AutoBanter - View Single Post - '90 Accord post-repair coolant leak

**Pete from Boston** · August 9th 06, 03:05 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.honda,alt.autos.honda

wrote:
> Pete from Boston wrote:
> > In the past two and a half years I've replaced my '90 Accord's
> > radiator, water pump, thermostat twice, and just had the cooling fan
> > motor and temp sensor replaced after the car started getting hot even
> > while moving fast (without boil-over). Following that last repair, I
> > had to drive the car 150 miles home, following which I smelled coolant
> > and found a fair amount dripping from the radiator area while parked.
> >
> > The temp gauge reads low-to-mid-level, as it should, and the receipt
> > says they did a pressure test (plus the mechanic said they'd idled it
> > for 45 minutes to be sure the fan was working). So why the coolant
> > spill? Any ideas? I don't know how pressure test and idle compare to
> > real highway travel. I plan to call the mechanic when they open
> > tomorrow, but any ideas from the crowd would be appreciated.
>
> Is the cap and reserve bottle ok? Sorta sounds like the radiator
> cap, but I'm just guessing off the top of my head.. Normally , any
> overflow should be routed to that bottle. The caps have two seals
> kinda stacked. Maybe the seal for the overflow function is getting
> funky. ??
> MK

I'll have to check on these later (sucks that the repairing shop is
prohibitively far away), but in the meantime, I think I've lost all or
most of the coolant. Have to check more closely later.