1, I remember the board saying it is simple to lower the aim of the windshield sprayers, where are these screws. I am blind and see nothing.

Also right in the front behind the latch there is a white bottle that attatches to teh radiator cap, or so it looks. My fluid is more towards the min level then the max. Is this a problem. Only 1200 miles on the car, need to worry or contact dealer?

Thanks

 

There are no screws for adjusting the wiper nozzles. There was a thread a while back that said you could put the tip of a screwdriver in the nozzle opening and move it up and down, but there is nothing about it in the service manual. I looked at the nozzles and there doesn't seem to be any adjustment. It is possible that putting something like a small screwdriver would allow you to move the nozzle up and down, but I wouldn't try it. Check with the service manager.

The white bottle behind the radiator cap is the coolant jug. The level will change as the coolant expands and contracts due to temperature changes caused by the engine operation. As long as it stays between the minimum and maximum marks I wouldn't be concerned.

 

Thanks Ron, you're a good man

 

I'm having the same issue w/ the coolant now. It's well below the MIN line. The manual says something about adding only Honda all season coolant to avoid destroying the engine. Any comments on if I should just go to the dealership to get the coolant or get it at Walmart? My car's only got 1800 miles.

 

Thorin78: If it is only a little bit low, you can just add plain water. If you are worried about the effect on the coolant protection, you can either get an anti-freeze tester, which doesn't cost a lot, or have the dealer or any shop check it for you. If you get your oil changes at the dealer, he can do it then and there shouldn't be any charge, because they are supposed to check all fluid levels at an oil change.

Any major brand of anti-freeze should be all right for your TL, or you can get a quart at the dealer's parts department if you like to stick with original equipment.

 

Use Honda coolant, if you care about the long term reliability of your engine. Don't mess around with the stuff you can buy in a store, even if it says 'safe for aluminum (or even Honda) engines'. If you decide to add water, add distilled water if you can.

 

Ron: it's about .5 to 1" below the MIN line. So I'm wondering how it got down to that level so quickly. I haven't had to change my oil yet, as it's less than 2000 miles. But I think I'll just stop by the dealership tomorrow and grab some coolant. Thanks for your help.

 

For .5 to 1" below, just add water. Put enough in to get the level a little over the minimum. The effect of this amount of water on the total amount of water in the cooling system should be negligible.

If you want to use anti-freeze, mix it with water in a clean container at a 50/50 ratio, or put equal amounts of water and antifreeze in the coolant tank.

 

Ron,
You seem to have become our subject matter expert, as far as coolant is concerned.

Mine is 1/2" above min, but my question is this: to allow enough room for the radiator to release and take coolant to/from the reservoir, I should fill it when the engine is cold, correct? And just take it to midway between Min and Max. This is what I've always done with previous cars, just wondering if the TL is the same.

Regards,

 

All you need to do to adjust the washers is use a large paper clip that you have straighted out. Put the end of it in the tip of tthe washer and it should move around like you are operating a joy stick.

 

Whoa! I got the responsible party handle this one. I had the dealership lower mine. The trunk was getting more fluid than the windshield was and there was no obvious way for me to adjust it. Now, it works fine and I didn't run the chance of flubbing anything up. A forty mile drive to the dealership was worth it, in my mind. They should give you a loaner, and you can go eat, shop, or whatever, while THEY fix it, not YOU!

 

Only for coolant?

Correct. Always check and add when cold. Halfway between mid and max sounds like a wise compromise.
I have been checking mine both hot and cold, and it seems like there is very little variance between the level of the fluid in the reservoir, so it doesn’t look like too much coolant is flowing either way.

 

When I complained about the windshield spray they told me that it was standard and there was no adjustment. But I will try the paperclip suggestion. Do you stick the straightened end into the nozzle of each spray?

 

Exactly. It should move easily like an eyeball in it's socket. Make minimal changes and re-test the spray. The only thing that could happen is you bring it down too far and won't get good coverage over your entire windshield.

 

If it's an 2004. Just use a small blade screwdriver to adjust it. It's easier to use then a paperclip and makes aiming up or down a breeze.