Hello All:

I have a 1994 Accord EX with 214K miles and it recently started dripping water/coolent on to the floor mats. It seems to happen when I have the A/C running. I also noticed that there was some coolent on the driveway. 3 days ago I bleed the system trying to resolve a fast idle issue. I filled the cooling system but when I checked this morning, it was about a quart low. I gave it a tune up last week and did not see any build up on the spark plugs. Does this sound like a heater core problem?

Regarding the idle surge, I will try cleaning the IACV, FITV and TB.

Lastly, I noticed that 2 of the valve cover screws have snapped. I affraid that they will have to be tapped out. Is this best left for a mechanic?

Thanks in advance
npinto97

 

Heater core is the part that would leak into the floor. Anything else would leak onto the ground under the engine compartment.

But are you sure it's antifreeze? If it's water, that might be a simple thing - AC condensate drain hose disconnected out near the passengers toe.

Look for postings about setting the BASE idle.

Remove the remaining bolts & remove the valve cover. There's a chance you can grab the broken end of the bolts with needlenose pliers then you can fix it yourself.

 

Thank you for your advise. I will give it a go. As for the antifreeze, I'll double check. Some may have spilled over while filling.

Regards
npinto97

 

If the heater core leaks, it would probably steam up the windows and smell strong inside the car.

Here's the AC box, buried in the dashboard, sorta forward from the glovebox. Look for the hose #14 to see if it's disconnected. It's supposed to go through the firewall & drain onto the ground.

 

Thanks again Jim. Yesterday as I drove home I ran my hand under the passenger side dash and felt the plastic was damp. I do get a odor of anti freeze. Once I got home, I took a look and checked that the hose was in place. It was but I gave it a squeeze to see if it felt blocked. It seemed ok. The passenger side floor was wet from side to side. I let the car run for a little while with the A/C at full blast but I did not see any leakage. This morning I checked the coolent level and it was full. I'll drive it around with someone in the car. That is when I feel the fluid hitting my feet from time to time as well but mostly dripping on the passenger side.

Thanks for the picture. It looks like it is a pain to remove the heater core. I take it that the radiator like piece is in the plastic housing?

Npinto97

 

That's actually the AC evaporator. Heater core is further "downstream" as far as the air path.

Find the hose underneath the car & stick something inside to remove blockages. Maybe a plastic wire like a weed-trimmer string? Don't have your face underneath when it all comes loose.

 

I will give it a try.

If you don't mind I would like to tap some more of your knowledge. Yesterday I removed the IACV to try and correct the idle surge. It was very dirty. The screen was completly covered with buildup. I removed the piping plate as well and gave the unit a good bath in carb cleaner after removing the gaskets. Once re-installing, it seemed to work (it was idling just a little high. 1000 rpm) but I still had the engine light coming on. I reset the ECU but no luck. I found the CEL reporting a 43 (from what I read, it is a fuel system failure that is most likely caused by a bad HO2S). I guess I will order a new O2. Upon going to work this morning it started to surge again once I parked. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

Today I was able to look up (the passenger side) at the AC box. I saw water (cold to the touch) dripping well above the drip tube. I removed the drip tube and water was slowly draining. I found some electrical wire and slide it down the drain tube to clear out any blockage. I then did the same going into the AC box. Doing this released a lot of water along with some dirt build up. Reattached the tubing and now it looks like the AC is draining properly.

As for the idle surge, I removed the tubing looking into the TB. The engine was well heated. I checked the FITV port and found it to be sucking a bit when I placed my finger over it. My next step is to remove it and tighten the plug. I also noticed that the inside of the TB was very dirty. I shot some carb cleaner in to clean it up and it seems to have helped a bit.

npinto97

 

Give the TB a good scrubbing with carb cleaner & someone's toothbrush.

Look for a recent post by me about the base idle & forcing the car to re-learn the idle behavior.

 

Yesterday I adjusted the base idle and now she is purring at about 750 to 900 and the idle surges have reduced as well.

I tried replacing the O2 but could not get it to loosen. Any clues to loosening it up?

Thanks