Had to make a 60-mile run to the airport a week ago and the next morning found a coolant puddle under the car in the garage. I could see coolant pooling on the underbody panels then dripping to the floor but the leak was impossible to find without a lift.

At first the radiator was still filled to the neck with coolant but the reserve tank was low. I didn't drive it for the next few days. It continued to leak a little each day until it really let go one evening after not even being driven for days. The reserve tank was dry and the coolant could no longer be seen in the radiator neck. So, that final big leak finally told me that I have a serious coolant leak somewhere.

So, after filling to the neck of the radiator and reserve tank btw min/max with tap water (about 1/2 gallon), I made the 2-mile drive to the Acura dealer here in KC. The temp gauge never got above the normal operating range at any time being driven after noticing the first coolant leak. The car did drive kind of weird though with possibly a faint hissing noise up front.

The service manager eventually calls me over to say I need a new radiator ($650 total cost for OEM Denso or $532 for an aftermarket Orr). He showed me the cooling system pressure tester attached in place of the radiator cap and explained the pressure had dropped from a test of about 15psi down to about 5psi over a few minutes. The pressure drop indicated the cooling system definitely has a leak.

They checked everywhere for the leak incl. water pump, hoses, etc. but couldn't find the exact spot that was leaking. They could only see that the leaking coolant was pooling underneath the radiator between the AC condenser and radiator.

My question is are they trying to rip me off by selling me a new radiator when it could be a smaller and easier fix? Should I make them show me the exact location of the leak before having them begin the radiator replacement?

I have researched that the radiator usually has 1 plastic inlet tank and 1 plastic outlet tank attached either on the left/right or top/bottom of the aluminum radiator core itself. Is it possible 1 of these tanks is leaking and not the radiator core itself? Could these tanks be replaced or repaired at lower cost than a new radiator? Is it possible an aluminum tube in the radiator has a crack and could it be repaired cheaply at a radiator shop? Can the shop crack open the radiator to find the leaking tube then repair and reseal the tank?

I don't see any part numbers for an inlet/outlet tank on any on-line Acura parts sites. I only see the part #19010-PJE-A51 for about $250.

Any help, insights or experience with this problem would be appreciated.

 

If you do need a new radiator, but that price is absolutely insane. Most aftermarket radiators can be had for less then $200. Its much easier to replace the radiator then fix it.

Replacing the radiator is very simple. You should be able to knock it out in your driveway in an hour as long as you know how to use a wrench. Let us know if you need help doing it.

 

go aftermarket and install it yourself. Pretty easy if you need to do it

 

just go to any mechanic for a second opinion. pretty much all of them have coolant leak testers. they pressurize the system and then see where the leak is at.
they probably wouldnt charge you anything for the test, but will do it infront of you and this way you will know exactly what the leak is.


the reason why i'm saying this is because the dealer will want to make the most money out of you, and possibly, the leak is small hose between the firewall and the motor, they just want you to pay for the radiator so they can make money off of you.