coolant and idle combination? - Honda Prelude Forum

phunky · 07-15-2011, 04:56 PM

the past week has been a slew of problems. i found that the car was completely emptying the coolant reservoir every 50 miles, so i changed out the radiator, cap, thermostat. not sure why i did it, more like an inexpensive gamble because the oil was still in good shape (not milky). while under the hood, it seemed like a good idea to clean out the idle control valve since it was hiccuping at low rpms. immediately the car seemed to idle better and the reservoir stayed full. yesterday, the car's temperature climbed past the dreaded halfway mark. immediately, i pulled over to check the fluids. the radiator was very empty and the reservoir was waaaay full. i had extra coolant in the trunk so i dumped it in the radiator. the temperature went back down and i went home.

this morning, i started the car and the idle was really rough-not surging, like the engine is hesitating and can't catch speed. the whole time, white smoke floods out the back, really bad. it eventually smoothed out after a minute, so i went to work with no problems. after work at cold start, it's worse than this morning, with the hesitating and major smoking (i literally smoked out the parking lot). at EVERY light, the rpms dropped and the car stalled out. it seriously took about 5-7 seconds to start it- and with that, the crazy white smoke. i had to keep on the gas to keep it from stalling and there was serious hesitation during acceleration. while at speed (60-70 mph), the car ran fine.

i finally made it home and checked the fluids. radiator was low, but not empty, reservoir is still crazy full. when i opened the radiator cap, it shot out a burst of air, so there's definitely pressure there. also, oil was still fine and transparent brown.

could the problems be related? please help, it's driving me crazy!

Kronn 98SH · 07-15-2011, 05:30 PM

I'm just guessing, but I'd say you have a pretty bad coolant leak that has caused an engine problem.

dre2day · 07-15-2011, 06:53 PM

did you bleed the system of air?

seeing any spots under the car?

minilogoguy18 · 07-15-2011, 07:15 PM

Why buy parts you don't need when you could be spending your time finding the leak?

phunky · 07-15-2011, 09:17 PM

i know, it was an impulse decision to change out the parts, and i did bleed the system after the install. i'm not as afraid of the leak as i am of the smoke and hesitation. the car parks on grass, so i slid a piece of cardboard under it- that should help find the leak, and if there is a link, hopefully fix the smoke and hesitation.

indylude18 · 07-15-2011, 10:17 PM

Was the white smoke pouring out of your exhaust or out from under the hood? If it was coming from the exhaust, you've got major problems. It is was coming from under the hood, you probably just have a bad leak in one of your coolant hoses spraying coolant on your header or downpipe.

phunky · 07-16-2011, 11:38 PM

yes, it was pouring out the exhaust. definitely not what i wanted to hear, but what do you think would be the problem?

indylude18 · 07-17-2011, 09:14 AM

My first guess would be a blown head gasket. How were you checking the oil when you determined it was still "transparent brown?"

phunky · 07-17-2011, 11:15 PM

all i did was pull the dipstick to check the the oil on it.

indylude18 · 07-18-2011, 08:48 AM

^That won't do it. Pull the valve cover to get a better look.

phunky · 07-18-2011, 12:09 PM

would i need a new gasket set if i do that?

Kronn 98SH · 07-18-2011, 12:12 PM

You'll probably need a new VC gasket, yes.

phunky · 07-18-2011, 10:40 PM

but is it even possible for THAT MUCH coolant could get into the engine? i mean, the radiator was almost bone dry, after only 50 miles of driving. also, it has rained like crazy all weekend in new orleans, so the cardboard for leak detection has been drenched. hopefully it'll dry up later this week and i'll give it another shot.
another question. would a leaky radiator hose would do this? when i replaced the radiator, i noticed the lower and upper hoses were in pretty bad shape. if this is the case, maybe there is a small leak in a hose, causing the system to suck in air from the leak rather than coolant from the reservoir...??? maybe? that's my only explanation for the full reservoir and empty radiator. wouldn't a head gasket empty both of them? sorry, i'm just jumping ahead because with this rain, and no shade, i'm left inside to just guess.

indylude18 · 07-18-2011, 11:25 PM

If you have white smoke pouring out of your tailpipe, you have coolant getting in the combustion chamber somehow. The most likely cause is a blown head gasket. If you were leaking coolant from a hose, it wouldn't smoke from the exhaust and it would be pretty obvious if you opened to hood while it was leaking. It you are losing that much coolant, it would be spraying everywhere while the cooling system is pressurized. You'd easily be able to see/hear/smell it.

They easiest way to confirm the head gasket is done is to pull the valve cover, which will reveal a milky coolant/oil mixture mess if your head gasket is leaking. If you don't want to remove the VC, you could skip it and go straight to a compression test.

Either way, don't drive the car anymore until you figure out the problem. Coolant obviously doesn't lubricate the engine as well as oil, and odds are you've already done a fair amount of damage if you've cycled that much coolant through your engine already, if that is in fact where it has been going. Running the engine extremely hot also isn't doing it any favors.