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Thread: Where is the coolant going?

  1. #1
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Where is the coolant going?

    Yesterday i was at school and it was raining hard, I saw my temp gauge shoot up to H and smoke was coming from the front right headlight, i parked my car and went to class. When i came back it was fine and i checked the radiator and it was low. i have to go to class now i will post more info when i get home.



  2. #2
    3Geez Veteran Pico's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    both of your radiator hoses are on the right/passenger side of the car. maybe you have a leak in one if the hoses..

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    3Geez Veteran MessyHonda's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    when it stop raining....turn on the car and let the pressure build up. then you will be able to see where the leak or smoke is coming from.

    1989 Honda Accord LX-i
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Could also be a bad radiator cap. Sometimes a bad cap will leak after the pressure builds or sometimes they will surge and let off lots of steam then nothing appears to be wrong. A sticky thermostat can cause the cap to blow like that as well.

  5. #5
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    i have a new thermostat and gasket for it its been sitting in my room until there was a problem with it, im sure its not the cap cause its been replaced awhile ago like a month after i got the car or so. Before i leave again today im going to check under the car to see if its leaking. If theres nothing leaking then could it be from a bad head gasket? Also today before i left school i checked the radiator it was lower then when i last filled it up but it was still good.
    EDIT: I just got back nothing leaking and its very very hot outside, my car starts to overheat when im stopped at a light, earlier i was at a light that just turned red and i noticed the temp gauge creeping up slowly to H and i was nervous. When it turned green and i started going it went back to the middle, so i kept trying not to stop for long and made it home. What would cause this? Keep in mind i have the big fan working but the smaller fan doesnt work.
    Last edited by ahmad89; 04-26-2007 at 01:05 PM.

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    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    I talked with russiankid and he says my thermostat might be stuck, luckly i have a brand new one and a gasket in my room so i'll look into changing that this weekend. It probably hasnt been changed since the car left the factory. I read the manual and it says to just take off the housing and its right there.

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    LXi User coope's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    be carefull not to break a bolt when taking it off its easy to do

  8. #8
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Quote Originally Posted by coope
    be carefull not to break a bolt when taking it off its easy to do
    I will thx, How much coolant will spill out when i take off the hose? Im going to put towels under the area all over so it wont corrode on anything.

  9. #9
    3Geez Veteran russiankid's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Quote Originally Posted by coope
    be carefull not to break a bolt when taking it off its easy to do
    Agreed. I broke mine, and i had to replace the whole thermostat housing because there was no way to get the bolt out.
    Sam


    1989 Accord LX: Sold with 208k-now somewhere around 230k with new owner

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    3Geez Veteran Civic Accord Honda's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    dont over tighting i did on my old car and broke the top part of the thermostat housing Epoxey fixed that tho =D

    1988 Honda Accord LX-i Coupe 123k miles.

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    3Geez Veteran russiankid's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Quote Originally Posted by Civic Accord Honda88LXi
    dont over tighting i did on my old car and broke the top part of the thermostat housing Epoxey fixed that tho =D
    That is what torque wrenches are for. It is suppose to be 9ft lbs.
    Sam


    1989 Accord LX: Sold with 208k-now somewhere around 230k with new owner

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    2000 Montero Sport 4x4 (beater, trail rig)

  12. #12
    LXi User coope's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    i broke mine taking it off

  13. #13
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    well it happened as you guys said, i was taking off the top bolt and it was less than halfway off and it broke, theres just the last piece of the screw left in there, but i got the cover and the other bolt off and a lot of coolant came out. So i need some help on how to take out the last piece of the screw. My bro tried to put on a nut and tighten then loosen it and maybe it would catch onto the screw and take it out with it. Now the nut will just turn when i turn it with the socket wrench. Im waiting for the DW-40 to dry then try to take it off. Any ideas?
    EDIT: Me and my bro are buying new bolts and coolant tomorrow, we got the nut off the broken screw and we need to get the screw out without damaging the threads inside too much.. Please help.
    Last edited by ahmad89; 04-27-2007 at 04:46 PM.

  14. #14
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    That thermostat bolt is in a tight spot, I don't know if you have a 90 degree drill, but if you do. Hit the bolt dead center with a punch, then drill the center of it with 1/8 drill bit. Then use an E-Z out to back it out. (it has reverse threads that grab onto the bolt as you turn it to the left)
    Also, a 1/8" reverse drill bit will work too, but I like to try E-Z outs so I don't mess up the threads. You might end up pulling the thermostat housing off to use a regular drill while drilling a 1/8 hole for the E-Z out. Last but not least, if the bolt don't give. You can drill it out & tap new threads in the housing.
    .

