Honda Civic / Del Sol (1992 - 2000) EG/EH/EJ/EK/EM1 Discussion

White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 06:50 PM
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ricerollz's Avatar
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Default White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

whats does it mean when white foam comes from the coolant reservoir i barely flushed my girls radiator today and after that its starting to foam out white stuff what does that mean??

is it major?
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 07:16 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Sounds like you put something in the cooling system besides coolant/water.
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 07:26 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

wtf? how does your car run?
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 08:02 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Originally Posted by ricerollz
whats does it mean when white foam comes from the coolant reservoir i barely flushed my girls radiator today and after that its starting to foam out white stuff what does that mean??

is it major?
Sounds like you didnt get all of the cleaner out. Flush the system with straight water several times, but you have to get it hot in between flushes so the thermostat opens,

Once your getting 100% water when you drain it(after about 6-7 flushes), refill with 50/50 or whatever mix you prefer...
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 08:05 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

so how do i tell if the head gaskit is blown so can i pull the plug fill it with water rev the motor a lil to get it hot then flush it again???
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 08:05 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Originally Posted by phootbag
Sounds like you put something in the cooling system besides coolant/water.
think it maybe the flush liquid stuff?
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Old Sep 21, 2010 | 09:16 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Possibly. As suggested, flush the system with water for a while. Then drain and fill with the appropriate mixture of coolant/water.
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Old Sep 22, 2010 | 11:55 AM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Originally Posted by ricerollz
so how do i tell if the head gaskit is blown so can i pull the plug fill it with water rev the motor a lil to get it hot then flush it again???
What i usually do is drain the radiator via the radiator drain plug. Re-fill with water. Start the car and hold a high idle. Add water until it wont take anymore. Drive the car a little bit closely watching the temp guage. After a few miles, using a big towel, CAREFULLY relieve the pressure by loosening the radiator cap. HOT water will over flow. Be careful not to burn yourself.
Drain the radiator completely and repeat...Since you dont get the entire cooling system to drain through the radiator, it will take several times to thoroughly flush the system.

A blown headgasket can usually be diagnosed with a compression and/or leakdown test...
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Old Sep 22, 2010 | 11:58 AM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

^^^^^ x2
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Old Sep 22, 2010 | 05:07 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

okay so what i did was rev the motor till about 2-3 held it for awhile and it took the needle from C to the normal point and it just stayed tehre and when i checked the reservoir it doesnt foam as much anymore as last time it just foamed a lil and as the longer i did it it went away so does that mean its good now or should i just flush it to be safe
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Old Sep 22, 2010 | 05:25 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

it's cumming. cars need lovin too. of course after a complete flush it is only common practice to stick a clean hose down there and flush it some more. it ain't no fun if the homies can't have none.
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Old Sep 22, 2010 | 07:29 PM
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Default Re: White foam leaking from coolant reservoir

Originally Posted by ricerollz
okay so what i did was rev the motor till about 2-3 held it for awhile and it took the needle from C to the normal point and it just stayed tehre and when i checked the reservoir it doesnt foam as much anymore as last time it just foamed a lil and as the longer i did it it went away so does that mean its good now or should i just flush it to be safe
Keep flushing until the water that drains from the radiator is clean and doesnt have any funny smell/feel/taste/etc.Now you can be sure the system is 100% totally flushed. By this time, the entire cooling system should be clean and your ready to add coolant.
Again since the radiator only holds maybe half of the cooling systems total capacity, after the last drain, you shouldbe safe to add full strength(non diluted) coolant straight to the radiator. This should get you pretty close to 50/50...
Good luck!

This is how I do a true "flush". Most places including some dealerships do a "drain and fill". This is usually called a cooling system "service" not truly a FLUSH.
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