My '98 Accord got hot today, and when I parked, it dumped coolant all over the ground, and was smoking under the hood a little bit.
I replaced the starter yesterday, and prior to that, it was fine. I don't know what caused the overheat, or where the leak came from. The coolant is relatively fresh, and it's still bright green. The hoses look to be intact. I don't know where to even begin. I have gotten to where i don't want to spend any more money on the car, because it's nearly 240k miles. At the same time, i like the car, and would like to keep it if I can figure out what's wrong.
Any ideas on where to start?

 

Find the location of the leak (hose, radiator, thermostat, etc) which will give the greatest clue. If it "dumped out" it should be more obvious.

 

It sounds like your thermostat went bad.. that happened to me on my Mazda and it was winter time, after replacing the thermostat problem solved. But like HondaDen said look for to see if you find a leak and go from there.

 

Check your upper radiator hose they are the first to go. It should be obvious where it is leaking.

 

So I went out and looked. Let me start by saying I am in no way a mechanic, I'm learning as I go, so go easy on me. I've always taken the car to Honda, but with the age and mileage it's got, I've decided that I want to learn things for myself... Anyway, I can't see where the leak is coming from. The upper and lower hose seem fine, but the reservoir is empty. Here's a couple of pics I took. The little line above the starter looks weird. I feel like it should be attached to something, but it's not. I looked up a pic of Accord engines, and I can't tell.


Finally, this second pic is the only thing I see actual coolant ON. Again, I'm car dumb, but it looks like that might be the thermostat?

 

The second pic is of the EGR valve, the thermostat housing is just below that, the lower radiator hose connects to it and heater hose also. there are several hoses in that area that could be leaking, carefully inspect them. With the car cooled down add more coolant or water and start car let it idle look for leaks.

 

thanks. I will check in the morning. It's dark out right now.

 

gonna go outside and add some water to check for leaks. I was gonna use coolant, but I live in an apartment, so leaking coolant all over the parking lot wouldn't put me in good graces with management. I figure either way I'll have to do a flush and fill, so it shouldn't be a big deal to have straight water in there for a little bit, right?

 

ok, I just got back inside. I added water to the radiator and the reservoir. It took almost a gallon in total. started the car, heat on high, and looked for leak. 30 minutes later, the temp gauge is sitting on normal, no smoke, and a very tiny puddle of coolant under the car, from where, I still can't tell. I looked under the car, but could only see the drip coming, not from where. reservoir still has water in it, and I didn't open the radiator, but judging by the puddle, it's still full, too.
Was 30 minutes not enough time? what next?

 

Gotta drive it around. That'll build pressure in the system to may be cause it to spray coolant alll over again?

 

^Yeah, drive it for a while. When it starts to smoke/overheat, look for the tiny geyser and listen for the hissing sound. This was the first thing I really ever repaired on my LX.

It's possible you might have nicked something while you were working on your starter. Otherwise, I don't think it can be related.