I have a 99 tl. The car sat for three weeks and the idle was jumping when idling on park. I cleaned the idle air control valve and noticed a little anti freeze in it. Put everything back together and started the car. It ran for a second then stalled. It would not turn back over. Took it apart and the plastic intakes idols was full of coolant. I'm hoping its not a head gasket and something labor. Please help I need to get two hours away for work on or I lose my job.

 

Sorry about my typos. Plastic intake tube was full of coolant. And I am hoping its something minor.

 

Ok now that I am sitting at an actual computer, I can try to type this in English. I cleaned out my idle air control valve, put everything back together and the car would not start. I took it back apart and the plastic intake tube that goes from the throttle body to the airbox was full of antifreeze. If I open up the throttle body by hand, anti freeze just flows out of the engine. I just had the timing belt and water pump done less than 500 miles ago. I dont see how taking off the idle air control valve would have caused the head gasket to go but who knows. Im just at a loss here and hoping its not going to be the end of this car as I dont really have the money to get a new one right now. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. My apologies for the poor spelling and grammar due to me typing the original post from my phone.

 

It doesn't sound like your head gasket is bad. If your head gasket was bad, more than likely, your oil and coolant would be mixing and would create a chocolate milk colored oil, and coolant would be a brownish color instead of green. Deposits would be under the radiator cap and the oil cap. The car would run, but over heat.

It simply sounds like a leak somewhere. How is the coolant level? Is it significantly low?

 

Coolant level isn't too bad just low from what it dumped from me trying to figure out what's going on. The car will not turn over. It did once and ran real bad and blew a ton of white smoke.

 

There are 3 possible ways that coolant is reaching the Intake plastic tube.

1.- Is from the Crank respirator tube (The steel tube that comes out from the front Valve cover into the Plastic Intake) this might be a head gasket blown making anti-freeze into the oil and thus going into the valves! Easy way to check would be to open the Engine Oil Cap and search for weird color crap inside..

2.- If you have VSA (TL-S) the coolant warmer inside of it might be leaking..

3.- Carb itself is leaking from its own coolant warmer..


Try to disassembly all 3 and check if you notice coolant where it doesn't belong.

 

Yup, white smoke is the result from burning coolant. My guess would be the coolant is being sucked through the intake or TB and getting into the combustion chamber, which is why it won't turn over.

 

I'm with both of these guys Skirmich called out the three biggest possible causes, and yes white smoke indicates water in the combustion chamber but it could be coming in from the TB. What does the oil look like? Will the eng. turn over, or does it turn over but just not fire off?

 

Here is a photo when I did my IACV, any possibility of you mixing up the coolant tube on the IACV? Not sure even if mix up on the tubing would cause it neither, but a possibility.

You can remove the intake tube and run the car (if it starts) and look if coolant is seeping through the slot on the throttle.

 

Did you put a coolant line onto a vacuum connection by mistake?? Not sure if its possible but you do have some of both right at the throttle body.

 

^ agree with above. Sounds like you connected the coolant line to the iacv and its sucking in coolant.

 

I'm going to look at it again Tomm. I hope it is just my stupidity.

 

Latest update. Last night the car started on its own and ran kinda rough. Drove it around the block and parked it. Check engine light came on. This morning it wouldn't start again. Checked all the connections, replaced the gasket on the throttle body and idle air control valve. Pulled out the coil pack checked a few plugs. Car cranks but will not start. I also drained and refilled the coolant. The oil looks a little cloudy now.

 

The codes were each cylinder misfire.

 

Were the hoses correctly positioned or were they switched ???

If the coolant was being directed into wrong place, it's going to have to run it's course....until back to normal.

Ya may wanna consider doing an oil change. Did the coolant appear ok when ya drained it ? What's the CEL code ?

After the T-belt work, was the car running ok ? Was it only after cleaning the IAC valve that the problems surfaced, were the hoses on correctly ?

If the problem persists, ya may be better off having your mechanic who replaced the T-belt check things out. IDK, sorry, man !!!

 

I cleared the codes. So it ran fine after the belt. What triggered me cleaning the iacv was fluctuating idle. The hoses were correct so im still not sure what is causing the coolant issue. I just replaced all 6 plugs even though the ngk iridiums that were only 6 months old. They were soaked in fuel. The car fired up and seems to be running ok. Going to change the oil tomm. Crossing my fingers it's not a head gasket still.

 

The source of the leaking coolant needs to be resolved. This is causing your problems. If you're still getting coolant within the intake and can't find the cause, have the mechanic who replaced your T-belt check things over and get ya back to normal ASAP .

 

I think you need to go back to IACV removal. When you reinstalled the IACV the gasket was not installed in the groove or it fell out of the groove. I had this issue when I installed a new IACV. I installed the gasket wrong and coolant was running out of the Throttle body, white smoke from exhaust, and coolant behind the air intake valve. I installed the gasket in the groove and it ran fine with no coolant leaks.

 

Save those plugs for next 'tune up.'

 

I am having a similar problem.

Do you remember any coolant being under this cover on top of the intake?

 

Since IAC was removed theres a posibility the gasket was damaged upon removal or not installed correctly.
Green is coolant.

 

Hey ErickUa5, thanks for the detailed illustration.

Definitely a good place to look as coolant should not be in that area.....oil is normal, but not coolant.
An easy oversight if the IAC was removed and potentially causing coolant leakage.

 

No problem, Heres another one for those with the model year 99 only its another place to look, as these cars age anything is possible. Acura calls it Heated Air Induction System, to give better gas mileage in colder temps I believe.

 

Huh! Never noticed that before. Did they do it on any other hondas?

 

I think the 99 odyssey too, whenever you see coolant lines and hoses going into the intake I guess is the give away.