Water leak / leak stop ?

Sorry, missed a key word there - yesterday...

...and it was empty again today

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org...

Years ago I would have suggested core plugs that might have popped out, but I would think it is the water pump. See if you can get any covers off and then run the engine. If it does run out of water you might warp the head! You will need a new pump and a cambelt, so maybe up to £200 inc labour at the most. Don't take it to a Honda dealer and I would avoid TwoMills which might be near to you. They farm out some of their work to an industrial estate in Deeside and have a bad name when it comes to overfilling engines with oil. (Known to Trading Standards.)

I wouldn't bother with leak stopper. It causes more harm than good in most cases. Any bits of corrosion in the water will be welded together instantly, the next thing that will go is the heater in time for winter. The matrix gets blocked up very easily. Get the garage to flush everything out and you will notice dirty brown sludge.

I would have thought putting it in the expansion tank would send it around the system. You can take the radiator apart but it's not worth it. If it does turn out to be just the radiator getting battered by stones then fitting a new one you could probably have a go at with basic tools.

Don't you just love cars that have space under the bonnet. Ever tried changing a headlight on a Honda Civic? You need to jack it up and do an impression of a vet shoving your hand up the wheel arch. Gone are the days of just taking the cover off the back.

I don't think the water pump has anything to do with it in this=20 instance unless it's mounted below the radiator fan and runs on=20 electric only !

I know I risk serious damage if it gets low, hence I was careful to=20 check it again after 24 hrs :-}

Interesting... it's not the closest place to me though, Clint Motors=20 is (who i'm also not 100% comfortable with, having seen the crap job=20 they did of changing the window regulator...)

It is due a cambelt change, but we're thinking of just running it into=20 the ground - we've only just got the front brakes done, and we're=20 skint :-}

Useful, I didn't know that... having said that, it did have a full=20 flush about 12-18 months ago, so should be fairly clean :-}

The rad itself looks ok, other than it's leaking around either the=20 outlet or the bottom hose :-}

I did about 15 miles after filling it up (about the same as I did=20 yesterday) but the coolant level didn't drop this time, so just=20 sticking it in the expansion tank might not do the trick

I know people have had real problems with what should be "simple"=20 tasks, hence the mention :-}

Unless the water is running from the water pump, down the back of the bottom hose which, co-incidentally, goes into the water pump, and is then dripping onto the floor once it gets to the hose clip.....

I must say, I've never had any problem with Radweld over the years. Some people put in the white of an egg and this cooks and the bits block the leak holes. I can't see much harm in this.

Rob Graham.

If the tank was really empty then the system already has air in it. They don't usually self purge to the expansion tank. When filling a sealed system the filler level has to be raised well above the engine and bleed points on the engine undone to vent air.

I don't think rad weld stuff is any good for split hoses. It's for pinhole leaks in the rad but may work on a hose joint. It's possible a rad hose clip has rusted and snapped allowing the hose to be expanded off the rad stub tube.

There will be a filler plug somewhere on top of the rad. It's usually a screw plug with 1.5-2cm head. It may even say "do not remove" as this would allow air in.

Rads usually just lift out after undoing 2/3 top brackets on the slam panel, disconnecting the fans and coolant hoses. Anyone even thinking about designing a car that can't have the rad removed without disturbing the engine needs shooting.

No, it just seems to be around the bottom of the rad

It does have a "radiator cap" - slightly smaller than I remember them, but the rad itself is still full. I think i'll give the turkey baster approach a go - the most i'll lose is a little more water :-}

Get the radiator pressure tested and buy a recon if it is faulty or solder up the hole.

FWIW I threw a bottle of leakstop in it earlier, and while it doesn't appear to have stopped it completely, it's reduced coolant loss to a very small amount (a couple of drops after a few miles drive) - I didn't know you could get rads pressure-tested, so i'll keep my eye on it for the next week or so, then look at getting it done if it doesn't resolve itself :-}

Thanks for the replies guys :-)