Yesterday I was checking all the fluids in the TL, I noticed that the antifreeze was low. The overflow tank was empty too. I could see inside the radiator and I could see fluid about 1 inch or so below the fins and saw fluid.

Then my first thought was leaking head gasket so I took off the oil filter and checked for sludge, and nothing. I saw no other leaks either. Can antifreeze burn off??? Last time I check the level was 4 month ago and it was fine.

 

Seems your car is burning some. Not enough to cause white smoke though.

 

Yea no white smoke yet.

 

smoke = blown head gasket allowing coolant into combustion chamber = very bad for engine!

at this point you are looking for leak in rad itself,,any crud growing on the seams?
a rock hit in front maybe?
hose inside res cap attached firmly?
all heater hoses and rad to engine hoses are good,,no soft or hard spots to them?
Water pump? replaced when?
look up at pump from under car on ramps, whitish discoloration trail coming from `weep hole` on wp = failed shaft seal

any oil loss or use? no brown foamy look to oil on dipstick?
easier than removing filter~

 

the TL should NOT use any coolant, it doesnt evaporate,,it only leaks out

ck rad cap seal and spring

 

Mine always consumed a bit and I never found any leaks.

 

Is the spring suppose to be part of the cap?? when I checked yesterday it seemed like the spring was broken.

 

yes the spring is a critical part of the rad cap
often found broken or separated from the cap itself!
rust,crud or other buildup on it?

 

Plain and simple, NO car should consume coolant. Its not a consumable item. If you have to keep adding it because its low you have A.) a leak, or B.) and internal issue like a cracked head or bad head gasket.

 

in this case; B= A

 

Thanks Kris, You and Tom should fly down to Charleston WV and fix it......I am sure you guys can do this in your sleep

When its a head gasket inst there signs like, discoloration in the oil and such, or build up of sludge in the oil filter? Lately I don't drive the TL much so what I might do is a flush and refill antifreeze, and get a new cap. I will monitor it and hope I can find this leak.

If its a head gasket I take it this will take some time to do, what kind of repair bill should I expect. I would also replace all other oil gaskets too at this time.

 

Most things on this car i can do in my sleep drunk

If it is a head gasket, it could be very tiny causing it to burn off before getting into the oil, or such a small amount that you wouldnt see it smoking from the tail pipe (especially by your description of a little low every few months) Have your system pressure tested to see if there are any leaks.

 

I ck the oil dipstick for brown, foaming, sudden increase of level to indicate coolant contamination
and coolant ck gets the same, odd discoloration, weirdness

coolant can be tested for hydrocarbons as a real head gasket test

head gaskets are not hard to replace, but must be confirmed leaking.
the potential damage of driving with a slight leak for a long time can result in very expensive damage,,new heads,,= go to junkyard for another engine

when fully busted- the seal between coolant ports and the piston area, or oil passages, allows free transfer of fluids
then you get rising oil level,,lowered coolant, white smoke when really bad

BONUS it does steam clean one or two pistons to like new!!

 

Hey Dnd2984, I fully agree with these guys !
First thing to do is have the cooling system pressure checked, it will tell you if there's a leak within the system. Replacing the rad cap may have solved your problem.

If it's been a while since the last coolant flush 'n fill, go for it. Just make sure that all of your rad & heater hoses, along with hardware are in perfect condition. It's a good time to replace the T-stat with Honda's 2 stage oem. Be certain to burp all air from the system with the heater set on high and verify that fans are operational. Also look at the hose and connections to the overflow reservoir.

If your coolant isn't slimey and the oil level is normal with no discoloration on the dipstick
your head gasket may be ok......unless you've had some serious overheating issues which may have stressed the head and gasket. You did'nt mention any such occurrence, so for now just do the basic PM's and cross your fingers !

 

driving to work got me thinking of this post. Tom and Kris do you guys remember this. Look at post 62.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...coolant&page=2

 

my lose coolant also over times but no smoke and oil looks fine and this was going on for a long time and on two different very hot days sitting in traffic the car over heated with the A/C on but not all the time but I seen what looks like a whitish residue on the base of the radiator assuming it a leak so it will be changed real soon

the over heating can that be a clogged radiator or something else because is with the A/C on

 

whitish is definetley coolant related leak
most often found from water pump weep hole, but bad edge seals on rad would show as green- then discolor with time to white

overheat in traffic- ck BOTH fans run with ac on
make sure driver fan runs at stoplights for a short time then off
thats with ac OFF

age of water pump? coolant?
always ck rad cap condition.bad cap lowers boiling point
and that hose inside res bottle cap has to be on tight
line from rad to res cap good,,,, or system will lose coolant!!

 

Sometimes i smell it but never see it drip

 

then its got a leak!!

 

I fully agree with 01tl4tl ..... sniffing sweet coolant definitely indicates a leak !

It may be elusive for you to actually see by just looking over the top,
but check every single last hose.....clamp fittings.....along with the entire radiator assembly itself, then lastly the water pump and heater core.

Smell teamed up with focused vision will find the gremlin leak !

 

start with water pump weep hole,,,then all hoses etc as said above
does it smell inside the car,,sickly sweet?
how about with heater use? any change?
could be leaking there!

rad cap is good condition- seal and spring working?
no discoloration of rad edge seams? rock hit on front?

 

i smell it if i open the hood but not all the time but i seen whitish residue on the bottom base of the radiator so im going to change it hopefully that's it also the hoses are good and i see no leaks anywhere

thanks

 

you see residue and you dont think thats the problem area?
change of coolant will not stop a leak!
wash off, and have professionally tested at a radiator shop

assuming you already went and ckd all hose clamps are tight?

 

Maybe i didn't explain it right i see residue on the bottom of the radiator so im changing that and i didn't a leak anywhere else

 

I got that,,after I posted,,duh! on me,,,

 

If you have not already replaced the rad, have the cooling system pressure checked.

Our rads are rather durable if the coolant is replaced on schedule. It's possible that something may have been picked up from the road causing a pinhole leak. Check the cap, hose connections, and any other sensor or tranny cooler ('99) fittings on the rad assembly.