Hey guys, just a quick question… For the past week my overflow tank has been filling up with fluid then leaking it out. Now my car has not been over heating when I drive it so I’m thinking its a bad radiator cap but was wondering if anyone else knew what it could be. Also my radiator hoses doesnt really get hard when I’m driving because of pressure so I was thinking the cap is not holding the pressure. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
Is it leaking out of the overflow tank? Or elsewhere? Are you running straight water, or is the antifreeze old/diluted?
It is a pre-diluted Mix, I have never flushed the rad but I have only had the car for eight months (Flushing itis on the to do list with new brake rotors, plugs, wires, and new bake fluid but waiting for my two week vacation from work in July) and yes it is coming out of the overflow tank. I opened the hood when I saw it leaking out the bottom of my car and saw that my overflow tank was leaking and smoking and my radiator was making a bubbling noise. My car was not showing that it was running hot and usually when a senor goes bad it doesnt work or it shows that it always runs hot. I have been running it a few days now with my radiator full and my overflow almost empty and it hasnt done it so Idk… I kinda had the same problem with my EG hatch I had for a while and its getting so annoying that im thinking about getting back into car payments and getting a s2000 or type s… edit My radiator hoses do not get hard when it is hot/ runs for a while either I can still squeeze them them together when they are hot. They are suppose to get hard from pressure right?
probably the cap. should be 2 way, allowing coolant to flow into the tank, then pulling it back into the rad at lower temps. it’s probably only working 1 way
Thats what I was thinking just because it hasnt overheated and it wasnt letting liquid back in the radiator… But I am going to do a coolant flush and replace the hoses and thermostat as well as the cap just for good measure. It prob would benefit from it anyways.
I think the coolant flush (and cap) is a good idea. Coolant also raises the boiling point of the water. You are probably hearing the water boil because you may have a lower concentration of coolant. I had a leaky radiator that I just replaced. To keep it going until I got the new one in, I kept adding water each day. It was pretty much all water by the end. It was boiling like crazy by the time I got home.
Your coolant system is under fairly low pressure. I wouldn’t expect the hoses to get too hard. In fact, they may soften up a bit from the heat.