I have a 90 Honda Prelude si and steam is coming from the over flow tank, but its not showing hot on the gauge.

Jeremiah Meyer

• 204 Answers
• Posted on Jan 06, 2009

SOURCE: 2001 subaru legacy leaking coolant from head gasket......

Your mechanic is ok with saying that...however you should replace both head gaskets. This can get costly if you take it to have it done somewhere, but if you use a manual from your local library or buy one from your local auto parts store, its a much more cost effective way of fixing it. You are ok to drive it, be sure to check your fluid before you do. I would look into getting these changed within the next few weeks.

Thanks for using Fixya!

Sincerely,

JC

SOURCE: Coolant overflowing out of expansion tank no boil no steam

As you've stated driving around town it's fine, and everything is working well. For the symptoms, there are 2 possible causes:
1. Your cooling fans are not working.
2. Your radiator needs to be replaced.
I'm sure you can determine which it is, and I wish you luck on your repair.

SOURCE: 2005 honda civic radiator fills the overflow

Always remember and I "Stress" although its "New" don't mean it comes without "Defects"

However if fluid is going into the reserve tank it would indicate a need to replace the cap although sounds as if all the bases were covered along the way , but could be a faulty thermostat , and you from time to time watch the temperature gauge and its normal level correct ?

i would after a good few hours or even overnight allow the vehicle to cool and then 1st thing open the hood and remove the radiator cap , ensure the radiator is full and leaving the cap off put a piece of cardboard under the vehicle this will allow you to see if coolant is leaking anyplace else ...start the vehicle and after a few minutes it should begin to exchange and you will notice the exchange of fluid replace the cap unless it drops considerably then add fluid so keep it open and nearby , reconnect the cap and always watch out for moving parts and "Never " wear loose articles of clothing and keep you hands etc away from moving parts ..{just a reminder} and note as to when the fan"s engage .at this point look at your temperature readout is it normal range ...watch the reserve for fluid filling it
up .
as well look under the vehicle and watch for any leaks onto the cardboard !

if all else fails at this point take it to a parts store that will have a code reader ...it simply plugs into your vehicle and without starting it turn the key to the on position and allow it to communicate with your vehicle any codes or faults will appear and should be wrote down any and all of them ...they may tell you exactly what the codes read and if applicable you can purchase any parts needed at that point ..

however to me i am leaning towards improper fluid temperature settings and as well a faulty "Thermostat"..turn on all your heat switches and fan to full with the engine running are both hoses going into the heater core going into the firewall hot / if the top is hot and the bottom is cold then it suggests the heater-core is plugged and requires a flush if both are hot then the water pump is working "

if you have a bery high abnormal reading on the temperature gage and everything is normal otherwise it could be a faulty temperature plug

ensure any and all wires are not touching the engine block causing the Gage to ground out giving a false reading

but this is where i would begin hope it helps you somewhat

SOURCE: No boil or steam when coolant overflows after shutting off engine

The only real way of checking for warpage on any head is by using a bar that extends from corner to corner on the head. The bar must be certified as straight (you can actually buy one from a tool dealer) since you likely will have little use for it, you can also have a good machine shop check that. Additionally, you should have had the heads magnafluxed (crack checked). The deck on the block should also be carefully examined and cleaned.
You are on the right track if you are going to do another hydrocarbon test. That will verify if you are getting a proper seal at the head gaskets or have any other seal problems (like cracks).
It seems as if you have done a very careful job and I know you don't want to take it apart again. The things you mentioned though do appear to point to exhaust driving coolant from the engine.
You can check the actual antifreeze mix with a simple ball type hydrometer. Anything except 50/50 will change the boil point of the mixture in a direction that isn't good. One thing I'd check is that you may still have an air pocket in the system somewhere. Make sure when filling that the heater is on high heat. One trick for getting the T stat to open without an air bind is to turn the engine off as soon as the temp approaches the opening point (195 (f)) then re-starting it in about three to five minutes, the engine temp will continue to rise during the time it is off but there will be no flow, allowing air to escape without fighting the coolant flow. Once re-started, add coolant slowly so the stat does not close again but add just fast enough so it does not overheat. One other item...If you need to take it apart again, don't use any kind of steel shim gaskets for the heads. Though a composite gasket will many times lower compression a bit, they also seal better. I use fel pro blue gaskets in everything. Unless I was careless or something got by me (not often) I never had a problem with any engine I ever built or repaired. The only application where I did not use them was in fuel engines where they were "o" ringed with stainless wire and used solid copper gaskets. (way different than a street engine!!!)
Have that hydrocarbon test done ASAP. No sense messing with it 'till you have that squared away!
Good Luck!!!