I have inherited my mother's 1998 Honda Accord V6 with 145K Miles on it. About three weeks ago, It ran hot and I put water into the radiator (about a gallon) and it did fine. Yesterday It happened again. I immediately stopped and let it cool down..put a little over a gallon of water in the radiator.

We have all the paperwork noting work performed and it looks like the water pump was replaced in 2013. But I am not a mechanic either.

Can anyone give me some ideas about what I need to consider before taking it to be looked at. I live in Huntersville NC and do not have the best mechanic in the world I had in Greenville SC... I am also open to referrals.

Thanks much!!
Donna

 

Overheating is very bad for the engine. Unit the problem is fixed, I recommend that you carry a gallon of water with you at all times. Also top of the radiator before you start driving when the engine is cold.

When your car overheats, put on the heat full blast with outside air. This helps cool the coolant and can prevent engine damage. It is miserable to drive, but necessary.

You have to find out why you are losing coolant. External leaks could be a cracked radiator, leaking hose, radiator cap, etc. An internal leak could be from a warped cylinder head/head gasket failure. I doubt your waterpump is the problem.

The easiest way to check for external leaks is to pressure test the radiator when the engine is cold. The coolant won't evaporate and leaks are easier to locate. Some auto parts stores have this as a loaner tool where you put a deposit down on the tool and get your money back when you return it. There are some good youtube videos we can reference you towards if you want to do the testing yourself.

 

Thank you. My first action is to put in radiator fluid and look for leaks and will do as you suggested. Appreciate it.

 

Here is a video on pressure testing the system.

 

Here is a video on pressure testing the system.