Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ive owned my 96 civic for a few months. Runs like a champ. 168k miles. The other day, it suddenly spewed a bunch of coolant out. So much so that it came out the hood and sprayed onto my windshield. I opened the hood and there was coolant everywhere.
Since then the car only runs for about 20-30 miles before running out of coolant and I have to stop and refill or the thermometer goes above halfway and I have to pull over.
When taking the radiator cap off and refilling the coolant, I notice immediately it is leaking out from this spot (see photo)
Now the coolant is falling on the ground directly under the fan where I am seeing this leak.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57729
Several possibilities.
1. The radiator is cracked where your red line is
2. The cap is shot and leaking
3. If there is a hose below that area it may have burst and be spraying up to that point
4. You are overheating and the pressure is blowing the cap due to something like bad water pump or thermostat
Yeah I tried that today. Topped off the radiator with fluid, let it run, it got hot, and thats where it was coming from. That top portion. It was coming out pretty heavy.
So crack in the radiator it would be? (educated guess). I think I can get one of those semi-cheap
I have use of a pressure gauge too. Thanks for that video Ill probably do that.
Another thing to note is that even with the AC on, the radiator fan is not blowing (Ill have to double check to make sure but Im pretty sure). Wouldn't that cause the radiator to overheat, in turn putting pressure on that plastic/aluminum area near the top to break? That makes a lot of sense to me.
Yeah I tried that today. Topped off the radiator with fluid, let it run, it got hot, and thats where it was coming from. That top portion. It was coming out pretty heavy.
So crack in the radiator it would be? (educated guess). I think I can get one of those semi-cheap
I have use of a pressure gauge too. Thanks for that video Ill probably do that.
At that age and mileage, it's not at all surprising to have the radiator leaking.
If you can do the work yourself, this radiator shouldn't cost you more than about $75 at a parts store. I'd recommend changing your upper & lower hoses while you're at it - another $30. And you'll need a gallon of undiluted coolant.
Not a bad job to do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
