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I was driving home from work yesterday when I noticed that my coolant gauge was slowly rising to the H position. So I got off at the next exit and parked the car for 10 minutes. When I restarted the car it was in the normal position so I drove home, when I got on my street it rose to H (HOT) again.
When I got home I popped the hood and checked the coolant and the oil. Coolant reservoir was normal and clean and the oil was normal looking (not milky). So I'm thinking that my thermostat went bad.
This morning I got up and my neighbor said that I should check the radiator. The radiator was empty but the reservoir was at the MAX position. I poured coolant into the radiator then behind the engine I could hear (and see) coolant dripping onto the ground. So I called and had the car towed to the dealer.
Do you think it could be a bad water pump, head gasket etc.? I had my timing belt and water replaced in July.
Car is a 2005 Acura TL, 135,000 miles. Thanks in advance.
For those that don't know.... most auto parts retail stores sell a small bottle of neon orange coloured dye, that you can put into the engine, to spot leaks, for sure. It sure beats throwing money at a problem, only to find out that you just replaced a part that wasn't leaking or broken.
Just like being a MD, first you eliminate the obvious stuff, then you look at the less obvious possibilities.
Look at the easy stuff first and don't jump to a bad HG immediately. Honda/Acura radiators love to leak at the top plastic tank, where it's crimped onto the aluminum core. Dried spots/residue there would be a giveaway. Could also be something as simple as bad hoses or radiator cap. Honda thermostats are known to go 200,000 miles but still check that.
Make sure the dealer doesn't rip you off. With an overheating car, they could easily scare you into expensive repairs when the fix is actually pretty simple.
Based on the fact of where the water seems to be leaking from.. I have 2 thoughts.
1) Head Gasket.. Which I think is quite unlikely. Always a possibility, but I don't think so.
2) This is where my money goes.. Intake Manifold.
It's a little more common for an intake manifold to leak coolant INTO the engine, but.. It's just my gut feeling based on saying that the coolant seems to be leaking from the back of the engine. If it were a head gasket, first off, I'm assuming the Acura has a sideways mounted engine.. The back would be an unusual place for a head gasket leak.. Second, it seems to be leaking without really warming up, my assumption based on the post, and HG leaks, unless they've been there for a LONG time or are far more catastrophic are generally 'pinhole' leaks that only leak when the pressures build up after the engine warms up.
Heater hose is also a pretty good bet. More so than the HG, I think.
Look at the easy stuff first and don't jump to a bad HG immediately. Honda/Acura radiators love to leak at the top plastic tank, where it's crimped onto the aluminum core. Dried spots/residue there would be a giveaway. Could also be something as simple as bad hoses or radiator cap. Honda thermostats are known to go 200,000 miles but still check that.
Make sure the dealer doesn't rip you off. With an overheating car, they could easily scare you into expensive repairs when the fix is actually pretty simple.
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