a PDF of repair manual for a 96 Accord.

Thanks in advance HT.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

there are o rings. I had the same problem.. if the pipe isn't lined up right then you nick the o ring and it leaks eventually. I also had mine rust out and it had a pin hole leak. Bought a new one, 2 new o rings, and was good as new. Its not too hard to do either, just make sure you take the bolt out of the bracket that holds it, and lube the o rings before shoving them in.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

^+1 Right on man. I'm going to pick some o-rings up and do the job. Thanks

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

the thermostat housing can be a b$tch to get out, but yea....definatly that O-ring. Its an easy fix. Shouldn't take more than about 45mins to do yourself. Drain your coolant out from the plug on the bottom of the radiator before you do it or you will have a mess on your hands. Might as well change your thermostat while you are there too since I think you gotta take out the thermo housing anyway to get that pipe off. and maybe the radiator hose that connects to the housing if its looking old.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

What would I use to lube them?

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

WD-40...tri-flow....something like that. i spray my finger and lube the O-rings by wiping them. just put enough to help you get it together

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

yep anything is better than dry lol.. spit if you have to.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

when i did mine, you don't have to take the thermo out.. i took off the whole assembly as one. I think there is a gasket behind there too actually just so you know.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

Thanks for all the help fellas. I just finished. The back bolt that holds the pipe was a PITA to take out and put back. It probably would have taken me 20min to do the job rather than 2hrs, due to the bolt. Other than that is was a $6 fix. Thanks again for your help.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

no problem.. atleast you knew about the bolt lol.. first time i did it i had no idea and i couldn't figure it out until i saw it. i found a 12 mm gear wrench to be my best friend after that.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

That's exactly what I wished I had.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

I have the same problem with my 97 Honda accord. I am not a professional mechanic, but I try to do what I can. I saw that you guys said it only takes about an hour to fix, but I thought I had to lower or higher the engine to do it. What do I need to take out first to get to this area?

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

I have a 96 Accord with vtec 4 cyl. there is a leak that will actually trickle coolant if you remove the radiator cap so the system can breath. even with a mirror I can't see the spot, but it is under/near the intake port for the cylinder nearest the thermostat.
looking at the diagram, it appears that there is a distribution pipe under there with several hoses.
there is also a bleeder bolt down there somewhere!

seems my best bet is to remove the intake piping and try for a clearer view. does anyone have any other suggestions?

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

to: Slammeddc2teg,

check the weep holes on the side near the water pump. if the pump seals have failed then coolant will come out one or both these holes. It's normal when this happens for there to be flow for a minute or two after shutting off the engine while it depressurizes.

only solution is water pump replacement.
it is driven by the timing belt so it makes sense to replace that too while you're in there, and also the counterbalancer belt that is behind the lower part of the timing belt.
not very expensive, but involved and time-consuming.

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

Dang, I'm surprised someone bumped this thread. But it was the water pump. Sold the car about 2 years ago. Had 250k

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

Idk if I'm doing this right but just replaced the head,water pump, timing belt,all that but now suddenly there's a leak by the water pipe inlet to the water pump Honda dealership is like over an hour away before I tear this shit apart I was jw if anyone has tryd the kseal shit

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

Hey guys just the other day i replaced my inter heater hose because it busted on my( hose just below the distributor) and i replace it with no sweat and now i have a leak to what seems to be coing out the back of the engine coming and dripping off the oil pan, i would think it might be the water pump but i can see the leak coing from what seems to be the timing belt location but it drips from a higher part of the engine( not around the water pump location) near the top of the timing cover? any clues, is there a hose back in there or back there that can be the issue? :drag:

Re: 96 Accord, leaking coolant from backside of engine.
 

There is a coolant hose that leads up to the underside of the intake manifold. To see back there clearly and reach around to fix it, I normally drain the oil and remove the oil filter that's back there. Then you climb underneath, slide your head just past the engine block, look up and can see all the hoses and connections and see where it's coming from if not from that hose I mentioned. I've never been able to replace or re-attach that hose without doing the oil filter removal, it was just a little too crowded back there.