Coolant loss from somewhere?

[Losiracer2]

Okay lately my car has been using more coolant, so i think there's a leak somewhere. Using the heater doesn't use more coolant does it? I also just had the H23 swap done, but it doesn't seem to be leaking from re-routing the coolant lines. Idk, had the T belt done in August but that was MONTHS ago. It just started happening like w/in the past month. Checked the hoses they seem to be all fine, how many are there just to be sure? oh i had my water pump done along w/ the tbelt as well as all balance shaft seals and tensioners, i basically bought the Tbelt kit

[cp[mike]]

theres no such thing as "using" coolant, theres only leaking it, and burning it.

[Losiracer2]

okay so if I'm burning it, then how does that happen?

[Djmoua]

evaporation...steam..either that or it's being consumed like how a few thought mine was doing. But are you sure your coolant mix is 50/50? or all Coolant? It has to be 50/50...but IF in ur case like mine was...all coolant lead to evaporation since there's nowhere for heat to go but recylce and causing it to overheat eventually. So yeah u also need water in the mix.

[NorcoAccord]

Try pressure testing the system it helped me find my leak, also check your cap thats were it was coming out on the civic.

[Losiracer2]

yeah i use that prestone 50/50 mix. so no need to do a chemical formula or anything. But the cap? hmmm but can THAT much coolant come out of there? I filled the reserve tank to the max and in about 2-3 weeks its totally bone dry and the tank doesn't leak. No cracks or anything on the Rad. either.

[johnl]

If you're losing coolant and you can't see any evidence of leaks then it's a fair bet that the head gasket is blown. In this case you might observe moisture coming from the exhaust, but maybe not if the leak is still slow. Note that I said "still slow", because these things only get worse. Have it checked by a specialist.

Note that you don't have to see evidence of oil and coolant mixing and forming 'devil's cream' in the oil and / or coolant, the leak can be from the water jacket straight into the combustion chamber, so no mixing of fluids is necessarily involved. Keep an eye out for radiator hoses that seem more pressurised than usual (especially if pressure seems to build quite quickly after start up).

This is a good sign that the water jacket is being hyper pressurised by both compression and combustion pressures inside the combustion chamber. On the induction stoke, and after you shut down this pressure then leaks back into the cylinder which is why you lose water.

[Geist Zero]

You sure there are no leaks? I know the top seal on mine went bad and it was hard to tell for awhile.

I need to figure out were my current leak is as well as replace my rear main, so be happy that its just a little leak.

[Losiracer2]

well at first i thought there was a leak from this 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch rad. hose, the one that connects to the right side of the engine block, that comes from the back. Its the one under the distributor, but when i reached my hand down there, I noticed oil underneath the distributor, so i'm kinda unsure if its coolant underneath the oil or just oil.

[owequitit]

yeah i use that prestone 50/50 mix. so no need to do a chemical formula or anything. But the cap? hmmm but can THAT much coolant come out of there? I filled the reserve tank to the max and in about 2-3 weeks its totally bone dry and the tank doesn't leak. No cracks or anything on the Rad. either.

That seems to be fairly normal. Every Honda I have ever dealt with does this.

[bgcb71]

I had similar problem. My headgasket had a slow leak. There was no oil and coolant mix. But I noticed the odd pressure build up in the hoses. After a while it got worse. I notice just a bit of mixing in the oil cap. Replaced my head gasket two weeks ago haven't had a problem yet. I would double check for leaks before taking the head off though.

[Losiracer2]

okay, yeah ill just keep an eye on it then, b/c overheating is the last thing i can afford right now

[johnl]

Sometimes you can have a slow external leak with no visible signs of moisture actually dripping from the car. Look for any crusty / crystally deposits (may be brownish, but might be other colours depending on the coolant) at or near any joints in the cooling system. This is residue from the coolant chemicals left behind when the liquid content evaporates.

It's a bit of a long shot though, if you're loosing coolant faster than very slowly I'd expect an external leak to show liquid coolant somewhere.

[johnl]

I had similar problem. My headgasket had a slow leak. There was no oil and coolant mix. But I noticed the odd pressure build up in the hoses. After a while it got worse. I notice just a bit of mixing in the oil cap. Replaced my head gasket two weeks ago haven't had a problem yet. I would double check for leaks before taking the head off though.

Some slight 'cream' build up under the oil filler cap isn't unusual, it's usually just from condensation inside the crankcase. Note that I said 'slight'.

[johnl]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Losiracer2
I filled the reserve tank to the max and in about 2-3 weeks its totally bone dry and the tank doesn't leak. No cracks or anything on the Rad. either.

That seems to be fairly normal. Every Honda I have ever dealt with does this.

You're kidding, right? Seems very abnormal to me, last time I had to top up the overflow tank on my CB7 was months and months ago, and in my experience this is typical for a cooling system in good condition.