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.
>
Could it be a head gasket leak? If combustion gases are leaking into
the cooling system it could be causing an over pressure condition and
forcing coolant out of the system. Just a thought.