burnin radiator fluid!
 

alright I have a 92 prelude, and this thing has been suckin radiator fluid and I don't know why, I had recently bought this car, and the guy that I bought it off from said that it jsut needed a new thermostat, I have bought one but not put it on yet..I"ve had some other people that it could be a blown head gasket...what do you guys think?

blown head gasket....does it smoke? it should with a blown head gasket.

no it does not smoke, everyone else that I have talked to has said that it was probably a blown head gasket, when I get more time, I'll check the spark plugs and shit

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (92silude)
 

yah its definatly a head gasket. Time to take the head off doh!

try replacing the radiator cap, that might solve the problem, something cheap to replace before trying to pull the head

Head gasket. Check if it puffs white smoke. I would also put that thermostat and a radiator cap on just to make sure but I cant think of why a new thermo would solve that problem.

yeah I was just over looking the car, and the radiator fan doesn't turn on either...is there a possibility that the radiator could just be evaporating the coolant?

Re: (92silude)
 

has the fan not turned on in a long time? you might have a small crack in your radiator. my fans went out and i didn't notice it for awhile and cracked the top plastic of my radiator. didn't leak too bad being at the top, if its at the bottom it would leak faster.

does the car overheat? it should.

I always check the radiator fluid before I drive it, but once it has overheated, when I realized that I had this problem...but whenever I have fluid in it, it doesn't over heat..the fan hasn't worked since I've had it...I was talking to puretuning in Toledo, Ohio. They told me that it might not be the head gasket that it could be that the radiator is bad and that it's just evaporating the radiator fluid...I checked the radiator, there we almost two rows without any fins...could this be the problem?


Modified by 92silude at 2:14 PM 12/1/2004

you can try chaning the radiator...its prob gonna run you close to 200 tho. what motor you have btw? if it doesnt smoke...it has to leak....look for leaks and spots on the ground.

h23, it doesn't smoke, and the only leak is the power steering leak...do you think I should just take it in somewhere and have them look at it..'cause I'm runnin out of possibilities, and I don't want to sit here and spend a shitload of money replacing parts that don't need to be replaced

i would take it to a reputable shop, like you said it would suck to waiste the money and have it being something else.....

hey man you have any 1/4 times and/or dynos of the h23? thanks and sorry for getting off topic.

Re: (hOndafienD 04)
 

alright well the radiator fan comes on now...but the radiator fluid is still disappearing, and the only time that it smokes, is when it's gone...when the radiator fluid is full...there's never any smoke...and no I don't have any dyno or 1/4 mile times..I'm trying to get the car to work to it's fullest before I do my 1/4...oh yeahand I looked on the radiator and it looks like evaporated fluid down both the sides...think it's the radiator?

Re: (92silude)
 

is there like spots of dried coolant on the side of it or something? Cracked radiators are a pretty common problem. Mine just cracked last week.

Re: (LudaMan)
 

yeah that's what it is, and there's like a bunch of fins missing too

yeah if the radiator is greenish on the fins its busted/bound to bust anyday....just replaced mine a month ago before it got busted and i got stuck https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

so you think that it's the radiator causing the fluid to 'disappear', 'cause I'm seeing no signs of it being the head gasket...I mean there's no smoke except when the fluid is like evaporated and there's just about none in the car and it starts to overheat, ( I know, not good) ....well thanks for all your guys' if you got anymore ideas of what it might be...let me know

i'd would almost be 100 certain its the radiator....its a very good start at least

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (92silude)
 

My car had the same problem. Every couple of days i would have to add coolant. I had no leaks and it was a new aftermarket C&R Racing radiator. I also didn't smoke. Well last night I blew my headgasket for sure cause it was pouring out white smoke from my exhaust. We checked and my fan had stopped working too. Hope that helps. http://images.honda-tech.com/set1//smile/emcrook.gif

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (h22Hatchy)
 

that's the problem though, I don't know if it's the radiator of if it's the head gasket....the radiator in it is a pos, my fans are working now though, I just had to replace the thermostat, well now I know it's either the head gasket or it's the radiator, I'll just take it somewhere and have them look at it, see if they can diagnos it...thanks a lot for your guy's help https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (92silude)
 

Get a compression leakdown test done (should be cheap and quick), and you'll know wether or not your headgasket is ok.

(During leakdown test, rad cap is off, , if any air/bubbles come up through the rad, your headgasket is the culprit)

If not, rad .... if your not seeing smoke though, odds are rad.

Si

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (92silude)
 

if you had a blown head gasket then you would have radiator fluid in the oil and you would have oil leaking out of the head gasket. It is probably just a thermostate.

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (burnheimer)
 

I just looked after done driving it, and it was smoking, looks like it was from the head, but I checked the oil and it doen't look milky or anything like everyone says it supposed to!! ...even if I did have a blown head gasket, is it safe to drive it like that until I can fix it? which be like in the next 3 days


Modified by 92silude at 3:19 PM 12/3/2004

Re: burnin radiator fluid! (92silude)
 

I would simply get my radiator pressure tested....All they do is seal up the radiator and apply air pressure and if the gauge loses pressure, then your radiator has a leak/hole in it somewhere, and they should be able to pinpoint it and either repair your current radiator or replace it with a new one. If it's no the radiator, then it must be the head gasket.