1997 Accord internal coolant leak

First a little back ground. Cold winter and I started the car to let it warm up, went into the house for 10 minutes. When I came back out I found that the car had heated up a little( just over the 1/2 mark) Found it weird but wasn`t overly concerned with it as I was running late for work. As soon as I got moving the needle dropped back into the normal range and all was good. The next morning I found I had trouble starting the car. So a little looking under the hood and I notice that the radiator cap has broken off ( holding in place but inside portion was broke). Buy a new cap (cheap one) and top the system up. The car that night started up after numerous attempts.Still I haven`t placed the all the clues together here. I look at the rad level and it is low again, so one more top up ( 10 ounces at a time, coke can worth).Finding this weird I stop by Honda and they say buy the cap off them as the cheaper ones don`t hold the pressure good enough, sold i buy it and install. Next day ; same thing,same time. So to sum up 60kms (35mi) a day and I have to add 8-12 ounces of rad fluid. No external leaks, one major symptom is the oil filler cap has moisture on it and no white smoke billowing out. I go by the Honda shop and they tell me that they have never heard of someone changing the head gasket on a 1997 Accord , to look further, Any idea what else it might be? Car has 170,000 km .

Reply to
Torak
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I advise you to check the phone book for a radiator shop near your home. The manager or owner should be able to determine if there are any problems related to the cooling system. I believe that they can measure the pressure. They can tell from the pressure reading whether or not there is a leak or problem related to the cooling system. They can also check for leaks.

Reply to
Jason

Sounds like a hidden leak to me. The moisture on the oil filler cap doesn't worry me in itself, but it might be wise to do an oil change and check the drained oil for the milky appearance that indicates a lot of water in it. I expect the moisture is from combustion (a gallon of gas produces right at a gallon of water when it is burned), but it might be a good time to check the plugs for the one or two having the unnatural cleanness that coolant leaks from the head gasket produce.

Honda is right about the pressure caps - aftermarket ones are just no good for Hondas.

Check the top of the radiator for a flat area on the passenger side. I don't know about your '97 but my daughter's '93 has it and I've heard others describe it. That area flexes with cooling system pressure and likes to crack right down the middle, side to side. I laid a bead of steel filled epoxy on ours, expecting it to crack off, but the crack surfaced through the epoxy. I laid a much thicker bead and it has held. The coolant loss was about what you describe, and the only traces of it (other than a coolant odor in the garage) were on the fan shroud.

Beyond that, I second the idea of taking this to a radiator shop. Try to get a recommendation, because there are good shops and bad ones. If you can't get a recommendation, the dealer is usually a good choice. I think there is a significant leak somewhere, and the sooner you can rule out or pin down suspects the better off you will be. A leak that big means a risk of overheating if you try to go too far and nothing good is happening right now.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

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