bluebeater

Start from the top. Bought this car little over a year ago. 260k. Had slight oil leak and every month using about a quart of water. Top it off every month. Drive it daily 110 miles a day. 5 days a week. About a month ago I was having to fill up rad every other week. I tried a sealant the copper ****. Been told it works. I am mechanically inclined can work on whatever but was just wanting to save little time till winter when I don't drive This to work and could fix the blown head gasket or cracked heat cus I beleive it was going out the exhaust. Now has 293k. Well last week I put this sealant in and the next day drive it to work the temp gauge rising as driving luckily I made it to work. Let it cool while working. Before leaving to go home I checked the rad. Had nothing in it. It was boiling over into the over flow tank. Emptied that and topped off rad drove home same issue. Drive other vehicle all last week and last night I put a thermostat and new rad cap in and over flow tank was the same. Emptied it and topped off rad drove to work today and when i got there with out it over heating unless i sit still i chevked it when i got there it wasnt boiling over but over flow tank was full. Emptied it and drove home and it's the same effect. I'm thinking radiator isn't allowing water to the motor a d has no where to go so it's in the over flow. Rad clogged? Any ideas or other issues I could deal with. Probably shouldn't have used the copper stuff.

Wankenstein

Most likely. Do the upper and lower radiator hose get hot at operating temp? Do they both harden at operating temp or is one squishier than the other?

How to diagnose a clogged radiator: https://itstillruns.com/diagnose-clo...r-5883036.html

bluebeater

At operating temp both hoses are the same can squeeze about 1/4" and both are very hot at times. Barely touch to squeeze them and at times you can hold them for a minute. Same with rad cap.

bluebeater

This week I was going to pull top and bottom hoses off the rad and put a water hose at the top take cap off and see how quick it comes out the bottom. If not very quick I know the issue. If it does come put quick then I'm lost cus there's nothing to a company system left I can rule out

bluebeater

Coolant **
Now, I drove to work this morning. Keep in mind last night the revoir tank was full.i didn't empty it this time. I walked out and noticed nothing was in the tank. Sucked back up the tube in the tank to the cap. I drove to work this morning got here and let it sit 10 minutes idling. Fan kicked on after a minute and never over heated. Both top and bottom hoses are squishy can basically collapse them both...whats going here??? Did I have air In the system. I'm looking it chasing a cat

bluebeater

Losing *

Wankenstein

Bleed air from coolant system:
Raise front of car high as possible on jackstands
Fill radiator and reservoir to the top
Set climate control to max heat, fan off
Get engine up to operating temp and the rev engine occasionally to around 2500 rpms to help bleed air from system.
At idle bubbles should decrease in size and have either tiny ones or none at all when air is properly bled.
Allow radiator fan to engage twice before shutting engine off

With the engine cold (sitting overnight) do a coolant system pressure test to find out if it's either loosing coolant externally or internally (leaking into cylinder(s)). Breached head gasket is also another possibility. Rent (free) a Block Tester to find out if any exhaust emissions are getting into coolant. Test fluid is $10.

bluebeater

Thanks I'll try this today. I'm also pulling hoses off and see if it flows out the bottom just as quick as I put it in or not

bluebeater

After doing some diagnosis today. Found out my cooling fan motor quit.
And my rad is leaking some across the top. So replacing the 2 now auto zone had both in stock.

bluebeater

Replaced and parked on a up hill filling with coolant car running with climate control on hot but no fan running. It got full. Watched it rise and kick out coolant 3 times and go down where big air bubbles was coming out and then some little ones and finally it's stopped and it was a straight nice flow. Drove around last night and went to dinner and back home after a total of 30 miles issues free and I checked the level of coolant going to work this morning and it's right where I left it yesterday

Wankenstein

Sounds good so far but keep monitoring coolant in both the radiator and reservoir each morning for a week or two. One of the strongest signs of a breached head gasket is coolant loss in the radiator with coolant gain in the reservoir.

bluebeater

10-4 so after the new install and everything I drove it about 30 miles and got home and parked it. Monday morning walked put checked it. The level hasn't moved in either. Went to work. Before I left Monday evening I checked it and I added about a cup to the rad to bring it back to where it was. The revoir level hasn't moved

Wankenstein

When you performed the coolant bleed you filled the radiator to the top and reservoir to the top of the "FULL" level after bleeding was finished? If this is the case then some coolant loss in the reservoir is expected the next morning due to expansion/contraction. However, if you had to "fill" it more than once and there is no external leak seen then the head gasket becomes suspect. Keep monitoring it and keep us updated.

Notice any continious white, sweet smelling smoke from tail pipe at start-up that last for a minute or so? Don't rely on looking through rear view mirror to inspect. Start engine and walk behind vehicle to inspect or better yet have someone start it as you watch near tail pipe. Have them rev it slightly too after 10 seconds of idle.
Some white smoke (condensation) is normal and generally burns off quickly. Also, even if there is coolant leaking into the cylinder(s) it doesn't always present itself as white smoke from exhaust. Confused yet?..lol

Another thing to try is driving around with heater on max heat and fan on. If the heat becomes intermittent then it could be a sign of head gasket breech. This does not determine a head gasket breech though..just a simple test that may correlate one.

The best method to determine a head gasket breech is Ezone's method of injecting 150 psi shop air into each cylinder at TDC, radiator cap off, and watching/listening for bubbles to appear..if they do then head gasket replacement is required. Other than that test watching for medium or large size bubbles in radiator at idle is another way to help determine a breech. Another test is a block test as I mentioned previously. However, an engine can pass a block test and still have a breech or crack.. but, if it fails (blue test fluid turns yellow or green) a block test the head gasket will need to be replaced.

bluebeater

I filled rad and bled got it to where it should be and then filled resvoir to max level. No externals leaks known or seen and no white smoke seen either. Upon start up or smelling coolant. Only white puffs I have is oil can clearly smell it. My heat is constant will run you out of the car in minutes. I may have to try the pressure test this weekend.

Wankenstein

Keep monitoring both reservoir and radiator and hopefully the rad level won't drop and the res. level won't increase or decrease.

bluebeater

Sure enough I checked it before leaving work...rad level was good but harldy anything the resvoir now. It hasn't moved since Sunday. No signs of it coming out externally. Boiling over or nothing..

Wankenstein

Start by replacing the radiator cap..use OEM only. Purchase from local dealer or legit online sites such as HondaPartsNow. Remove the distributor and check the heater hose that runs from the firewall to the cylinder head..that hose gets weakened by the distributor o-ring oil leaks and developes slits/tears. Do a coolant system pressure test (keep pressure at or below psi on rad cap or listed in service manual). Also carefully inspect coolant bypass hoses that connect to the throttle body, IACV and FITV (if equipped).

Do a block test on it.

bluebeater

The cap that's on it is what came on the new rad Sunday. Looks factory like the one I took off. I'll check the hose and did a pressure test. Thanks man. Giving me more ideas before I go tearing this head off. Other issue I'm having since I bought it is I had to do a valve cover gasket and tube seals. New tube seals leaked like crazy also. Oil in every plug hole and alot on the cylinder 2 and 3. I pulled valve cover back off and put gasket maker with the seals and put all back together and still just as bad. Every so often I stuff paper towels down in each one to soak it up. Any ideas on that

bluebeater

Water is still going to the resvoir filling it up bubbling little bit after little while of driving. Not doing it all the time. Go a good while with out a issue then it is most does it. Haven't tried the shop air test or the fluid to check blown gasket. But like I said I'm pretty sure that's what it is any way.