So, my 08 TL Type-S has had some recent work done to her - Timing belt, water pump, the notorious oil pump gaskets (3 of them that Acura recommends) and even the crank seal. After this work, I have been smelling coolant and its been three months now. No drips on the floor, but can still smell it after a drive when I get out and such. I am semi-convinced its a radiator leak and it is leaking in a fitting that feeds coolant into something?

I know the TL-S has a ATF cooler, but at the risk of sounding dumb - does coolant ever keep this tranny cooled and warmed somehow? Or is that in the years past? I feel like there is a line running into the transmission or something and this one is leaking at the radiator

I am also looking for replacement suggestions - I see Koyorad and Denso make replacements, but they have plastic end tanks. Are there other brands y'all would recommend - full aluminium ones, perhaps?

I noticed that the radiator, condensor and fans have been replaced on the ole gal - she may have been involved in a front end collision of some sort, possibly? They just dont look like OEM honda/acura parts. If anyone has pics of the OEM fans and shrouds, that would be great!

Thanks all!

 

The two most common places the radiators on these fail is at the neck (usually it is the cap that fails) or around the trans cooler lines down near the bottom. If it is leaking, you will be able to see residue or some type of sign it was wet. Mine had a small leak around the tube to the overflow tank. Could smell sweet coolant when hot from time to time, but never found coolant anywhere, until I took the caps off and could see a slight residue on the bottom of the overflow tube.

I do not have an AT so I have no details on how the coolers are routed. I "thought" the later years had lines that went through the bottom of the radiator??

 

ATF cooler lines are at the bottom of the radiator, the threads fail and it leaks. Take a look there.


Just get an Denso radiator as a replacement, it's much cheaper than OEM.