I recently replaced the head gasket, valve cover gasket, water pump, alternator belt, timing belt, ac belt, power steering belt, exhaust manifold, and a new cat on my 98 civic lx. Now I have a coolant leak and cant find where the coolant is coming from.

 

Rent a coolant pressure tester. It connects in place rad cap and lets you pressurize the system with the engine off.
Makes finding leaks so much easier because you can hear it.

 

Its usually a leak from the rear heater hoses, typically the U shaped heater bypass hose behind the thermostat. I highly reccomend replacing every hose with a $50 eBay silicone hose kit. These hoses will outlast the car and add to resale value to show that they never need to be replaced again

 

That is your opinion. I purchased a car and it had name brand hoses and it was a deterrent on buying. They were the first to go. Aftermarket parts are a huge turn off for me . Especially eBay parts. The silicone hoses will also allow coolant to evaporate that rubber doesn't. Here is one of many threads about it on the internet.

https://www.viperclub.org/vca/thread...-hoses.640736/

 

That is your opinion, I had coolant leak from the water log, the iacv hoses, the radiator hoses, the throttle hoses, AND the heater hoses.

 

What do you expect ?A lot of hoses are 20 years old . It's a common service out here . Rehose the entire system. It's 110 degrees or more out here. The little leaks lead to no coolant. The customer keeps driving needle in the red and pops a head gasket

 

Also compression test the cylinders.

For example, did you have the head and block honed flat prior to installing the new head gasket?

 

Geeze, to think ive been driving my car for 7 years now evaporating coolant everywhere and never had to add any.

Black rubber hoses

Did that turn you on baby




Are you arguing with yourself here. I'm not sure how you've managed to go full circle on an argument when no one is disagreeing with you

 

So I googled silicon hose problems, and the first link is from viper stating to always use silicon hoses

 

Sometimes it's not the hoses but the old spring hose clamps that aren't as strong anymore. My wifes leak was on the FITV (your car doesn't have but would have the IACV hoses). Usually you can get a general idea of the area of the leak by finding the white residue the coolant leaves when it dries.

As another poster indicated, if you still are unable to locate a leak, a coolant pressure tester will be your friend in such cases.

The most unwanted possibility is no hose leaks and the head gasket didn't take and you are leaking coolant into the cylinders. I believe this is the area muellersfan was providing suggestions to rule out or isolate the possibility.

 

There is no argument. This isn't bookface. I wasn't attacking you. This is a discussion board is it not? I stated my opinion which differs from yours. I am sorry to offend you. I don't like silicone hoses you do. The smell of coolant makes me sick and I smell it on every car using those hoses . So in my opinion it doesn't add value. The other comment was stating the bypass hoses should be replaced routinely before they leak and get brittle.

 

Just pick up the dye, pour it in and let it run and find the leak with a uv light.

 

Ok, so you're saying you have problems mating smooth hoses to porous surface that have been corroded. Ive never had that problem with the 7 cars ive put silicon hoses on.

Do you have a specific example or are you recycling a problem some one else had?