OK here's the low down...I have a 95 Civic Ex. Just recently put in a new radiator because the old one was cracked. So I'm driving one day and my car starts to overheat when I'm at a stand still and come back down when I start driving. So I check my coolant level and it is low as well as the backup reservoir. So I fill both of them back up. No problems for a few months then all of a sudden the same thing happens. Checked the coolant level again and it was low again. I then checked to see if there were any leaks of any kind, but there wasn't any. Both the top and lower hoses at the nipple were dry to the touch. No leaks at the water pump either. To make a long story short this has happened about three times now. So my question is...could it be the thermostat? And if it is the thermostat, could that cause me to lose coolant in any way like through evaporation or something? I'm really confused. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Coolant is the same as Auto tranny fluid. You don't lose it unless it's leaking. You got a leak somewhere. Have you pressure tested your cooling system? Get it done cause you got a leak.

 

yea i think you have a leak. same thing happened to my ford E150 van. still haven't had time go looking for the leak. but its a leak you can be sure of that.

 

Redundant reply, but look for leaks. If you haven't found any, you're probably not looking close enough. Add some pressure to your radiator and look/listen for leaks. Check the head for a possible blow headgasket.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondapowa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Coolant is the same as Auto tranny fluid. You don't lose it unless it's leaking. You got a leak somewhere. Have you pressure tested your cooling system? Get it done cause you got a leak.</TD></TR></TABLE>

How do I pressure test my cooling system?

 

You can do it 2 ways... Start the car and warm it to operating temp, shut it off.... Look for leaks...

Or Take it to a shop and have it pressure tested. The actual equipment to do this is fairly expensive. It's about 300 bucks for a kit... Anyways...

Try option 1... If that don't work, take it to a shop.

 

Cool thanks for the help...much appreciated!

 

You can find the equipment at Harbor Freight for a cheap price. Most of our shop tools are Snap-On (Mine are Matco) so it'll be a bitchin price for you to pay but just hunt around. If you don't want to kick out the $90-$120 diagnostic fee, buy the tools and a blue led light (Helps you spot coolant quickly. Not just for raves and e-tards.) and check for leaks at home.