Coolant Loss
 

I have a 98 Civic DX. I was under my hood yesterday checking Oil and other stuff. i check the coolant reservoir is moldy and it is almost bone dry, and brown. I do not think oil is leaking into my coolant but my coolant was very low and brown. I just started thinking it was maybe the heater core leaking but i have no idea where that is if it is leaking where would it be leaking too? No leaks under the car either.

Re: Coolant Loss
 

When was the last time you saw the reservoir full? If you have no idea how fast coolant is disappearing, you don't really have a basis for worry yet.

Brown coolant? When was the last time it was serviced?


Make sure the radiator is full, and fill the reservoir up to the full line.

Then see how long it takes for the coolant to disappear.

Could be normal but nobody ever fills up the reservoir during an oil change. They can and do use a little, some more than others, and some maybe a cup between oil changes. Doesn't take very long before the reservoir is empty, 2 or 3 oil changes sometimes.
Seems like I am always refilling reservoirs and rarely ever notice real leaks. And yes, I mean even on fairly new cars.


Some very slow leaks can dry up before the liquid ever hits the ground. You might notice colored crusty evidence if you could find the source.

Do a "cooling system pressure test" on it then look for leak evidence.

Re: Coolant Loss
 

Well, it was full about a week ago. i took it for a little drive a few miles around the neighborhood and i figured out what's wrong it's leaking from a hose going to/form the radiator
It is coming from under this
http://puu.sh/1jl15

And you can see it coming from the top of the radiator between the spaces or whatever they are
http://puu.sh/1jl1t

So what do i need to do? like do i need to replace the entire thing?

Re: Coolant Loss
 

Ok, the upper hose......Could be a few possibilities, you have to explore....

I see them with crusty buildup between the rubber hose and plastic fitting due to seepage over a long time, that would need pulled apart and cleaned off to make both parts smooth again, possibly replace the hose (because it gets pitted inside from the lumps of crust) and the clamp.

Or a cracked neck on the radiator.
Or just a clamp that isn't tight anymore.
Investigate it and see.


Clean and dry it real good and see if you can pinpoint the start of the leak.

Re: Coolant Loss
 

It's not leaking from the hose it's leaking from those spaces. Sorry i think i said it was from the hose. It's kind of hard to see it because i cleaned all of the fluid up but you can see a little of it between the spaces but when i just popped the hood it was dripping and spewing out slowly.

Re: Coolant Loss
 

Then it needs a radiator.