Ragus

I got my timing belt, water pump, plugs, etc done today for the 105k service and when I got home I could smell the hot coolant smell. I checked under the hood and noticed the coolant reservoir was really low, below the min line. I immediately called the dealership and will bring it back tomorrow but wanted to ask you guys if you experienced this, what it could be and is it safe to drive it back? About 20 miles or so.

They said it could be due to air/bleeding but should it be that low? Would I smell coolant? Haven't found any on the ground so not sure it's a leak.

Thanks in advance

oo7spy

Definitely not normal. Did they put the cap back on all the way?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

they forgot or didnt purge/burp the system.
when they drain the coolant, then add some, air gets introduced into the system.

its okay to drive, AS LONG AS YOU MONITOR YOUR TEMPERATURE GAUGE INSIDE THE CAR.
if it reaches the RED! the engine will overheat.
Pull over immediately and turn off the car.



sometimes, with less than skilled techs, the filling process proves to be a daunting task and coolant gets spilled into the engine bay.
then as you drive, the coolant will burn off

Ragus

The cap was on tight, as was the radiator cap. I actually just went out and checked the ground again and the reservoir and it is about half full now. Not at the max but well above the min?? The dealer also says that taking the water pump off sometimes coolant can run down the side and get onto the engine and that may be what I
was smelling?

Still planning on bringing it I'm tomorrow and feel a little better about driving it seeing the coolant res filling back up but something doesn't seem right....

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

watch that temp gauge!!

Ragus

Like a damn hawk! Lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I like their explanation of the coolant dripping from the water pump when being replaced better than my answer.

Ragus

Sarcasm?

You're answer seems legit and they did mention air/bleeding/burping. The fact that the res filled half way up when it was very lower early kind of backs up that theory, no?

Also I didn't notice any change in the temp gauge or anything abnormal on the way home after picking it up. Only when I got home did I notice the smell

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

ahh, you didnt see my edit!
i blamed the techs for spilling coolant all over your engine bay.
however, the removal of the water pump does infact drip coolant and some could have gotten onto something hot.

Ragus

Oh I see the edit now

Is the coolant easily bled or would it bleed itself? Seems more and more likely at this point that it is an issue with burping it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

its very easy.

1. make sure coolant is full in reservoir. (only use Honda coolant)
2. have funnel and extra coolant ready.
3. turn on car. heat on full blast.(the thermostat will open and you will see air bubbles rise or coolant sinking. the opening of the thermostat is what you saw when you went to double check the reservoir and how it was now full)
4. add coolant as necessary, keeping it at the full mark.

Ragus

Thanks for the info, hopefully that is all that it is.

oo7spy

As the temperature changes, so does the pressure inside the system, and the level of coolant can fluctuate. Their explanation of the smell is reasonable.

What Justin forgot to mention is monitoring the fluid level at the radiator cap. (At least, this is how i have done it.) Take the cap off while the engine is cool and let the car get to operating temperature. This will bleed the system of air. You can then add coolant until the cap is full, turn off the car, and fill the reservoir.

djkurious

^This is the same way I bleed the system also with the heat on high to get the fluid to flow through the heater core.

rlerman

It is quite normal for the coolant to go down after a drain and refill p. Car needs to run until the thermostat kicks on and let's the coolant flow. After that happens, you can top it off. Not really a big deal.

oo7spy

^I don't think I fully understood his symptoms when I said definitely not normal.

Ragus

Took it back to the dealership, and then did burp the system and top it off and it appears to be back to normal. Thanks everyone for their input. Much appreciated.

MSGross

Just had timing/water pump mine done, levels are perfect in rad and tank but my temp gauge goes from zero to mid range in about 2 min... is that normal?

never goes above half and goes back down after shutdown, never seen a temp gauge move that fast...

Blues Legend

Mine warms up that quickly too.

And believe me, nothing else warms up in England...

oo7spy

I am under the impression that normal temp should be less than 50% of the range, more like 40%. I'm not sure how much it matters how quickly it gets there though.

MSGross

It nevers gets above half... Just seems like a quick warm up, with winter coming i won't complain thoug!

Thanks