My car overheated and died a few weeks back. Thought it was my alternator, but after recognizing the engine was smoking after being pulled over (it was late at night) realized the car had somehow overheated and apparently redlined. Unfortunately I never paid close attention to the temp gauge as it's never been an issue in the past.

Interior heater was also blowing cold air.

So filled with OEM Acura coolant last week as the reservoir was low and barely any was visible in the radiator port. Warm air back and car was normal temp after a long drive....for awhile.

Now it's back to slowly creeping up over the halfway point after warming up. Checked coolant...low again. Checked under car...appears to be coolant on the pan on the drivers side (opposite of oil pan).

White smoke blows out of exhaust, making me suspect head gasket blown.

Purchased a head gasket test kit (one with the fluid and suction mechanism). Performed the test exactly as directed. Fluid stayed dark blue and never changed.

I'm stumped. Could I have been getting a false reading? Or is there a possibility the head gasket leak is so minute that it won't test positive?

A few things:

- both upper and lower radiator hoses replaced and fine
- currently no misfires, and the car 'appears' to run and drive very smoothly without issue, aside from the overheating
- both radiator fans do not turn on even after engine has been running awhile. ac condenser fan doesn't even engage when ac is turned on. need to check this out and test both independently with 12v source
- replaced ECT module after a cel code. it hasn't returned. however, I checked the new ect today and there's no fluid on the bottom of it, indicating that the coolant level is so low it's probably not even getting a reading
- no traces of coolant or anything odd in the oil or under the oil cap

I'm lost. What should be my next steps here aside from the cooling fans? Is it possible to still blow some white smoke out the tailpipe without a head gasket issue?

At worst, I was going to use a sealant product as a last ditch effort, but want to eliminate all possibilities before I go that route.

Thanks

 

On these engines, first port of call for overheating should be radiator cap and thermostat as mine tended to fail fairly frequently
Next point to check is water pump

Years ago I had somethng similar going on. Tested within spec for compression when I did the compression test, but I wasnt able to do a leakdown test as no shops nearby were offering it. When I drove the vehicle hard the gauge would rise, and I would have to let it idle to cool back down etc.

In my case, it really was headgasket, but it was such a minor issue at idle that it wasn't losing much compression. Only when working the engine hard would it show up.

Changed to a new fel-pro head gasket and it has been fine 9 years later. Sad part is, it is hard to tell re HG until you pull it all down. The good part with these vehicles is that it is a fairly easy DIY with basic tools

 

No. It's a headgasket. And if you have a visible coolant leak, something else is obviously wrong (My guess would be WP).

 

Thanks much. Indeed, that's what I was thinking. I looked under the car briefly and it appears there's coolant leaking on the drivers side (thermostat side opposite of the waterpump) as there's what appears to be liquid on the underside of the auto transmission pan. This is a j series v6...not sure if that makes much of a difference. Have not pressure tested the radiator though. I'm slammed to the floor and had my share of crazy scrapes over the years, so unsure if I may have damaged it unknowingly.

I think that's the case too.

Curious though, how accurate are those amazon block tester kits? I've done the test twice now...liquid does not change color. Still dark blue. Definitely conducting the test right. I wave the fluid in front of the tailpipe and it turns yellow almost instantaneously.

I know for a fact my non working radiator fans aren't helping my situation any, either. But the white smoke out the tailpipe is almost a dead giveaway that it's most likely a hg. Just baffled that the tester won't give me positive confirmation.


I'm going to try and use some of that k-seal hd goop from amazon as a last ditch effort if my radiator fan fix doesn't help the issue and if I can't pinpoint any other peripheral areas of leakage. I know that's probably not the optimal way to go, but I'm not dropping another 500-2k+ to have the block resurfaced on a car that won't even get $1500 used in good running condition.

Thanks!