Need to refill Honda Civic radiator every few days

[nanglong218]

I've just googled "Honda Civic porous block"   Very interesting

[Iem]

16 minutes ago, transam said:

Depends where a gasket leak or head crack is situated, if either does not interfere with an oil passage it will not show in the oil unless an amount of water is passing through the piston ring gaps under combustion pressure.....

Sure

 

16 minutes ago, transam said:

Depends where a gasket leak or head crack is situated, if either does not interfere with an oil passage it will not show in the oil unless an amount of water is passing through the piston ring gaps under combustion pressure.....

 

[Iem]

Just now, Iem said:

Sure ,and if it's the oil getting into the water the emulsified mix will be found in the top of the radiator rather than the oil - i was commenting on a previous post rather than giving all options . I do hope we get told What the solution is - I have fixed the problem posted several times for people over the years and 99% of the time the problem is hoses .

 

 

Yes

[KBsinter]

After reading every post, I do hope the OP submits a reply regarding 

any success on this venture, my tack on this is head gasket,,,,,,  

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Well yes, water loss has many avenues to look at, someone that quotes changing the hoses will fix all is daft as it maybe a crack, head gasket, head warped, radiator etc...

Well OP should change hoses anyway if there old after the head shim or a replacement head if old one is cracked.

[KBsinter]

A car of that age would see a renewal of pipes for sure........lol

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

 5 out of 6 are logical, but #3 is illogical. H2O (water) has a boiling point of 212 degrees at normal atmospheric pressure and at temperatures above that, it vaporizes. Blending engine coolant/antifreeze with water allows it to absorb more heat which raises its boiling point and makes it the more efficient heat exchanger for automotive engine cooling systems. 

You are both correct. Below 100 C, water has better cooling properties. Above 100C, coolant is better than the steam water becomes in terms of a coolant. Although as most cars are designed to run at 80 C, an engine running with 120C on the gauge won't have hoses and seals lasting very long.

To reiterate - coolant extends the working range of water with respect to boiling and freezing. It also provides corrosion protection for engine alloys.

212 degrees? When are you going to catch up with modern measurement?

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, nanglong218 said:

   Do note that thermostats are designed to fail in the open position so avoiding overheating.

They may be designed that way; however, my experience with burst hoses indicates they don't necessarily work that way.

[mogandave]

 5 out of 6 are logical, but #3 is illogical. H2O (water) has a boiling point of 212 degrees at normal atmospheric pressure and at temperatures above that, it vaporizes. Blending engine coolant/antifreeze with water allows it to absorb more heat which raises its boiling point and makes it the more efficient heat exchanger for automotive engine cooling systems. 

While adding coolant does increase the boiling point, it also reduces the specific heat capacity by about 20%, so while while it vaporizes at a higher temperature, it takes less heat to get it hot.

An argument can be made that coolant increases the thermal conductivity of water resulting in more effective cooling, but the increase is not enough to overcome the loss in heat capacity.

I could be wrong, but I would bet I’m not...

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

You are both correct. Below 100 C, water has better cooling properties. Above 100C, coolant is better than the steam water becomes in terms of a coolant. Although as most cars are designed to run at 80 C, an engine running with 120C on the gauge won't have hoses and seals lasting very long.

To reiterate - coolant extends the working range of water with respect to boiling and freezing. It also provides corrosion protection for engine alloys.

212 degrees? When are you going to catch up with modern measurement?

So what proportions would be best; 50/50 water/coolant, or?

 

Also, can someone please suggest a couple of coolant brand names, and can it be bought in bigger Big C or Lotus hypermarts  with a bigger motor sections, HomePro, Global, Thai Watsadu etc?

 

Thanks.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, KBsinter said:

A car of that age would see a renewal of pipes for sure........lol

If that means radiator hoses, yes they have been replaced perhaps 4 or 5 times over the life of the car and most recently about 18 months ago.

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, KBsinter said:

After reading every post, I do hope the OP submits a reply regarding 

any success on this venture, my tack on this is head gasket,,,,,,  

The OP is keeping a complete listing of the comments kindly shared in this thread and early next week I will go, with my son who is keep to improve his auto knowledge, to a well recommended auto shop in Chiang Mai, the owner is Thai but speaks advanced English and is well qualified, also his mechanic staff.

 

I realize that taking such a list to the mechanic shop could leave me open to being taken for a ride, however the auto guy has a very good reputation for not doing 'extra stuff', and it's up to me also to handle this aspect.

 

I will share some results / comments later.

 

But here's another point my son reminded me of just an hour ago. Perhaps 15 months back the car seemed be using way too much gasoline, my son took it to a recommended auto (recommended by his buddies who think they are knowledgeable, but I have my doubts about that). (My Thai son is 36 years old, not a kid or teenager.)

 

One of his buddies was pushing son to convert the engine to fuel injection, which my son didn't really understand. He mentioned this to the auto shop guy and it seems there was some misunderstanding (perhaps deliberate misunderstanding, not sure) and the engine was converted to fuel injection.

 

The auto guy claimed before the work was done that it would reduce the fuel consumption and it did reduce a bit.

 

 

Whether the head or block was shaved or inspected for cracks etc., and whether a new head gasket was fitted I don't know. Early this morning my son has called the last auto guy and asked about these points, but the auto shop owner just says 'can't remember', and quickly finished the call.

 

But the regular top-up of the radiator goes back a couple of years or more.

 

 

[mogandave]

This is getting interesting...

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

So what proportions would be best; 50/50 water/coolant, or?

 

Also, can someone please suggest a couple of coolant brand names, and can it be bought in bigger Big C or Lotus hypermarts  with a bigger motor sections, HomePro, Global, Thai Watsadu etc?

 

Thanks.

