I'm looking at getting an 94 integra today w/ a B18b motor. After driving it for about 15-20 min, I popped the hood and there was small amount of sweet smelling steam coming from the radiator. I then rubbed my finger along the top and found a small amount of coolant on the top of the radiator by the hand latch. It was almost like it was sweating. The car had been stored in the winter and not driven much lately. Does anyone know what the problem could be or if they have had the problem before? How hard is it to fix?

 

maybe its a bad cap!

 

You may need a new radiator. The plastic top may have cracked. YOu can get a replacement radiator from http://www.radiatorbarn.com for about $100. It's also fairly easy to replace your own radiator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thaiphob &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">maybe its a bad cap!</TD></TR></TABLE>

would the cap make it leak slightly and steam? I really want to get this car cuz it was perfect except for the radiator

 

you can try those additives to fix the leak. Or if its a minor leak you can still drive it for a while till you save money to get a new radiator. Then put it this way, most of the online radiator shops sell their radiators for about $110 shipped with a lifetime warranty, youll never have to worry bout it again. And its a easy job. Probably a 2 out of 10 10 being the hardest. I wouldnt let it stop you if its a good price, consider it maintenance and youll probably never do it again.

 

just figure about 150 for the radiator repair but make sure it isnt a head gasket problem first ... maybe take it to a mechanic to look at it before you buy it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GWInquisitor14 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">would the cap make it leak slightly and steam?</TD></TR></TABLE>Yes it could. We can't see it & touch it from here...

Check the rubber seals under the cap. Check the surfaces that it seals against, in the top of the radiator neck. If the rest of the car is really nice, this doesn't have to scare you off. The cap is really cheap & takes 15 seconds to replace. Even the radiator is sorta cheap.

Like stripped says, make sure it's NOT a bad head gasket. But if it were, I think the moisture would have been located back at the headgasket.

 

I wouldn't let something like this keep you from getting the car.

it could be the cap, or it could be the rad. either way, rads are notoriously bad on 3g integras, so they aren't exactly expensive, and they are quite easy to change anyways.

edit: i see you are in Wisconsin... if the car was stored out in the cold (ie not a heated garage), then it's entirely possible that on a very very cold day, a plastic part of the rad cracked. happens here once in a while (Canada), hell i've even heard of TRANNY cases cracking when the temp got to -30deg celcius this year (mind you this was in a newer hyundai).

 

any other opinions?

 

i just had a radiator leak..common problem for integras with 80-120k...only thing you can do is replace it..cost about 125 and is an easy task

 

just hit 130k on my GS-R. Same problem. Started leaking coolant all along the top plastic cap. Needed a new radiator ($150 Koyo) and $22 for a new thermostat. Just keep that resevoir full at all times and you should be ok for a good amount of time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LostAndFound &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can try those additives to fix the leak. Or if its a minor leak you can still drive it for a while till you save money to get a new radiator. </TD></TR></TABLE>

don't ever use that crap in your car. you will damage your motor. get the car and replace the radiator.

 

any other ppl have that problem?

 

Whats wrong with the radiator sealant additive, i used it on my car and it worked fine to fix my leak, havent noticed any probs whatsoever.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DC2.NA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

don't ever use that crap in your car. you will damage your motor. get the car and replace the radiator.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Going to check it out tonite, any things i should look for that might cause the problem. I wish i had a pressure test kit, then my problem would be solved easily.