  15. #15
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Can you show me this drill bit your talking about so i can get a good idea of what to look for? I was thinking the same thing to use a drill bit and drill in the middle of the bolt and then remove it. A 1/8 drill bit would work?

  16. #16
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    UPDATE: i bought a 1/16 drill bit, screw extractor, and replacement bolts. Im eating currently and want to know what i should do use the screw extractor or the drill bit first? im thinking to use the screw extractor first since that would make the most sense.

  17. #17
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    UPDATE: The drill bit broke off when my bro was drilling in and we drilled in kinda deep, we got the bit out and tried the screw extractor. That went horribly wrong, when we drilled it in or tried to the tip of the extractor just shrunk like we just sliced off the end of it. Maybe it was too big im going to find the paper or packaging thing and see what size but me and my bro noticed that when i took off the top screw no coolant came out but when i took off the bottom screw that was when coolant leaked out so we think if we just screw the bottom part then it would be alright but i dont feel confident about this. I was thinking of putting another nut on the stuck bolt and applying super or crazy glue or some strong adhesive and letting it dry and then trying to unscrew it and hopefuly take the broken screw with it.
    P.S. please help with more ideas, thanks

  18. #18
    3Geez Veteran russiankid's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Quote Originally Posted by ahmad89
    UPDATE: The drill bit broke off when my bro was drilling in and we drilled in kinda deep, we got the bit out and tried the screw extractor. That went horribly wrong, when we drilled it in or tried to the tip of the extractor just shrunk like we just sliced off the end of it. Maybe it was too big im going to find the paper or packaging thing and see what size but me and my bro noticed that when i took off the top screw no coolant came out but when i took off the bottom screw that was when coolant leaked out so we think if we just screw the bottom part then it would be alright but i dont feel confident about this. I was thinking of putting another nut on the stuck bolt and applying super or crazy glue or some strong adhesive and letting it dry and then trying to unscrew it and hopefuly take the broken screw with it.
    P.S. please help with more ideas, thanks
    When you undid the top screw, no coolant came out because the bottom was still tight. Coolant doesn't flow upwards, it goes downwards. Putting it back on with only one screw will cause leaks when the engine is running.
    Sam


    1989 Accord LX: Sold with 208k-now somewhere around 230k with new owner

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    2014 Elantra Sport 6MT
    2000 Montero Sport 4x4 (beater, trail rig)

  19. #19
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    so i need both screws on there? im thinking if i put some kind of belt tightener like the one with the screw on it and tighten it and the belt gets tighter would that work? i have small ones.

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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    You use the drill bit first & appropriate size bolt/screw extractor for that particular bit. If you can get it out, you next best thing would be to drill the rest of the bolt out & either re-tap or heli-coil new threads. Don't break off the scew extractor in there, their made of harden steal & it'll be a bitch to get it out.
    .

  21. #21
    Banned ahmad89's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    the screw extractor didnt break it like melted or was shaved down when we tried to drill it in.

  22. #22
    LXi User coope's Avatar
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    why does that happen even if u spray it first it happen

  23. #23
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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Well we put the new thermostat and gasket in and just screwed the bottom screw and it theres a realy small slit at the top and we checked it, ran the engine watched it for any leaks, drove it around and it was fine. This morning i was driving to school and when i was about to park in my space the temperature gauge was creeping up to H it was above normal temperature and when i was about to turn off my car it was still below H but slowly getting up there. What else would cause my car to overheat?

    Weird thing was when i took off the old thermostat a lot of coolant leaked out but when we refilled the radiator we put less than half a gallon of water then it went down a lil bit and add a lil bit of coolant. Im thinking we flush the radiator and do a balanced mix. Would that help my car overheating?
    Last edited by ahmad89; 04-30-2007 at 06:44 AM.

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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Did you bleed the air out of the system with the bleed screw?

  25. #25

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    Re: Where is the coolant going?

    Your problem sounds like it could be with the fans.

    That thermostat won't stay sealed for long with only one bolt. If there is still a stud there, put a nut on it, and have someone weld it to the nut. This has never failed me because the heat from the welding helps loosen the stud. Make sure that you protect your hoses and stuff from spatter.
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