The vehicle manufacturer usually specifies the proportions. Honda Civic - 1996-2000.pdf

Shell, Caltex, PTT etc. will all have their brands of coolant. The owner's manual will specify brands as well.

Max Auto on the beginning of the road to Phrao should have it. Big C in their auto section.

[mogandave]

The vehicle manufacturer usually specifies the proportions. Honda Civic - 1996-2000.pdf
Shell, Caltex, PTT etc. will all have their brands of coolant. The owner's manual will specify brands as well.
Max Auto on the beginning of the road to Phrao should have it. Big C in their auto section.

Specifies? What you mean specifies?

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

Specifies? What you mean specifies?

A specification specifies an attribute such as the proportions of coolant to water in a cooling system. Or the gap on a spark plug in an engine.

Specifications are all around us. The chair you may be sitting on was built to a specification. I can only speculate you were having a senior moment when you asked the question.

[stud858]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

A specification specifies an attribute such as the proportions of coolant to water in a cooling system. Or the gap on a spark plug in an engine.

Specifications are all around us. The chair you may be sitting on was built to a specification. I can only speculate you were having a senior moment when you asked the question.

A lady onced asked me what spec do you like. Now I understand.

[mogandave]

A specification specifies an attribute such as the proportions of coolant to water in a cooling system. Or the gap on a spark plug in an engine.
Specifications are all around us. The chair you may be sitting on was built to a specification. I can only speculate you were having a senior moment when you asked the question.

It was a joke...

[Russell17au]

Well, there are a lot of mechanical experts on here and everyone has over looked one thing. The vehicle is 17 years old and has only ever used water in the radiator. In the block of the motor there are some round discs that are in some ba***rd of places to see and get at but they are part of the cooling system and they corrode and leak under pressure and no body looks for them. They are called "welsh plugs". I would suggest that they be checked because of the age of the car and not using anti-corrosive coolant.

[mogandave]

Well, there are a lot of mechanical experts on here and everyone has over looked one thing. The vehicle is 17 years old and has only ever used water in the radiator. In the block of the motor there are some round discs that are in some ba***rd of places to see and get at but they are part of the cooling system and they corrode and leak under pressure and no body looks for them. They are called "welsh plugs". I would suggest that they be checked because of the age of the car and not using anti-corrosive coolant.

Yeah, we call ‘em freeze plugs, but the OP claims it’s not leaking...of course he said it was well maintained too...

I had s ‘53 Ford and blew one out (in?) when I pressure washed the engine....ended up having to change them all...what a f’n nightmare.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

 

It was a joke...

You mean I'm not supposed to take what you say seriously? OK.

[BEVUP]

52 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

Well, there are a lot of mechanical experts on here and everyone has over looked one thing. The vehicle is 17 years old and has only ever used water in the radiator. In the block of the motor there are some round discs that are in some ba***rd of places to see and get at but they are part of the cooling system and they corrode and leak under pressure and no body looks for them. They are called "welsh plugs". I would suggest that they be checked because of the age of the car and not using anti-corrosive coolant.

Nope - As stated the OP can't find any trace of water in the morning

But one thing hasn't been mentioned

 

So how about the OP take the car for a wrap around town, to get it up to max operating Temp & then lift the bonnet.

 

Keeping the revs up so the water is recycling 

 

Never know this may show something when under pressure & hot 

 

[Russell17au]

25 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

Yeah, we call ‘em freeze plugs, but the OP claims it’s not leaking...of course he said it was well maintained too...

I had s ‘53 Ford and blew one out (in?) when I pressure washed the engine....ended up having to change them all...what a f’n nightmare.
 

 

but how many people know where they are to check them and see if they are leaking under pressure. Even a lot of so called mechanics don't even know where to look and what to look for. You need to pressure test the system and finbd these plugs and see if any of them are leaking.

[Russell17au]

2 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

Nope - As stated the OP can't find any trace of water in the morning

But one thing hasn't been mentioned

 

So how about the OP take the car for a wrap around town, to get it up to max operating Temp & then lift the bonnet.

 

Keeping the revs up so the water is recycling 

 

Never know this may show something when under pressure & hot 

 

If they a pin holes in the plugs then you will not find any water under the car because they will only leak whilst under pressure and like you say get the engine up to operating pressure and temperature and check all these plugs. Some of them are hard to see because they are hidden behind the manifolds.

[stud858]

Still think for the cost of a few dollars stop leak on an old car is the first thing id do. It only can block up small holes so dont panic about it blocking up pathways.comments that heat exchanger will block won't apply as Thai cars don't have heaters

 

[BEVUP]

1 minute ago, stud858 said:

Still think for the cost of a few dollars stop leak on an old car is the first thing id do. It only can block up small holes so dont panic about it blocking up pathways.comments that heat exchanger will block won't apply as Thai cars don't have heaters

 

A bit of topic, but my mates new small Ford has a heater

I'm stumped as to why Toyota has minimal - No Heater or Demister

[mogandave]

You mean I'm not supposed to take what you say seriously? OK.

Do you take anything on here seriously?

[mogandave]

A bit of topic, but my mates new small Ford has a heater
I'm stumped as to why Toyota has minimal - No Heater or Demister

If they export to India or somewhere else it gets cold they’ll have a heater...or if it’s imported...

I had an only Chevy with a leaky heater coil, just by-passed it...

[JAS21]

If I had any money it would be on the Radiator Cap .... It certainly wouldn't be on the core plugs ....

[nanglong218]

The OP's latest post says that the water top up has gone on for two years, so not a one off incident of overheating. Did any significant event precede this sudden need to top up continually?

And now JAS21 suggests (with tongue in cheek perhaps) the rad cap is to blame.

I think OP has had enough advice, a lot of it hopeless, and should now be left to consult with his new found mechanic who hopefully will give him honest guidance.