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Hi folks,

I'm new to the forum and new to cars. I have a 2005 si (stock) with 120K km. My problem started when the heat in the cabin took longer than normal. Then I got random engine misfires (P300-P304). I replaced the plugs and now the engine runs fine.

The heat was still an issue until I noticed the coolant low in the radiator. I filled it up, bled the system and it was good. A week later no heat again, or it took long (10-15mins). I also noticed the smell of coolant near the radiator but neve found any coolant on the floor.

Today the mechanic said he found a slow leak in the radiator. My question is how does a radiator get damaged causing it to leak?

 
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that sure sounds like a small headgasket leak to me, esp with the misfires and all. do you see coolant leaking from radiator? usually stress and heat can cause it to crack, esp since alot of it is just hi temp plastic.

 
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I did not see any coolant leaking on my garage floor but I could smell the coolant near the front where the rad is. The mechanic said he did a pressure test and that's when he saw the leak.

The only time I can think of the car getting stressed is when we had to wait about 3hrs at the border because of labor day weekend. Or my long 4 hr drives to the North. Would that be enough stress to cause a crack?

As for the misfire thing, I hope it's not a head gasket.

 
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well if the misfire never came back, youre prolly fine. and by stress i meant stuff like movement (from potholes and stuff), or rapid temp changes, etc. just normal stuff you cant really control. if he did a pressure test and coolant came out, then yeah its a good bet you need a new radiator. they are fairly cheap and easy to change, just look on ebay for new ones.

 
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Yes, he said he saw the leak on the side of the rad and I did smell coolant near the rad. He changed the rad and the thermostat, and tested the car. He says it works good now, and the heat is good again. Cross my fingers and hope things work out. I was stressed over the car during xmas.

 
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if you hear any bubbling water sounds in the dash, take it back and have them bleed out the air. otherwise it could overheat. it took me a long time like 5-6 tries of bleeding before all the noises stopped after changing coolant.

 
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dont get too excited yet, drive it for a few days and keep an eye on your coolant and temp guage. Does have symptoms of a headgasket, but it could just be coinsidence.

 
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I agree 100%.

Took me 4-5 times to get rid of most air bubbles. I actually brought my car to Honda in order to finish the job correctly. At a certain point, I could not get any air out of the system anymore and I was still hearing a bubbling sound... Cost me 50$.
I wish the system had a bleeder..

 
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did you raise the front of the car? thats essential otherwise you will maybe only get 50% of the air out. radiator must be the highest point in the cooling system for all the air to come out. and it does take time for air to work itself out too. after the 6th time, i still had faint water noises, but after a week of driving everything is normal.