radiator leak

I went to change oil for my 91 accord. The mechanic told me the
radiator leak and he said it needs more than $200 to fix it.
I checked overflow tank, the level is still full, and when I drive my
car, the temperature always points within normal. Only for some hot
summer days when car stopped, the front fan will start running.
Do I need to fix the problem? Is >$200 is the normal charge?
Thanks.

 

If the radiator has a leak it may not draw the antifreeze from the overflow
tank. You will need to remove the radiator cap to see if it is full...

 

Ask the mechanic where the leak is and how serious he thinks it is and why.

Do you smell anti-freeze either (1) when the car is running and you in it; or
(2) with the car running and you under the hood?

Do you see anti-freeze on the pavement of where your car is sitting?

I would have a backup plan in case the temperature gage suddenly tops out while
you are driving. E.g. have a cell phone or a tow truck company in mind. Check
your reservoir's level at every stop. Carry the correct anti-freeze in a jug in
the trunk of your car, to get you home, possibly, if the leak worsens.

I would not sweat this until I had more information. Feel free to post back
where the leak is.

 

If car temerature is in normal range always, does it means the
radiator working fine? I found the ground with some drips but the tank
still is full. Should I go to repair? What's the price range?
Thanks.

 

As long as it's in the normal range, I'd say the radiator is working fine.
Whatever you do, if it suddenly tops out, pull over and stop the car.

But whether (or how fast) the leak will worsen is hard to say unless you can
find out exactly where it's from. Call the mechanic and ask him to tell you what
he saw. Or get under the hood with the car running and see if you can spot where
the drip is originating from.

I had in mind that your water (radiator coolant) pump may be on its way to full
failure. A water pump about to fail sometimes does so slowly, starting with a
small leak.

But I don't know what your mechanic saw. Just giving you one experience of mine
with leaking coolant.

Hard to say unless you post where the leak is located. Is it from the water
pump? A hose? The tank itself? Get on the phone or under the hood and find its
source.

I'd say for now that a radiator coolant system can have much worse leaks and
cost a lot more than $200.

 

"ps8888"

Eventually, your temp will be extremely hot. Drive next to a river bank or
put lot's of water in the trunk keeping watch on the temp.

Yes. Only for a while. The plastic radiator is known to leak and develop into
a crack, prayers won't help.

 

considering a cheap radiator over the internet will cost you about
$150.00 the price of $200 to get you a new one will be cheap if that
also includes labor...

 

Even $300 is a good price. My 88 Accord radiator cost $100, but it took me
11 hours over 3 days to install it.

 

I think the Chilton's flat rate manual probably only pays 2 hours at the
high end to replace the radiator.

 

From Honda the radiator alone is over $200, so I think the quoted price
is good. Eventually you will have to replace it so my choice would be to
do it now before you get the hassle of the car dumping coolant and
overheating while cruising in the fast lane (and possibly causing engine
damage before you can get over to the shoulder and turn off the engine).

The alternative is to check the coolant level daily and worry about it

 

For the '91 Integra, dealer rad price is over $600 Cdn, about $450 US.
That's for a single-core. Definitely NOT worth it. Parts guy at my
dealership said he'd never pay that much himself and doesn't know why Honda
prices them so high.

Aftermarket is usually less than $200 and decent quality. Just make sure
the fins are aluminum.

 

I got my numbers from http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com. The Accord
radiator is listed there at $217. At US$ 450 I agree with you, after
market is the way to go. At $217 I would think about buying the OEM
radiator, but after market would be tempting at $75
(http://www.hondaautobodypartstore.com/cgi-bin/auto-body-parts/HOACCORDP199093.html)

 

The overflow tank is still in full. The drip on ground has been long
time for almost one year. I am unable to see any leak visually.
Is it possible that I put too much coolant in the tank (over MAX level
a bit) that causes the problem?
Thanks.

 

The overflow tank is still in full. The drip on ground has been long

Is the lower rad hose tight? I had a similar problem with my '91 Accord.
After changing the coolant I noticed a puddle on the ground. I would top it
off and the puddle would return. If I just left it slightly low on coolant
(just below the min level on the overflow bottle) it would be fine. When
the weather warmed up I went under and tightned up the lower hose, filled it
up and no more leaks.

Roger
VA Beach, VA

 

What will be the consequence if I put more coolant than MAX level into
the overflow tank? Since I'm not sure what's the problem, is it safe
to add more coolant to the tank in case of leakage.

Thanks.

 

Should be okay. It'll just blurp the rest into the pavement. I've done this
several times when I had to transport leaky radiator vehicles 300 mi from
it's original location in mid summer for repairs. In addition to its reserve
tank, I've added additional containers for the extra volume. It consumes a
liter per 200 mi. with no problems - unless anyone disagree.
Indy

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