Ok so far I put a new thermostat in and it seems like it is running alot cooler because my fans are not coming on half as much as they used to. I do a paper route everyday and so I do alot of stop and go driving. Before I started the car to do my route I put a line on the overflow tank so I could see if the antifreeze in the tank rose or fell after I was done with my route. When I was done with my route and after the car cooled down a good 7 hours I checked the overflow tank and the antifreeze was a good inch and a half above the mark I made previously made. When I took the cap off and looked down in the radiater it was low. So I took some of the extra antifreeze from the overflow tank and added it to the radiater. It didn't take much to fill it up but why isn"t it sucking it back in to the radiater?? The radiater is brand new,and I am trying my third radiater cap on it tonight. I am completely baffled! I will try what you said Mr. Blake but any other ideas??

 

Check the rubber hose that it connected to the overflow cap for leaks or cracks. Also check that plastic overflow cap for cracks as well.

If there was a leak on that part of the system, it would be like try to drink soda using a straw with a hole in it.

 

I replaced both of those hoses because that is what I thought it could be too.

 

After you bled the air out of the system, did you notice any air bubbles coming out of the radiator?

Make sure the new hoses are on the barbs securely. If there is any leak, the radiator will draw in air instead of coolant. Did you replace the hoses with generic hose from the parts store?

 

Actually yes i did notice air bubbles coming up from the radiater while it was idling it wasn't constantly but there were bubbles coming up. I know you mentioned that it could be the head gasket but I thought the bubbles had to be constant. I think I might try to bleed the air out again just to be absolutely certain. The hoses I bought were from the honda dealership and I will check again to make sure I have them on right but I'm pretty sure I do.

 

Okay I just got back from doing my route. When I left the overflow tank was only half full. After I got back the overflow tank was completely full. Now I am going to wait until this afternoon to check if any of the antifreeze was sucked back into the radiater after it had time to sufficently cool down. If it doesn't could it be the water pump doing this? Now just so everyone knows IT DID NOT OVERHEAT. It stayed pretty much at a constant temp-the needle for the guage was about 1/4" under 1/2. Is that were it is supposed to be?? Also like I said in my earlier post the fan isn't nearly coming on as much as it was before I replaced the thermostat. Thanks for all your help everyone!

Oh by the way I checked the hoses and they all are on correctly. Also when I go to get a radiater cap for my car why is it when I get the cap it is NEVER the right one!! It is a 1997 Honda Accord and whenever someone gets one for me it doesn't fit on the neck of the radiater. The Honda dealer is like 50miles away so I don't have time to be running down there to get a part when I need it.

 

So the cap, reservoir, & it's hose are all OK. And it doesn't overheat (you're watching the gauge)? But still you get "air" into the cooling system.

It's beginning to sound like a blown head gasket. Combustion gas leaks into the water jacket and displaces the water over to the reservoir. Since it's actually combustion gases, they stay there & don't suck water back in. (The reason water sucks back in is because the water expands then contracts as it cools)

How about trying a compression test or a leakdown test? Or I think you can get a "test kit" to test your anti-freeze. Some kind of liquid turns color from combustion gas.

 

He said "If you have a ton of air bubbles coming out of the radiator, then your head gasket could be blown. Head gaskets can fail in many different ways, so you can't rule that out. There are some other things you can to before jumping to this conclusion."

That is right on the mark....

To me is sounds like you have a blown head gasket.

if the job is too big for you to handle.. then At least take it to a shop and have them diag it correctly and give you an estimate of the repair.

Brian B

 

You are correct sir it doesn't overheat but I do constantly watch it while I drive. The thing is I really can't afford to fix the car right now but I do need it every day. That is why I was hoping apon hope that it wasn't the head gasket! I will try to do a compression test to see where I stand but unfortunatly I'm thinking you are correct in your assumptions

 

You may well get many more miles out of a small head gasket leak. It won't hurt anything as long as you keep the coolant topped off so the engine never overheats, so you can afford to wait on the repair.

A compression test isn't likely to tell you anything. The sure way to diagnose a slight head gasket leak is with a leak down test.