Help: Rad fluid low ???
 

Got a 94 civic... lots of K (260ish).
I just got the rad fluid flushed and filled @ Honda and the level seems to keep dropping now (I've filled it 3 times already since it's fallen below the min level)... This never happened before - could it be that the flush and fill opened a hole? Funny thing is that I don't see any leakage substantial enough to account for such a large loss of fluid in 5 days. Any suggestions?

Thnx

did it ever drop like this before??
if not, then maybe they just never got all the air out of the system..maybe it's working out slowly as you're driving it..
worst case scenario? yer heads be cracked or gaskets are passing..

no it's never dropped so much so quickly (in 5 days i've had to add from 3cm below min to the half way mark between min/max where it was filled up last by Honda).

when u say they never got all the air outta the system would that mean that they should redo the flush & fill no charge since it was their fault? i hope it's not a leak.

i have to drive to Montreal this weekend so am taking a jug of premixed antifreeze and will have to check at various stops and maybe top up ):

damn hope it's not the worst case scenario!

chances are good it's was just air trapped pal..
no need for a complete re-do (tho next time ya go in tell them they owe ya a half litre ;) )
sounds like you're doing the right thing tho..
play it safe and take a "jug" of mix with you just in case, and maybe a couple of bottles (large) of bottled water too (just cuz it's easy to stick in the car..and hey, if ya get thirsty, well...)

good luck and be sure to get back to us on what's what when you return..

thnx 4 the help - so if it's trapped air it'll work it's way out of the system on it's own over time and I should just top up now and then (how long will this take - the flush and fill job was done Sep 23rd)?

i'll call honda tomorrow and see what they say too.

that long ago eh??
how much mileage have you put on the car since??
given it a chance to warm up well enuf to open the thermo??
is it just the overflow you're checking or the rad itself??

ya, i'd give them a shout too...hmmmmmm
what years this beast??

ahh guessing 1000kms.

i'm just checking the overflow plastic container not the rad itself.

it's 94.

Here's what you do:

Open your rad cap (not the overflowe cap, but the cap right on the rad) and fill coolant to the top..

turn on your motor ...turn on AC if you have it and leave the heat vents closed, this is to make the engine warm faster.

let it idle (keep the rad cap off)..if there are air bubbles then as the engine heats up you'll see the coolant level will slowly drop inside the rad... if this is the case pour more coolant ....don't let the coolant in the rad drop below the neck otherwise you're just gonna get more air bubbles :D

keep it idling for a while until the coolant level stops dropping. turn off your motor, fillup the rad to full, fill up the overflow bottle to medium, and breath a sigh of relief

drive to CT and buy me something :)



if you do this and it doesn't work... sorry man but you've got your self at best a blown head gasket, at worst cracked sleeves.

thnx 4 all the help.

i tried what Jugglez said - the fluid in the rad was pretty well at the top of the neck (engine cold)... i started it and saw no bubbles, the level in the rad neck started to rise and i figured it'd overflow so stopped the car (the engine ran a min. or so). So now not sure i guess i've got serious internal engine probs.

Does your motor feel any difference since the rad flush?

Ash..where you at??
come out sometime after you get back and one of us'll have a look at it..either to a westie or the main "official" meets on Wednesdays..

the fluid rising was probably an air bubble working it's way to the top..

don't bury things 'til ya know they're dead pal.. :D
unless they cranked a ton of pressure on your cooling system for some reason while doing the flush, or you've all of a sudden got fluid pissing out everywhere (scale removal has exposed a hole) i can't see things being that bad..

the bubbles could be anywhere in the system, you won't see any if you just look at the neck... when you did it did the fan come on? try it again.. and if it overflows don't worry, coolant won't harm anything. you could just spray if off with water afterwards.

Ash88:Ill meet you broken down on the road. Im
driving (PROBE) to New Brunswick, and my rad pisses like a drunk, tires leak, and brakes? Naa they dont work too good either. It usually wont start every other day(or so)
HAHAHAHAHA LOL

I love ghetto road trips their so suspenceful.:smoker:

I think prob. solved
 

I just got back... I was checkin the fluid over the weekend regularly: The last time it dropped was Wed / Thurs (before I left). On the weekend when I checked it it hadn't drop any more(: But in fact a had about 1cm above the max line - so I guess the air bubble made its way out (but it was over a week and lots of K).

I just checked and removed some of the extra fluid above the max line. So hopefully now all is ok! I think I was a bit worried since I was driving out a ways away... trip was great w/ no car probs!

THNX EVERYONE for all the HELP!!! pickme: I really appreciated it - this board is filled w/ a wealth of info and for non-engine techies like me it's a great place to ask some experts!

Ash

good stuff Ash..
glad your trip went w/o a hitch..

that's what we're here for, aid and assist..... :thumbup: