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Car Forum / Honda Cars / December 2005Pesky radiator leak...can't decide what to do
I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- day old. It's been very well maintained all these years, which is why I still have it. Here's the deal: I put in a new after-market radiator last July; last month I noticed a rather slow leak in the fins somewhere. This radiator has a two-year warranty I think (still have the paperwork somewhere), but I can't decide whether to just pull the thing and take it back to collect on the warranty (assuming they don't try to dance about something), or just pour a little of the stop-leak stuff in and hope it seals it. It's been many years since I used one of these products, and it seemed at the time to gunk up the radiator some. What would you guys do? Thanks! -- O.M. Replaced the radiator on my accord last summer - had a shop to do it - was busy at the time - took them 3 radiators before they got one that did not leak - Hecho in Mexico - Bumper to Bumper product - replace it cause if you overheat an aluminum block you will also probably warp the head - really hard to get a head gasket to stay on after the head gets warped - even if you have a very good machine shop "mill" the head. I would not take this risk. Oh - carry a couple of gallons of water with you in case your leak becomes bigger and you get caught on the road. > Replaced the radiator on my accord last summer - had a shop to do it - > was busy at the time - took them 3 radiators before they got one that [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > would not take this risk. Oh - carry a couple of gallons of water with > you in case your leak becomes bigger and you get caught on the road. I know you'd like to save a little work, but forget it. Go for the replacement ASAP. A defect is a defect. It won't get better. You will feel better and canmove on to the next thing. > Replaced the radiator on my accord last summer - had a shop to do it - > was busy at the time - took them 3 radiators before they got one that [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > would not take this risk. Oh - carry a couple of gallons of water with > you in case your leak becomes bigger and you get caught on the road. I agree with you, Butch.. Get another one. >I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in >amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >at the time to gunk up the radiator some. What would >you guys do? Thanks! replace it. That is what the warranty is for and you don't want to fight it until the warranty is used up. Chances are it will get worse. I replaced my '90 accord last summer. radiatorbarn.com. very good price, perfect fit, delivered in two days, and no leaks (so far). > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > -- > O.M. It's under warranty. Replace it. If the stop leak doesn't work, then you've given the shop a reason to void the warranty and you'll have to buy yourself another radiator. The stop leak stuff isn't a great idea to use. If it doesn't stop the leak in your radiator it will eventually find some place to solidify and whether it's in the radiator or engine, it's blocking flow either way. -Bruce > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > -- > O.M. No question - replace it under warranty. If you use Barrs Leaks or something similar you might void the warranty completely. Alum-A-Seal is great stuff for small coolant leaks. > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > -- > O.M. > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > they don't try to dance about something), or just pour a little > of the stop-leak stuff in and hope it seals it. return it. if you use stopleak and it doesnt work perfectly and forever, youve just invalidated the warranty. if they dick you around about the warranty, then do whatcha like. > > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > youve just invalidated the warranty. if they dick you around about the > warranty, then do whatcha like. Yep, I'm in agreement with you guys. I'm gonna pull it and take it back. If they try to dance, I'll just politely leave with it and buy one somewhere else....and send a letter to headquarters because I have done nothing to void the warranty. BTW, does Prestone only sell 50/50 now (at roughly the same price per gallon as they used to sell 100% before)? I was at K-Mart recently and that's all I saw. Great gig they've got, i.e. sell half-gallon of anti-freeze mixed with an equal part water, and keep the price the same!:) Thanks! -- O.M. > > > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > > > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > -- > O.M. You have to watch those sneaky SOB's and their mixed junk! You 'cannot' use that pre-mix to fill up a system after a water flush if you live anywhere that goes below -25F. It is only good for topping up a properly filled up system. I see folks buying it and killing their engines/heater cores, etc.... When you flush a system, normally close to 40% of the water is still trapped in the heater core and engine block. You then need to add the correct percentage of pure coolant first and then top it up with water. On my Jeep that takes 12 quarts to fill, I add 6 of pure coolant first, then water. Normally I can only get another 2 quarts or so to go in before it is full. That means 4 quarts of water was left inside things. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > You 'cannot' use that pre-mix to fill up a system after a water flush if > you live anywhere that goes below -25F. It is only good for topping up [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > trapped in the heater core and engine block. You then need to add the > correct percentage of pure coolant first and then top it up with water. YES! Thank you! Finally! The first time I measured what I was able to remove and compared that to the spec for cooling system capacity I was amazed; about 35% stayed in the engine.  SignatureIf John McCain gets the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, my vote for President will be a write-in for Jiang Zemin. > > When you flush a system, normally close to 40% of the water is still > > trapped in the heater core and engine block. You then need to add the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the spec for cooling system capacity I was amazed; about 35% stayed in > the engine. Per the manual's directions, if one takes off the engine block drain bolt (not just the radiator drain bolt), then all the coolant comes out of Honda circa 1990 engines. No calculation is needed for dilution. I checked quantities carefully while changing the coolant in my 91 Civic this past summer and confirmed this. > > > When you flush a system, normally close to 40% of the > water is still [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I checked quantities carefully while changing the coolant in > my 91 Civic this past summer and confirmed this. Wow! You are the first one I have ever seen that has ever 'read the book and done it right'. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) "Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote snip > > Per the manual's directions, if one takes off the engine > > block drain bolt (not just the radiator drain bolt), then [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > You are the first one I have ever seen that has ever 'read the book and > done it right'. 'Cause I got lucky or smarter with tools, and so this past summer got that now-and-then-damning engine block drain bolt off quite easily. I have done the dilution trick in the past, when the right tools were not available and I couldn't free the bolt. > Wow! > > You are the first one I have ever seen that has ever 'read the book and > done it right'. hey! i did it right, once, back in... '01. time after that, the bolt wasnt coming off easy, so i said "fuggit". the stuff i drained in '04 looked as good as the stuff i put in... orange prestone dexcool, silver jug. we've come a long way with antifreeze I remember when you added it in the fall, and then flushed the radiator, and replaced antifreeze the next year. every now and then you would throw in a little can of something to lubricate the water pump seals my dad had a 1962 Chevrolet 6 cylinder, and I think it was Prestone that came in a metal red rectangular gallon can >we've come a long way with antifreeze > >I remember when you added it in the fall, and then flushed the radiator, and >replaced antifreeze the next year. Don't you still do that? --scott Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." > I have done nothing to void the warranty. BTW, does Prestone > only sell 50/50 now (at roughly the same price per gallon as they > used to sell 100% before)? I was at K-Mart recently and that's > all I saw. Great gig they've got, i.e. sell half-gallon of anti-freeze > mixed with an equal part water, and keep the price the same!:) id imagine they carry the regular version as well. whatever you get, make sure its silicate and phosphate free, aka: "safe for aluminum engines" the orange dexcool prestone in the silver jug has been a safe choice for me over the past 15+ years. mixed 50/50 with distilled water, of course. zerex supposedly makes a "red" colored universal coolant that id like to check out some time if i ever run across it. its supposed to be what toyota uses, so that would be safe as well. "SoCalMike" <Mikein562athotmail@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:waOdnROrW8n4uhPeRVn- > id imagine they carry the regular version as well. whatever you get, > make sure its silicate and phosphate free, aka: "safe for aluminum engines" [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > check out some time if i ever run across it. its supposed to be what > toyota uses, so that would be safe as well. Finally, someone in the whole wide world who loves DexCool.. Hip Hip Hurray > "SoCalMike" <Mikein562athotmail@hotmail.com> wrote in message > news:waOdnROrW8n4uhPeRVn- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Finally, someone in the whole wide world who loves DexCool.. > Hip Hip Hurray I bought into the hype when Dex-Cool first came out, flushed the cooling system in my Scirocco real good and filled it with Dex-Cool. The radiator leaked like a seive within a year. :/ Lesson learned; if I feel like being nice to my car I buy the Pentosin stuff, otherwise Prestone. nate Signaturereplace "fly" with "com" to reply. http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel > "SoCalMike" <Mikein562athotmail@hotmail.com> wrote snip > > the orange dexcool prestone in the silver jug has been a safe choice for > > me over the past 15+ years. mixed 50/50 with distilled water, of course. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Finally, someone in the whole wide world who loves DexCool.. > Hip Hip Hurray This newsgroup has several posters who drive Hondas, use DexCool, and are finding no problems with it. My 91 Civic is on its third year with Dexcool. (I put new Dexcool in after 2.5 years. That's a bit early, according to other posters and Dexcool's advertising, but I am being careful.) > "SoCalMike" <Mikein562athotmail@hotmail.com> wrote in message > news:waOdnROrW8n4uhPeRVn- [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Finally, someone in the whole wide world who loves DexCool.. > Hip Hip Hurray hehe... all i know is the regular prestone is utter crap, and to be avoided in anything other than a big block detroit relic. checked the zerex site, and it specs the "red" stuff for MB/chrysler, and ford. its *low* silicate, no phosphate. they also make a version of dexcool, which is no silicates or phosphates. seems to be approved for just about anything. lots of info on there about dye packages, etc. as well. > I've got a '90 Mazda Protege (173K miles) and it's still in > amazingly good condition, and runs like it did when one- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > -- > O.M. try to collect on the warrenty but check you have done everything correctly first. Bars-leaks and similar I have found to be a temporary patch which tends to blow on long drives. Top up with mixed antifreeze only - not water. A radiator I replaced recently had a disclaimer in the installation instructions that use with water only voided the warrenty. It seemed to be something about aluminum corrosion. |
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