J1A1H

Hi everyone...

i have noticed recently that my radiator water in the plastic bottle is running out a a very fast rate especially when i am in traffic!!!

I was told that the fan isnt coming on at the right time and so the water begins to over heat and evapourates from the bottle! (thats why there is a loss)


The radiator seems fine etc... i am not sure what to do or how to fix this problem...

Can someone help me please on how to fix the fan problem or tell me if its something else.

THANK YOU

94hatchvx

i have the same problem. let it run for a little so it can pressurize the system and see if you have any leeks.

J1A1H

any info would be greatly appreciated as this can not be a gd thing and i dont want to keep on toping up my water bottle with water and anti freeze

94hatchvx

chech your water pump and the main housing. they are both under the intake manifold on the backside of the block

robert_v

this same thing happened to me, by the time i knew it, my radiator blew. first change the thermostat, then if thats not the problem (most likely is) change your water pump. if water starts pushing out to the reserve, its your head gasket (future reference).

old man neri

Enough of this nonsense, lets do some basic diagonstics here.

What does the temp guage read? (when idling and when cruising)
If you idle in the driveway do you get a puddle of anti freeze underneath?
Have you check the entire system for any leaks or signs of leaks?
Does your fan actually turn on?

If you answer these questions people will better be able to help you. Otherwise you will get people telling you random things like "chaning your T-stat" and "change you water pump" without any good basis. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers!

J1A1H

ok neri... to clear things up...
When cruising my temp reads normal just below halfway. Even when idling it is normal... It only ever rises when i am stuck in a very longlong traffic jam and the water in the bottle has evaporated.

There are no leaks anywhere on my driveway or in the engine bay.

My fan does turn on, but someone told me that it might not be engaging at the right time so the radiator over heats a little and water evaporates from the water bottle.
Is this posible?

Do you think its the fan? i think it looks like the problem but how would i reset it so i would come on at the right time?

THANKS

old man neri

I doubt it is the antifreeze boiling away, that would cause a massive pressure increase and you would see/hear something burst.

It is possible to jump your fan and have it constantly on. You have to search as to how to do that. That should be able to tell you if your fan really is being delayed.

How much antifreeze are you adding? Are you sure you are not burning it? is it in your oil at all?

J1A1H

no there isnt too much antifreeze at all just the right amount to stop the water in the radiator freezing at night.

old man neri

sorry, I meant, how much fluid is it eating up. Every time you top it off how much do you add, how quickly does it disapear?

J1A1H

i top it off to where it says max... and depending on wheter i am stuck in traffic often or i do more motorway miles.

Because i could top it off and immidiatle get stuck in a 40minute traffic jam where i barely move or lots of stop starts and then at the end of that its nearly empty...

But if i am always moving and the fan rarely comes on then the water doesnt go down

SicilianSpeed42

hey i just helped you out with your other post about oil changes....as far as what neri said...it seems very possible that you have a leak somewhere. if you are burning coolant your exhaust will have a white tint(dont confuse that with steam due to cold weather), and if its mixing with your oil you will have a gooey yellowish buildup which you could be able to see by removing your oil cap.

J1A1H

well during start up there is A LOT of steam or white smoke. But it eventually goes away once the engine has warmed up. I will check the oil cap tomorow morning and see if there is a build up of yellowish goo.

i wil get back to you on it.

THANKS A LOT!!!

SicilianSpeed42

thats a sign of coolant and oil mixing
(taken from vc's "what is this gunky stuff" thread

J1A1H

i was checking out the whole thread in detail https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1481513

you said that my coolent might be leaking... If it is where could it be leaking in order to get into the engine and cause this? because i cant see any exterior leaks.

Someone also mentioned this "Assuming you didn't suck water up the intake or blow a gasket, oil can get this way from moisture contamination in the winter in cars that only take short trips so they never warm up enough to burn off the water that condenses in the crankcase. Also happens if the thermostat isn't working to stay closed allowing the car to fully warm up. This moisture contamination can kill an engine eventually. Probably also can happen if the PCV system isn't working right. If you aren't located in a Winter area right now then I think you have a serious water contamination problem so the compression test suggestion is a good one."

Is this also possible? because i may just be losing coolent because of my fan coming in to late?

SicilianSpeed42

from what you said your car is warming up so i dont think so. as far as suckin up water, the end of your intake would of had to be submerged in water. if your oil looks like that my best guess is that you blew a head gasket.

J1A1H

ok i checked my oil cap and radiator cap and there was no gunky stuff what so ever and looked nice and clean...
NO LEAKS NO WHERE AT ALL!!!!

so the last thing i can think of is the fan coming onto late?

possible?

old man neri

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by J1A1H &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

so the last thing i can think of is the fan coming onto late?

possible?</TD></TR></TABLE>

again, not too likely. What you propose is that your car gets so hot and that the fluid turns into steam and escapes. For this to happen you would still need a leak somewhere, also if it were boiling off your temp guage would be through the roof and you would notice the loud hissing or something would actually blow because of the immence pressures created.

EvilPhu

When ur driving do u turn on the heater??? so it will take out the heater core/hose(leak inside of car).