93 civic - catastrophic coolant loss

Heading home last night on Hwy 401, about 1 1/2 km from my normal
exit. I notice that the CEL has fired. Temperature gauge is buried
redline. I immediately turn the heater on. Cold air. Yikes.

Get to the exit, once the car stops moving the telltale clouds of
steam start coming from under the hood. Drive another 30-60 seconds to
get to a safe stopping place, shut down. The engine was still running
OK at termination (i.e. it didn't seize up).

Hood up, steam galore, the entire left side of the engine and
compartment is moist with coolant. Couldn't see a hose leak (was after
dark) but it's patently obvious that a leak has developed somewhere.
Opened the rad cap - couldn't see the coolant level - no surprise.
Oddly, still coolant in the overflow reservoir. Used a few km of my CAA
+ to get the car towed the rest of the way home.

From what I've been able to glean from the groups, I've come to the
following conclusions: (experts, please comment...)

1. The fact that the gauge was redline implies that there was at least
some coolant in the system, otherwise the sensor has nothing to read.
This still is not a 'good thing' as hot coolant isn't exactly good at
cooling (especially when it can't get back to the rad).

2. Any sort of coolant loss of this nature could cause nasty issues
like warping the block, essentially killing the engine.

3. It's worth getting a CAA+ (i.e. free) tow to my usual mechanic to
assess the damage. Most likely a hose let go, but the true damage done
by it cannot be easily visually inspected (compression test needed,
etc.) by a layperson like me.

4. If there's any block damage or compression loss, it's safe to
assume that this car's days as my primary mode of transportation are
over - there's no way I'm putting a second engine into a 16-year-old
chassis.

Comments please...

 

Just look for a blown hose or connection. Fix it if you find it. If not,
fill the radiator up with water, start her up and wait a few minutes and
you'll see where the leak is-- probably the radiator.

Get it replaced and drive on. Cars blow all the coolant out all the time.
Fear mongering dealer service writers and other unscrupulous sorts try to
make it sound like the end of the world.

Don't be Chicken Little on this...

 

Is the chassis that beat up? I trust you are aware a new
engine may run you around $700 to $1500 installed. If the
chassis is good (looks nice on the outside, but also the
suspension is not going all to hell), I think I would
consider it. Major suspension rebuilds tend to be necessary
for a car this old, depending on where it has been driven.

If damage otherwise is not evident, then worst case the
probability of a blown head gasket in the future is somewhat
higher, but not definite.

 

The rad on my 93 civic went this summer - not catastrophically, but
here's what I learned:

1. I had been noticing a gradual drop in the reservoir level over
time. I tried some stupid leak fixing liquid in the rad and
eventually the reservoir level stabilized. This was a red herring, as
my rad cap seal had gone and the rad wasn't pushing/pulling coolant
from the reservoir as it heated/cooled.

2. Reservoir is not for replenishing coolant lost due to leakage, but
only to give coolant somewhere to expand into when it heats up, and
siphon back out when it cools down. If you have a major leak, the
siphon action stops, so it's not surprising that your reservoir stayed
full.

3. Changing a rad, hoses, etc., on your civic is a simple, do-at-home
job. I have virtually no car repair experience and I successfully
replaced mine with a couple of screwdrivers, one small wrench and a
set of vice grips. I didn't even need to raise the car - though that
would have saved me some uncomfortable wriggling under the front end.
-L