BG Auto: Busted Radiator/Hose

[Arrmani]

The long story short is, I was driving entirely bad on my way home, and I'm sure I broke one of these.

I have a '90 Honda Accord. Car ran fine the whole way home, but when I was backing in my hood started to smoke, and there's definitely fluid leaking under my car. I don't know much, and I can't see underneath to check anything, but the fluid look kind of yellow to me on the driveway.

Aside from the fluid and smoke, the only other thing I noticed was the engine fan kept running for a while after I shut the car off. My questions are, is this something I could be able to do myself if I can find where the leak came from? And if not, will this be expensive?

My dad is getting more antifreeze I think to put in it, but I'm expecting the worst. I know old tubes can burst when pushed too hard, and I didn't hear anything break, but it is an older car.

[foopy]

definitely sounds like antifreeze leak.

you gotta find the source, hopefully it's just a crack in a hose, or a failed hose clamp somewhere. should be easy to find the leak. might have to jack the car to get a better look underneath.



just hope it's not your radiator (usually not, hose or clamps will fail first generally).



really cheap and easy to fix, do it yourself.

get back with more details and someone will be able to guide you step by step.



btw, remember all that shit is extremely hot after you drive. so make sure you let it cool down before you touch and prod around.

[elison]

Yeah, very easy to do the job. Just don't open the radiator cap/do the job while the car is hot (duh).

Give me your exact make and model and I'll look it up on OnDemand5, take sreenshots and PM them to you. Let me know if it's the upper or lower radiator hose as well.

[foopy]

wanted to give you a few more details, so you know to look for:

there are 2 hoses (upper and lower like elison said) that run between the engine and the radiator.


they are clamped into place by these guys:






so, either a hose is faulty, or a clamp is. both are really easy to replace (cheap) and install.


you might have to fill up with more fluid to spot it easily.



edit: if you're sad/frustrated by your problem, stare at elison's avatar for a few minutes. quite relaxing.

[Cadsuane]

Cracked radiator is an expensive fix that shouldn't be done on your own, a hose isn't too bad. The radiator cools transmission, power steering, and engine (antifreeze) coolants. Generally the antifreeze line is the biggest and easiest to spot.

[Arrmani]

It's a 1990 Honda Accord LX Sedan with a fancy Sport button on the shifter.

I was sad/frustrated at myself for being stupid, but your quick replies helped me feel better. I refilled the radiator and whatever the container its connected to is called with antifreeze and water. I ran the car for a few minutes and didn't see anything leaking, but I'm going to keep an eye on it tomorrow, or might just take my motorcycle to ignore it lol.

My dad thinks it might have been a release because it was running too hot. Is it possible I wouldn't see a leak just letting it idle? It seemed like a lot of fluid on the ground, but no drips after filling up.

I really do appreciate it, and I'll take the pics in PM and see what I can see. Thank you so much.

[Cadsuane]

If you do decide to run it keep a close eye on the engine temp and pull over with the cabin heat on full blast if it starts climbing. Overheating will seize the pistons and result in an instant write-off. edit: If your radiator is boiling over it's very likely the thermostat that's busted.

[Nephlite]

Either that or it's the water pump. Usually if it runs hot in idle it's the water pump not circulating coolant while the car's not in motion, also an expensive fix. You'll usually see the plastic looking reservoir that holds the coolant (not the radiator itself) start to bubble and stuff will start spewing from under the cap. If it gets too hot, the cap will melt on the threads (not good) and the reservior will start to melt (also not good). Take it in asap and don't go on long drives; nothing worse than being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and the shit starts to overheat. The turning on the heat thing will work temporarily but if it's hot outside it won't last for long.

[Arrmani]

Advice noted. I usually keep an eye on temp. gauge and didn't notice it rising above usually halfway area. It didn't seem like the reservoir didn't seem melted or warped in anyway. I wish I knew how to describe it better, but the steam I noticed was coming from below and to the side of what I think is the engine block.


And I do understand the actual radiator is a major fix, where as hoses and such are just hoses and such. I was just worried my car couldn't hold out the one summer I take classes.

[Nephlite]

Well if it is a hose, there's something you can use that fixes everything:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...oTfRx7HM-WWVkN

Swear that I wrapped a busted radiator hose on my car driving from New York to Philly and made it no sweat.

