im having trouble with my 90 accord ex with 2.2 engine. it runs perfectly as far as starting, power, idle, mpg, and all drivability issues. problem is the loss of coolant. it seems to build up a decent amount of pressure in the radiator and hoses pretty quickly. it does not overheat but if i let it run too low on coolant it probably would.? both fans come on and cycle off and back on. rad cap was leaking slightly but might have been from too much pressure but i replaced it anyway. no more leak. i wasn't sure if t-stat was opening at 180, so i replaced it. tested it on the stove and it opened at 195? faulty i guess. coolant not leaking on the ground and not apparent at tailpipe, although its going somewhere.? it does seem to fill the recovery bottle up when warm but level goes down when car sits for a few hours. after about 300 miles it is running low enough to start acting like it is heating up and blowing out the rad with cap on. ill carefully open the cap and it will blow out of the rad like it is a cracked head or bad HG.? i have not tested for combustion in radiator yet, dont have any of that blue fluid to put in my tester yet, if that stuff is still made. did replace timing belts, water pump, and both pulleys about 5k miles ago. i wanna blame cracked head or head gasket but nervous about doing that job and problem still exists. like i said it runs great! save for the coolant issue, and recently passed smog here in calif with flying colors. any help would be greatly appreciated. hope i gave all the info i needed to. thanks, richard

 

did you preasure test the system? put a preasure gauge on it and see if it stays.

 

The "block check" fluid is still available......last time I looked it was going for ~$7.

 

thank you both for the suggestions. i will get the adapter for my gauge and try to find the fluid for the tester this weekend and check both and let you know. thanks again

 

Finally got the car back to work on it. Used the block check fluid and it stays blue. Didn't expect that. Pressure checked and it does seem to lose pressure but not sure where. I'm a little worried my gauge itself is leaking although that's only because there are no visible leaks? Still runs perfect with no steam coming out the pipe. Not quite sure where to go next? Thanks for any more help.

 

If you're losing coolant, then it has to be a leak internal or external. Losing pressure is a clear indicator of that. Has the car overheated before? Fairly obvious but is there any coolant in the oil? Leak can occur only when pressure builds up and may evaporate on any hot surface before it can hit the ground. Water pump gasket, t-stat gasket, faulty hose clamp, etc. Lot's of possiblities,