nickbeee

Well after 10 years and 225K miles my Acura CL might be on the way out. The engine still runs strong but I’m “burning” coolant like crazy and starting rough. It’s pointing to either a head gasket or something stupid. It’s going to the dealer next weekend for diagnostics.

BTW there is NO white smoke at all coming fro the exhaust. But when filling the rad with a no-spill funnel (the type that allows you to fill fluid above the lever of the rad) bubbles do not stop coming from the rad neck. Air / exhaust is getting into the coolant somehow. Also the reserve bottle is not emptying as the rad level gets low…

Any ideas?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Sounds like HG or thermostat, I'd check the thermostat first

nickbeee

Therostat is new OEM as of 6 months ago. Could it be srewy? HHow would that allow air to get in and bubble up on the rad neck? mmmmmmm....

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

hmmmmm, have you bled your rad? Did you do any work to the rad or change the coolant? Otherwise, sounds like a crack in the rad or hole in a hose... Can you smell burning coolant? Maple syrup smell

nickbeee

nope,, no obvious leaks. It's to the point now where about a quarter of a gallon is disappearing from the rad after a few days of normal driving. If that much fluid was leaking you would think I'd see it. who fricken knows... I’m hoping that my dealer can give me a definitive answer on weather it seems like the HG or something simple and stupid…

DaInFaMMuS1

lets hope its something simple. good luck!

98 CL

had the same problem with our truck, turned out to be the heater core needed replacing. Doesnt suck the coolant and water anymore, but it still makes a funky gurgling sound at startup and when I shut hte truck off.

nickbeee

I hear a gurgling too,, but I figured that was just air in the system I'm hearing as the water is getting low. did the heater leak? I don't see any fluid anywhere...

98 CL

i am really lazy and I let it go a LONG time. EVENTUALLY it leaked into hte passengers side floor which is where the heater corp is directly above, yummy radiator fluid everywhere. Smelled like breakfast !

nickbeee

Ya I'm getting no fluid anywhere,, and a bad heater core would not explain the misfire-ing on start up. I guess I'll know more on Sat...

CLfusic

check your water pump my girlfriend had the same problem with her car and now it doesnt run cause she didnt get it checked out before it fucked her car up too much

nickbeee

here's another interesting thing... the reserve bottle fills, as in the lever get higher, even though the level in the rad is constantly going down.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Sounds like it's overheating then

nickbeee

it's only running hot when the water level gets low. Then I top it off..

This is what my mecahanic friend thinks is going on:

Based on your updated description, my money is on the head gasket. Here's what's happening... You have a very small coolant leak into the combustion area / incoming airstream. When the car is off and everything cools down, more coolant seeps in, which explains the majority of the coolant loss and the cold start issues. When you first start the car, one of the cylinders is fouled and has to burn off the coolant. Once it is burned off, the car runs fine and the leak is so small when the car is hot and the parts expanded that it runs fine then. This also explains the bubbling and the reserve bottle going up since that is normal as the car heats up and it is probably actually running a little bit hot, not to mention the pressurization from the combustion leak.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I'm right inline with his thinking the more info you post, the more I lean toward HG as well

nickbeee

Does anyone know what a head gasket job would cost (dealer or otherwise). I take it at the same time I would do the timing belt (needs to be done anyway) and valve job. My guess is it will not be worth it on a car with 225K miles.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I wouldn't imagine it'd be "worth it"

All depends on if you are trying to get more life out of the car or not. With a honda motor, you could get plenty more miles out of it if you fixed the stuff, all depends if you wanna pay out for it, or just get something else.

nickbeee

I have my eye on a new SI cope if I need a car. This car has been great to me for the last 10 years but the suspension has never been touched. That would be another expensive "repair" that would be coming up also.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, the bushings alone are a pain

XxAtTheGatesxX

I don't know if it'd be worth it, after all your car has 225k miles on it, and that's impressive in itself. No sense beating a dead horse.

What more could you want from your CL though?

nickbeee

So the dealer confirmed our thoughts of a leaking head gasket. He pressurized the systems to look for external leaks and found non. Did some type of sniffer test and found CO2 is bubbling in the coolant. So the 1500ish for the repair does not make sense. He recommended throwing in a bottle of “Bar’s Leak“. Now I know that stuff can’t be great for the cooling system, but I figured I have nothing to lose at this point. After putting it in Saturday morning the engine has started up fine all weekend. And my rad level seems to holding steady so far. I figure if the leak is small enough that might have worked. Or at least it buys me some time to shop for a new car!!! Or I wonder if I can make it last until Sept when the ’09 SI comes out.

nickbeee

I checked my radiator level today and it was PERFECT! I was burning about ¼ gallon every few days before adding the Bar’s Leak. Also the rough starts are completely gone. Amazing! At this point the plan is to make this car last till the ’09 SIs come out.

Sideswipe

I got a quote for $800 for a head gasket job from my favorite mom and pop shop and that was on the cheap side compared to what a dealer would charge. I wouldn't be surprised if a dealer would charge $1200 or more. If you don't want to be locked up with another car note and you don't do a shit load of driving I would suggest gettting the head gasket done. A timing belt job runs about $250.

I got rid of my 1st gen CL instead of getting the head gasket job because I had already run it into the ground (315,000 miles), and I had already dropped nearly 2 grand on a new tranny and a few other tidbits. Besides, I had been licking my lips for a 2nd gen CL for quite a while. I'm happy I moved up to the 2 gen but I won't be sticking myself with another car note for a long, long time.

Sideswipe

I wanted to get rid of my CL before anything else went bad on it. A CL can get pretty damn pricey to maintain once the electronics start to go bad. The kit to replace the driver's side power seat was $700 and I had already dropped $330 on an actuator for the driver's side window and $250 on the wiper motor and control arm unit. I got a decent amount on a trade without the salesman noticing the power seat was busted.

nickbeee

What's up Sideswpie.. Zombie rules!

This car has been good to me over the last 10 years (I am the only owner). But besides the head gasket and timing belt needing to be done the suspension is also in need of work and the hood and fender need to be painted. So at this point the car is going to be be milked for the next 4-5 months until the '09 Civic SIs come out. I only commute about 25 miles a day so it should make it!

Sideswipe

Yeah man. She's given you her best years. Let her go gracefully into the night and get the SI.

SodaLuvr

Bar's leak works pretty well, GM recommends the pellet version for their infamous 3.1/3.4 V6 due to the intake gasket leaks. It's actually made of ground up walnut shells.