i have a bit of a coolant leak problem, i will give a little info so you guys can have a better idea of the situation.

I have a 97 hatch with a b18b1 engine. last year it drove perfect and did not leak. in october i put the car in my garage and just drove it again yesterday. after driving for around 5 minutes i i drove it back in my garage and i smell coolant, i open the hood and i see some on top of the radiator and it looks like some spilled onto my splash guard. i dont see any cracks on the radiator, but would it be safe to assume that the radiator will need to be replaced? after looking at it today there is more coolant on the guard i felt the hose and the hose is dry.

thank you!

 

It's common for the seam at the top of the radiator to fail. Refill the radiator and idle engine to see where coolant leaks from.

 

Yeah you definitely want to find the leak first before you go out and buy a whole new radiator. Could just be something small like your radiator cap.

 

check where your hoses connect to the rad. I had a mysterious coolant leak last year and it turned out coolant was leaking from the bottom hose, all I needed to do was loosen the clamp, slide it on further, and replaced the clamp

 

i felt the whole entire hose and i didn't feel any moisture, when i go take out the car again ill fill it up and determine where the leak is coming from. there is also more coolant on the bottom of the radiator.