paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

So the other day I popped my hood and to my surprise I found some coolant overspray over the reservoir tank. It looked very similar to this(not my pic, taken from this thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...p?p=14474254):


It was nowhere that much, but it had probably 1/3 that amount. My reservoir cap and the hoses leading from the radiator to the reservoir and rubber gaskets are all in great condition. I had just gotten back from a road trip to San francisco last weekend and the car drove perfect the whole way; strong AC and no overheating issue the whole way. I had checked under my hood prior to leaving for SF and there were so leaks so I knew it happened very recently.

So I wiped up the overspray and kept driving normally. Just earlier today I got around to replacing the radiator cap, I got an OEM one from dealer. When I compared the two, here is what I found:



I'm not 100% sure what the middle piece on the cap does, and I couldn't find any debris from the top of the radiator so I'm assuming it's somewhere deep inside.
I put on my new cap and everything seems to be perfect still. But has anyone encountered this before? Any risk in having some debris in the radiator? Also, was my broken cap the cause of coolant overspray?

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

The cap is supposed to open up and allow coolant to enter the reservoir when the pressure reaches a certain level. Going off on a limb, I'd say since your cap was busted that pressure ended up building up until it just popped its way out. I think the cap was the cause of the overspray, but I would definitely determine where it came out of and make sure other components aren't damaged.

Personally, i would probably drain the radiator and remove it to get that piece out. I think you should be able to just tip that thing upside down and shake it until that rubber bit pops out (assuming it broke off recently). Then rinse the radiator with distilled water, reinstall, refill, and burp. The consequences of not getting the rubber out could be debris in the coolant passages in the engine block which can lead to warping. Hope someone can comment on that though as I'm not really sure. The coolant seemed to have been hot enough to degrade the rubber to get it to fall off the cap, so I have no doubt it would degrade it inside the radiator (especially near the top where it's the hottest).

Either way, monitor for leaks in the very near future to ensure that you don't need to replace any other components.

Edit: Not sure if it's supposed to open under a certain pressure or a certain temperature. Either way, it has that function.

dcmodels

I second that above suggestion, even though it is somewhat labor intensive. On my RDX, removing the radiator is not difficult, just takes time. And yes, I would be concerned that the larger part would deteriorate into small pieces that would then make their way into the engine, which does have rather small cooling passages in some places.

On my RDX, it involves removing the cooling fans (after unplugging them), then just pull up the radiator - much easier than my Chevy. Perhaps someone can provide more detailed info on how-to.

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

Draining coolant: remove radiator drain plug
Removing bulkhead cover (the plastic thingy on top of radiator): remove all the plastic clips that hold it in.
Bleeding: after filling the radiator, fill the reservoir to maximum and let that bish run. top off if necessary.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

At this point I've alrdy driven enough that if it was floating around somewhere it could easily be in anywhere the coolant runs. I don't know if the water jackets are big enough to let that piece flow through, I hope not though. In any case the car drives perfect right now, but I'll remove the radiator one of these days and hope it'll come out.

dcmodels

Not if its still in one piece, its too large to pass through the radiator from the top tank to the bottom tank, through the cooling passages - those are tiny.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

O really? That's good to hear, so the piece will be mostly isolated within the top of the radiator

dcmodels

Yeah, well, until it further disintegrates - as already stated - when it may plug one of the cooling passages in the engine - but its your car.

YeuEmMaiMai

the rad in that car is extremely easy to remove. I would just remove it, turn it upside down and flush it out....

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

I gave in to your guys' opinions and removed my radiator. When I turned it upside down I heard a couple little things fall out into my drain pan. My drain pan also had other liquids inside so I wasnt able to dig inside and see exactly what little pieces came out. I assume it's debris from the broken cap though. I shook it in all directions until I couldnt hear anything moving inside anymore. Whether or not it'll help, I guess it was good to have some fresh coolant anyways. Now I can have peace of mind while driving.

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

Awesome!!! I'm really glad you did this (I'm sure you are too). You probably just saved your car from some very annoying and expensive problems down the line.

Slpr04UA6

I have a crack in my radiator reservoir cap, and it looks like some coolant has leaked at the hose that runs from Radiator cap to overflow reservoir. Reservoir is below minimum line, I haven't driven the TL since I noticed this.

I ordered new reservoir cap, radiator cap, and hose that runs from radiator cap to reservoir (I've heard these go bad with time (mine is almost 11yrs old)). My question is how hard is it to pull that hose from rad-> reservoir? I tried tugging on that hose slightly, but didn't know if there is a trick.? Haven't looked in radiator to see the level yet, but I assume since there was a crack in the reservoir cap, that's why the reservoir is almost empty.? I ordered the extra parts, cause they were relatively cheap, and figured worth changing while in there.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

YeuEmMaiMai

Bleed it and then install the new rad cap. that should solve the issue

Slpr04UA6

^maybe I explained it wrong. The overflow reservoir cap is the broken piece. I can replace that, no problem. But the question was more how to remove/replace the hose that goes from radiator to the overflow reservoir? New radiator cap/hose to reservoir were being replaced "while I'm in there kinda thing". Hope that makes sense.

polobunny

You mean the little hose? I don't believe it's crimped on or anything, heck I don't even think there's a collar on it. I'd say wiggle it around. Can be a bit difficult though since it's original and has cooked/dried there. Since you bought a new hose though I wouldn't really worry about the old one.

Slpr04UA6

^Yeah, exactly! I assume it is dried on there pretty good, and was just wanting confirmation that there wasn't any trick to removal. Will I need to bleed the system aftr replacing all three parts listed above, or just start it up and see what overflows into the resorvior first? Thnks for the Help!

polobunny

No. Here's the coolant replacement in the service manual.

Slpr04UA6

It was flushed 1-1 1/2 yrs ago. So I will check radiator level, and buy some OEM Blue coolant to add to reservoir if needed. Probably could get away with a cup or so of distilled water.....





EDIT: I was under the impression "bleed" and "burp" were the same procedure.


Thanks Polo!

polobunny

I'm not suggesting you flush it, simply that the procedure is just to "let it burp" by having the cap on but loose.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

yes you should definitely bleed it for peace of mind. and the hose you are talking about comes off by tugging on it. its a bit hard at first but just twist it around it'll come out