Ok so I have a feeling that this question could be a little redundant or not, but I want HT's opinion. One of my friends cars started over heating really badly, so she got it towed to a company that "fixed" it. The receipt and the lady we talked to said that they re-sealed the radiator cap (but she pointed to the reservoir cap when I asked her where the radiator cap was) and that they pressure tested the radiator system (some dealer guy came in and did the pressure test and re-pressurized the system). They also told her that they ran the car for 20 minutes and had no problems. So she picked it up and had the exact same problems Well I checked out the car last night and found a dime size hole in the upper radiator hose (which would be the cause of the over heating). So they're taking the car back and going to "fix" it again.

Anyway my questions are as follows:
Can you pressurize the system from the reservoir tank?
Can you pour anything into the radiator directly from the radiator cap?
Should we trust this shop? (OK I already know this answer, but I'm just venting at their stupidity)
What else should we be aware of that could have been screwed up by their "fix"?

And don't get me started bout the ladies attitude and demeanor, and the fact that she had her two year old unbuckled in the front seat standing up backwards in the tow truck....

-Sorry it's so long! Just frustrated and wanted the whole story out-

 

if you cooling system fill point is from the reservoir then you can pressurize it from there which means you got a sealing cooling system..

i do not know what car you speak of but i know alot of euros and ford have the set up state in the my post

 

you didnt say what kind of car it is but seeing its in the civic/del sol forum we can assume its a civic or del sol.

to answer your questions:

No you cant pressurize the system manually. hondas arent closed systems. they pressurize by running the engine with the radiator cap on to build up the pressure. also there is a bleeder screw on the thermostat housing that should be loosened while filling the cooling system to bleed all the air out.air in your cooling system can cause overheating.

Yes you can pour things down the radiator through the radiator cap hole. people will use Bar's Leak, Stop-Leak, or other additives to plug small holes in the radiator.

i wouldnt trust the shop. they knew it was overheating and failed to check even the simplest of things like a worn or broken hose. basic mechanics and common sense would tell you to start simple then work from there.

others things you should be aware of are:

Bar's Leak and other additives have the tendency to clog up or damage the heater core
How did they reseal the radiator cap? as far as i know to reseal the radiator cap all you do is replace the rubber seal thats on it. if they used some kind of silicone or adhesive it could react with the anitfreeze or metal inside the radiator and cause corrosion and such.

 

Actually its not on a Honda, its a 2001 Chevy Cavalier, but I own a Honda so I usually post in this section. But I didn't know that radiator systems were so different.

The lady pointed to a black cap like thing they put under the original reservoir cap as the "seal" they put on.

 

if you have a radiator cap on your radiator then you have an open system just like a honda or many other cars. if you dont have a radiator cap, just one on the reservoir cap then you would have a closed system which would have to be re-pressurized after any work done to the cooling system.

if it is a closed system that cap is the right seal. it should fit right into the hole in the reservoir to seal the system. if its open there should be no reason to seal the reservoir cause the radiator cap does the sealing.

on either system you can add additives like i stated above and those additives cause more problems then they are worth.

 

There is no radiator cap, so its a closed system, which means it has to be re-pressurized and that makes sense. And the "seal" is correct? Hm... ok.

Well can you add coolant directly into the radiator on an open system? I mean obviously you can't on a closed system.

But either way, the hole in the radiator hose should have been caught, and would have been caught by the pressure tester and when re-pressurizing no?