[liggy 0]

still should be a hose on the lower left, iirc.( i havent messed with hondas in years). reservoir hose runs along that rout down then back up to the radiator. could check those.


Here here on the duct tape. always keep a roll in the glove box lol, that and super glue for cuts and stab wounds.

[Kazen]

When was the last time the thermostat was replaced? From the way it sounds that could very well be the problem.

[Arrmani]

Pointing at where the smoke was coming from. Can't tell if any hose is lose. The one from the reservoir to the radiator is actually inside the little tank, but I'm not sure if what I put in leaked yesterday. I'm going to ride today and try it out when I don't have to work. For some reason, the hood won't close now either, but that's not as important.

I don't know when the thermostat was replaced last either, I'll check the owner's manual when I get home.

[Zansho]

if the leak is coming from under your car, you might want to check the location of your water pump. Those fail slowly, and then all of the sudden, stop working. Trust me, I've had it happen to me a couple of times and it sucked.

If it's a hose, grats, easy fix. If it's the water pump, or radiator, that'll be somewhat expensive. If it's the water pump, I would just bite the bullet, have the pump replaced AND your timing belt done while they're doing it, as the timing belt is generally in the same area (most front wheel cars you need to remove the water pump to get to the t-belt), and mechanics will generally cut you a deal for both things. I had the water pump and t-belt replaced for 700.00 on my Saturn, with a 50k mile warranty on parts/labor for both at my local mechanic.

Good luck!

[Lucavi]

I had the radiator hose blow up in my 95 camaro about 3 months ago and it was a similar situation: hose busted while I was driving, tons of smoke and radiator fluid all over the engine. The fix was simple - new hose, new clamps, re-seal - but some problems persisted after the repair job. The thermostat regulator had gotten damaged in the "explosion" and wasn't working properly, and the radiator itself became clogged a bit with.. well.. gunk.

If its under the car, though, you might need to check the water pump. If it was the hose itself just blowing up, your entire visible engine would be coated in either a yellow, green or orange color fluid, and you'd see the bust. Duct Tape only works for so long as well, depending on the size of the hole. Hoses and clamps are pretty cheap, though; any parts store worth its salt will have them.

Good luck!

[Arrmani]

Well I ended up having to drive to work. Its about a 20 minute drive, 5 on the highway, and I didn't notice any problems. The thermostat didn't go up any higher than it normally does, and I haven't noticed any drips while its been parked. I did blast the heater the whole way just to be safe though.

I wouldn't say my engine was covered in yellow liquid when it happened. I noticed some, but it evaporated pretty quick. It was mostly just underneath that I saw it. I hope its not the water pump though, I don't think I could afford a few hundred more in repairs this summer. I had the sway bars replaced on both sides because the one broke and the other was worn down, and it was $114.

[Cadsuane]

I don't see anything very conspicuously wrong from that picture. Upper radiator hose looks fine to me, though that teal sensor on the coupling has some greenish oxide that looks suspicious but might be nothing. Smoke could be coming from under your car just because the fluid is leaking onto the exhaust pipe and boiling, or it could be steaming out from a busted water pump or thermostat or lower rad hose or what have you, so that doesn't tell you much about the location of the leak. It looks like the serpentine belt (and hence, the water pump) are on the driver's side of the motor, so you can look around there for signs of corruption, but it might be covered. Basically, take it to a mechanic and he'll diagnose it in all of two seconds, and I don't think your car's gonna blow up on you in the very near future as long as you keep an eye on the engine temp.

[Arrmani]

Sorry for the bump BG.

On my way home today, the engine temp went the whole way up again. I pulled over, blew the vents out, and checked the antifreeze. It was completely drained and the radiator was dry. I called a tow and had it taken to my mechanic. As far as I could tell, it was leaking from the same spot I pointed to in the above picture. I don't have any way of lifting it up to look at the bottom, and I prolly wouldn't have made it home anyway. Thanks again to everyone for your help.

[Cadsuane]

Hope the mechanic doesn't fleece you. Good luck with the repair.

[Effluo]

Dude, get the corrosion off your battery before it blows up!

GL with the radiator/coolant issue. And don't take what the mechanic quotes you and tell him to go for it. Get a second or third estimate based on what he says needs fixing and price. you'd be surprised at what bidding wars between mechanics can get you in price.