Coolant Leak Question - Integra

[rh77]

Hey all-

Lately I've been losing nearly 3/4 of the coolant capacity in the '98 Integra over a week's time. I smell it quite often as I drive, and I think I may have pinpointed the source, but it doesn't make much sense.

Spatter marks on the underside of the hood focus the source as the reservoir tank area. My question: I didn't think that the tank was under any pressure. A check of the line from the rad-cap doesn't show any sign of wear or puncture. I can't even detect a crack in the tank, but coolant has leaked all over it after a drive. I could understand a failed overflow tank cap, but why the pressured spatter? I've also checked the usual suspects along the whole coolant track and everything's dry except the res. tank and the hood. Any thoughts?

Thanks...

RH77

[SVOboy]

Have you tried letting it running and seeing where it's coming from? I've heard cases of the coolant boiling up out of the overflow reservoir, so I won't say squirting is impossible, but at this point, Iono, quite the issue, sounds like you should buy a crx,

[Gary Palmer]

When you replace coolant, are you talking radiator, or only reservoir?

[rh77]

Well, I considered trading it in on a CRX, but got vetoed from the other branch of legislature

When I'm refilling, I'm talking about filling the radiator with about a half-gallon, then the rest into the reservoir tank, letting it run and vent the air, etc. I do have the hotter, 190F thermostat installed, but that shouldn't cause the problem.

Honestly, I sat in the driveway with the engine running for at least 15 minutes and got the coolant temp up to 215F according to the ScanGauge. Nothing happened, just the fans coming on now and then. So, I thought back to when it seems to happen the most -- which is when I'm starting the car back up after engine-off coasting. Is it possible that the coolant that is sitting in the block jackets are getting hot and not being pumped back until startup, then a mini boil-over occurs and within moments, the coolant normalizes as it pumps? I've never noticed any steam, but I do smell that antifreeze smell pretty strongly.

I've tried to replicate the problem to visualize it, but I think the car needs to be moving. Maybe I'll try driving around the neighborhood with the hood up (disclaimer: do not attempt. Professional driver.) Honestly tho, I'm using a 50/50 pre-mix and the rad doesn't seem to have any holes and all the connections are tight.

A couple of years ago, my friend bought a CRX HF. It was in decent shape and it ran well -- that was until he loaned it to somebody and they didn't notice the oil lamp indicator when the oil pump failed. Ka-blooey. He later sold it. But I drove it and was impressed with how well it felt for its age. This really should be another thread, but is it possible to put a Diesel engine in a CRX?

RH77

[SVOboy]

Sure, it's possible to diesel it up. Just depends how much fab work you wanna do. They do all this tilting and special hoods to get a k20 in there, of course a diesel will fit,

[rh77]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Sure, it's possible to diesel it up. Just depends how much fab work you wanna do. They do all this tilting and special hoods to get a k20 in there, of course a diesel will fit,

I was thinking a Cummins I-6 from the Dodge Super Duty in the rear-engine config . In all seriousness, the LS engine has a lot of life left, so I'm waiting on that -- that is unless there's a good market out there for a b18A2/LS engine to offset the custom fab work. There are tons of choices from Europe and Asia in the Diesel market, but lots of custom fab work would definitely be required. Too bad Honda got into it late with the Euro-D Accord. That's too much power tho. I was thinking more of a 1.2L with a manual swap. It would be easier to import an old Citroen or something.

RH77

[SVOboy]

B18 can get around 500 bucks I guess,

I'm planning a diesel swap as well, but Iono, need to learn a bit more about the options.

[GasSavers_DaX]

I say radiator cap or blown head gasket based on your observations.

[MetroMPG]

I've also wondered about CODFISHing's effect on block/head temperature. I do not think those short hot soaks are good for things - my SG1 shows coolant temp can spike +25F above normal during a long coast with a fully warm engine.

I'd prefer to have some electric method of keeping the cooolant moving while the engine's off, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

[SVOboy]

Get an electrical water pump, dude!