Dear All,

I have Acura TL 2006 A-Spec model with 145,000 miles.

It all started with my engine overheating and the car shutdown. I called AAA and took it to their shop for repair. The guys found out that the problem is with Alternator so he fixed it and I was able to drive my car. In next couple of weeks the car shutdown again. I took it to another shop near my house. The guy told me that due to overheating the gasket was blown. He found lot of problems with my car so over the period of last 6 months following services and parts replacements had been done on my car.

1. Alternator -- By AAA shop
2. Head Gasket Job
3. New Timing belt and Water Pump
4. New Radiator
5. Valve Adjustment, new 6 valves and engine tuneup
6. New Heat Valve

After all this the coolant still leaks but slowly and the reservoir becomes empty over the period of 1.5-2 weeks. The engine light shows up intermittently. When the mechanic check on his computer it shows cylinder misfired codes. When I start my car first time in the morning, the engines shakes and its like delayed start. So I am not sure whats going on with my car. I really do not want to throw away my car. It drives really smoothly.

Any suggestions and help is much appreciated in advance.

Thanks !!

 

1st, if a car overheats it’s never the alternator that cause it to leak coolant or overheat. Whoever is was at that shop that told you it was ok to drive again after it overheated to the point of shutting off, NEVER go there again. Or at least I wouldn’t

Ok so it looks like they replaced most of the parts of your cooling system, did the check or replace the Thermostat? Or pressure test your radiator for leaks? And take a look at the coolant overflow bottle, does it have any cracks in it? The lid likes to crack around the top. Although that along wouldn’t be enough to leak all the coolant out. My guess would be 1 of the other 2 things I mentioned above. Start there and let us know what you find.

 

Hi LGcbp8,

Thanks for the reply. Here are my responses and corrections to the information I provided -

1. When the AAA car service shop changed the alternator I think there was not a coolant leak. Somehow the car shutdown when it was parked but the engine was running for sometime. When
he fixed the alternator, he told me to change the water pump. But anyways this is the history and its been an year.

2. The thermostat is not replaced. The guy who did the valve adjustment and engine tune-up said the thermostat won't cause the coolant leak. Do you think it can be thermostat?

3. The coolant leak has reduced quite a lot since they fixed the heat valve.

4. The current situation is - If I do not start the car for 24 hours it won't start in first attempt. The engine will make a sound like its starting but it does not. After 2-3 attempts it will start and it
shakes. I can feel the vibrations in the steering wheel. The engine light in the dashboard is lit up. When the guy checks the error codes using his diagnostic tool it shows all the cylinders
misfired randomly. He is saying last time he just did the gasket job i.e. sanding and resurfacing of the gasket. He did not take the head/block to the machine shop. He thinks most probably the
head/block is cracked. If that is the case then either he will have to use a head/block from the used car engine. What do you think?

5. If I restart the car in few hours like in 10 hours it starts in first attempt. But whenever the car starts it runs pretty smoothly. No issues, even if the engine light is lit up.

6. Another issue with the car, which is unrelated to the engine is break. I have replaced all the four breaks pads/drums no issues there. But sometimes the car does not want to stop. Even if the
car stops ( lets say on the stop sign or red light) I feel like its still in motion. When I lift the my leg from the break it move little forward with a small jerk. So it feels like car does not wanna stop
even if I have applied the breaks completely. Is this issue with ABS?

7. I really do not want to loose this car. Its has 150 miles and I am sure it will go for atleast 50K-75K miles if these issues are fixed.

Thanks a ton for your help in advance.


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