dizzi

i have a 95 civic, and i've been having a problem lately with my coolant. Earlier today after driving about 25 mins when i stopped to go to work i noticed a boiling sound.... the first thing i do when i get out of my car is inspect, and in doing so i found white smoke(steam) coming from the seam of my hood.... now i know they say steaming coolant is a sign that your coolant is low, but the thing is about 1000 miles ago i filled my radiator and reservoir with coolant because it did the same thing then (and before that i never had to change my coolant as often).... I haven't found any external leaks or holes and the steam itself was coming from the seams of the reservoir top from what i can tell(but its completely empty).... I just finished refilling both the radiator and reservoir again and after running the car for a few mins the reservoir is about midway and the radiator appears to still be full.... what could be burning coolant this fast??? i can only think it has to be something internal if its a leak... any ideas?

NVturbo

If you are still running on the stock radiator, it's time to replace it. For what it's worth, get an all-aluminum radiator such as Mishimoto.

dizzi

so its a radiator problem? i bought the car back in may, doesnt look like the radiator has ever been replaced but it looks in good condition, i could be wrong tho.... car does have 175xxx miles on it so if it never been replaced yea it would be about time for it to be replaced, huh. lol

dizzi

ok... hopefully.... it is the problem... id hate to think its something more severe.... found the mishimoto aluminum radiator online... gonna buy.. hope it helps

beecee18

If there is no visable leaks or any sign of loosing the coolant externally
there must be combustion mixing with the cooling system via blown headgaket.

You need to do compression tests and leakdown test before throwing parts at your car. If you think the radiators bad then it will be exposed during pressure testing. But I dont think the radiators an issue.

Ryan Lwin

Why are you jumping to expensive conclusion first? Have you tried replacing the reservoir and reservoir cap yet? That could be where it's leaking and losing pressure. The drip from it is touching the radiator and steaming. You won't see leaks from that.

ej1Slyder

To install that radiator (givin its the 32mm inlet/outlet) your gonna need some new hoses because your stock d series hoses are most likely dry, and are for a 28mm in/out radiator, ur gonna have to stretch the hoses over the mishis larger inlet and outlet, if your hoses are old and original this will be an issue. 2 options = new d series rubber hoses, lube them to stretch and fit, or go with EM1 or really any B16 upper and lower hose combo, you will have to trim a few inches off the upper, but the benefit of this is if you use real hose clamps they secure nicely to your 28mm ports and no stretching is needed to fit the radiator. Also make sure u bleed the system of any bubbles when done, search how as many quality instructional diagrams have been posted before. Good luck.

ej1Slyder

Also, the radiator cap is what allows coolant into the overflow tank in the first place once pressure exceeds 1.1 BAR, so replacing the overflow tank and cap would be pointless, they arent air tight to begin with lol.

dizzi

buying a radiator isnt that expensive, first off.... but thanks for the help and concern... im just trying to prevent a huge problem down the line and im not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the mechanics of my car... replace'n the reservoir and cap seems pretty meaningless as the reservoir is good and the caps arent designed to be air tight as it would make it harder for pressure to be released if needed, right? correct me if im wrong....

i've already concluded that there isnt a external leak and i admit i did fill my overflow more than i should have, which could be the reason for it leaking from the top of the cap(at first)... but the problem is somethings causing the coolant to burn away even when it low... i filled my radiator and reservoir both and once i turned on the car, instantly the coolant began to bubble... now in the incident in my first post, i believed my coolant was boiling but its obvious that it must be pressure causing it to bubble out like that... im not sure how to go about fixing it besides taken it to the shop (and as a broke college student im always nervous about going to the shop)

beecee18

then go buy the mishi radiator for a vehicle with a compromised headgasket seal.

redm3turbo

OP---You "heard" boiling? where was the temp gauge? Was it past the middle or was it pegged in the red?

If you let it get to the red, you couldve warped the head. Honestly to me it sounds like a HG, because you have the 95 civic. If it was radiator related you'd see steam more often, and not just 1x every 1000 miles or whatever. You should be able to tell if your radiator, cap, or overflow is leaking....just by inspecting it over. HG will eat the coolant and not show anything for it.

Cheapest way to know is get the tester at the autoparts store and/or check your oil (drop it out of the pan). If your handy You can change out a hg for about $100 if you re-use the headbolts. If you aren't and you have a shop do it....its going to be pricey.

dizzi

yea im not that ignorant... i heard what appeared to be boiling but my gauge NEVER showed that the car was overheating.... the only reason the problem was brought to my attention was because the first thing i do when i get out my car is inspect... and it wasnt boiling (i realized that to be impossible)... it was bubbling possibly due to air pressure in my cooling system.... as air came into the reservoir coolant was pushed out the top.... i happened instantly, even if the car cooled down over hours....so, i bled the air out and now the problem has ceased... so far.. but it has only been a day since, so i'll keep checking.

My guess is if i find myself having to put more coolant in, then i can only imagine it's something internal like a headgasket, etc.... if thats the case, guess ima hafta get "handy".