That Integra

Well my friend got the integra, and i came to the school lot today to find the car with the hood open, the radiaton steaming, and the owner clueless. I asked him to turn on his engine and I did the same for my car with the hood open. We both had the heater on, but my fans were spinning, and his werent. On the top of the radiator there was some kind of liquid coming out of the core. I will get out of school and take a photo the best I can. What can this mean. 99 Integra automatic, 88k miles, driven very gently

  newyorker

Is it possible that it's overheating?

  vwhobo

Make that owner and friend.

  ChrisV

Yes, but he wasnt watching the temp guage. the question is WHY its overheating. yes chrisV hes my friend but I dont teach all of my friends about cars. :thumbs: especially if they dont want to learn

  newyorker

1. Good question. Maybe there's some kind of malfunction.

2. Lucky friends, having someone with your vast automotive knowledge around to teach them. That of course raises a question. If you're such a storehouse of everything automotive, why are you asking me how to replace a valve cover gasket? Not exactly rocket science. Something smells rotten in Denmark.

  vwhobo

I was asking how DIFFICULT it is. I have the haynes manual for my car. Also every car is different so you need to know for each one. His fans werent spinning, so could that be the cause of this? I will be leading him home today and on the cell he will be monitoring to me the activities the car makes. temerature fluctuations, odors, steam/smoke, etc.etc.

  newyorker

No. What you said is;
Your very first question was HOW can you do it. Stick with the facts, don't lie to me and you'll never have a credibility problem.

The fans not spinning could be the cause, or they could be a symptom. Driving the car around to duplicate the problem is probably not a very good idea. How smart will you look if he blows a head gasket or cracks the block while you're in the process of doing that?

  vwhobo

As far as I am aware he got home alright today. I will come tomorrow and check his radiator cap, hoses, and antifreeze.

  newyorker

I find standing in front of the engine bay pondering the universe and the origins of man rather gratifying when I can't be fagged doing any tests. Invariably though, it becomes self evident that engines rarely fix themselves by driving around, especially when steam is pluming from the general vicinity.

  Wally

I find sasrcasm completely useless. He doenst know SHIT about cars, so he needs me to help him. I will check his stuff tomorrow.

  newyorker

Tell him to drive it to the local mechanic and have it looked at. He'll spend less money for a diagnosis and, perhaps, a bad deal, than he will driving around like a moron while you try to diagnose something forever and might still make a mistake.

  Nissan_Altima

He would be a retart and agree with them that shit that doesnt need to be changed has to be changed. They would stick him with shit youve never herad of hed pay, and they would do nothing and meantime **** the car more so he comes back and makes them more money. Maybe before being a dick you should consider who got you in the game. :thumbs:

  newyorker

Really? I find sarcasm has it's uses in making a person use his/her noodle. And I would suspect that when you do proceed to help your mate, members on this board will be seconded to help.

  Wally

Yea thats why I made the thread for advice. But as tight as me and Nissan are, his comment kinda made me angry.

  newyorker

Haha...thats just funny.

Thats like saying "He got stabbed and some kind of liquid started dripping out of him!"


DUH.

  Mathew

Actually when one of the coolant hoses rotted through on my car, I didn't what was going on b/c I thought that antifreeze was blue, but it's green. Or maybe it can be both colors, I odn't really know, but I didn't think there was green antifreeze. :laughing:

  jedimario

Antifreeze actually comes in different colors (dont ask why because i really dont know). There is Prestone that "Mix with any color", and thats what I use. His was a greenish tone.

  newyorker

I wasn't being a dick, I was simply stating facts. I can just imagine a kid riding around in a steaming car, talking to you on a cell phone. While you try to diagnose the mistake (possibly being successful), the car is being tortured. Instead, go to the mechanic with him, and try to understand what they say.

As far as mechanical rip-offs, I believe that this statement is over-used. Most mechanics want to have a good name for themselves. While they do overcharge you when possible, I have never had a problem where something was fixed, but it wasn't what was supposed to be fixed and the problem continued.

  Nissan_Altima

Just because a car overheats doesnt mean that teh rad is bad. I dont think that just because a rad is bad it leaks fluid. Do you think that Radiator stop-leak might be worth a try here, or a new radiator is in place?

  newyorker

I think you need to find out if its actually leaking and if so how large the hole is and if that is the only problem prior to looking for a quick fix.

  97Talonchik

Couldnt really do that right before school we were late as it was. We will check it out tomorrow.

  newyorker

Could this be caused by the fact that his coolant tank (where you pour antifreeze) is leaking....his dad filled it up but didnt do 50/50 with water like the instructions asked. Maybe that somehoe ruined the hoses or the tank itself. Maybe he put in the wrong color?

  newyorker

The reservoir? Take the friggin car to the mechanic already.

  97Talonchik

I'd like to help, but you haven't really explained what the problems is? Was there coolant coming from a pressure cap, a crack, a hose or what? Are the rad fans running when they should? Is coolant being blown out the top of the reservoir? Is the oil creamy?

  Wally

there was some antifreeze coming from the top of the rad where the cap is. hoses are all intact as far as I saw. When should the fans be running becauswe everytime I looked, they werent. the antifreeze reservous magically disappeared completely over a single day and when I took the cap off of the rad, there seemed to be a rediculously high level of antifreeze in there (it was just abut reay to come out). coolant not coming out of the top of the reservour. Oil isnt greamy but has a green or red tone to it very light color couodnt tell.

  newyorker

Well it might just be a bad cap. But firstly:

When you take the cap off, the coolant should be up to the brim. With the cap off and the engine running (do this with a cool engine for safety) does the water well up and out when you rev the engine or does the level drop a tad?

  Wally

What else would your rad be leaking? Washer fluid?

  Mathew

Had I not have just read the above, I'd have got in there first lol. newyorker, you say you know about cars, so unless somebody has put the wrong stuff in the header tank (or you've got one helluva problem lol), all that's gonna come out when it overheats is water/antifreeze :thumbs:

  Cliffy

Well if you want to know when the fans should be running...I am assuming that this is an electric fan not a belt driven one like mine so the fan should be running whenever the temperature guage reads above that line that they have on it at the cool end. It WILL be running if the temperature is at half or over for sure. The oil should be a very light yellow-brown color if its new...as it gets older it should turn more and more black. The oil should NOT be red or green or any other color...if the oil is red you better the hell empty it out and flush it because that would mean that there is Automatic Transmission Fluid in the engine instead of oil...feel the hoses..if any of them feel relatively soft consider changing them. But if the engine runs and the coolant stays in then the hoses are fine(I had that problem and anything in there would just drain out. Also, if none of this solves it...take the cap off when its COLD not hot and rev the engine a bit...if the level doesn't go down then consider replacing the water pump.

Oh and to check the color of the oil it is easiest to get a white piece of paper or white latex gloves and put a dab on it.

  Golddragoner

what oil..waht trans..waht are you tallking about? im talking about the radiator

  newyorker

I know you are talking about the rad...but you mentioned that the engine oil had a red tint to it...

  Golddragoner

by using the stop leak in my radiator it caused more damage than imagined and instead of the cost to flush the trans it cost me a whole new engine

  acuragal