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repetitive problems, or is it?


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mist303
User

Nov 8, 2013, 12:29 PM

Post #1 of 8 (1974 views)
repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

Hello everyone, I have a 2004 Honda City, with a 1.6L engine. The car has done about 260K Km.

This will be a long post because I think that I, as well as the garages I've been going to, have been fixing the results of the problem rather than the problem itself.

6 months ago, the car always shook at all speeds, especially if it was hot outside. Also, i had to change the radiator twice because there was a half-blocked pipe that leads to the engine (one of the big ones) and the coolant was going missing (without leakage) somehow. So I changed the fuel injector and cleansed the pipe. After that, the car ran great. No coolant loss, no shaking, no overheating.

Now, it is slowly returning (the shaking, the leakage) . I know that I am supposed to fix something in an old car such as this, but they're the same problems! The only thing to add is the lights flickering, which I believe is either because of the battery or the cables (will be fixed later). This leads me to conclude that I've been fixing the resultants of the main problem, but not the problem itself.

Here's what I can provide about my car:
1- The only aftermarket parts are the battery and the radiator (buying another Honda-credited radiator was out of my budget).
2- There is always engine oil next to the oil cap. I never cleaned it and it never caused my oil level to go down. Here's a pic:

Code


3- The engine mounts are ok, not worn out yet.
4- I drive the car about 100-180km daily (starting its day at 6:30am).
5- The coolant doesn't leak out. It simply disappears over time. I have to refill my radiator with half a liter every 3 days (with respect to reservoir levels).

I apologize for the long post but this is really costy as well as painful for a college student such as myself.

Thanks for any info you can help with.
Here's another link to a little-further-away pic I took.
http://tinypic.com/r/5ai4xu/5


(This post was edited by mist303 on Nov 8, 2013, 12:31 PM)


GC
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GC profile image

Nov 8, 2013, 2:01 PM

Post #2 of 8 (1957 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

Is the coolant getting brownish or have gunk up in radiator filler neck? Is your oil milky? Any white smoke from exhaust? What was plugging that hose? Need to pressure test the coolant system to figure out where the coolant is going. Personal hunch would suspect a head gasket leak at that mileage and with having partially plugged coolant passages, also ive heard of hondas having issues with porous block allowing coolant leaks, but i think thats bogus, and all speculation until a pressure check is done. I would address that first before fiddling with injectors.


____________________________________________________
Willing to help, willing to learn... Rob

(This post was edited by goiserclause on Nov 8, 2013, 2:09 PM)


mist303
User

Nov 8, 2013, 2:18 PM

Post #3 of 8 (1952 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

The coolant was brownish to start with, it doesn't seem to have anything floating from what can see. The oil is not milky, it was blackish yesterday as I was a 150km late in changing it (now, new engine oil is flowing thru). No white smoke, either. If it was a head gasket leak, wouldn't be impossible to drive above 70km/h without feeling like the car is going to blow up? I can drive to 90km/h with ease. I'll try doing the pressure when possible, but again, this is a result, not the main issue imo.
Thanks :)


GC
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Nov 8, 2013, 2:30 PM

Post #4 of 8 (1948 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

Brand new coolant is brown? I guess I'm not sure what color brand new coolant should be on that vehicle. Or you mean coolant was brown before the problems started? Pressure testing the coolant system will find the source of the coolant loss. This may or may not be contributing to the shaking. It may require a fair amount of work to determine the source of the leak, but it will find it. You may end up having to check compression also. If you have access to a pressure test kit, pressure up the coolant system and watch for gauge to drop. Check for external leaks. If the gauge drops and you cant find any external leaks, you might try starting the engine at that point and seeing if it is running rough and/or any white smoke from exhaust. Usually a sign of internal leak. Also, you can disable the engine and pull plugs one at a time and check for coolant in cylinders.


____________________________________________________
Willing to help, willing to learn... Rob

(This post was edited by goiserclause on Nov 8, 2013, 2:35 PM)


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Nov 8, 2013, 3:36 PM

Post #5 of 8 (1940 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In


Quote
Also, you can disable the engine and pull plugs one at a time and check for coolant in cylinders.


To take that a step further you could remove all the plugs and then keep the cooling system under pressure for an hour or more and watch for any coolant collecting on top of any of the pistons



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



mist303
User

Nov 9, 2013, 4:15 AM

Post #6 of 8 (1913 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

The coolant was brownish green when filling the radiator,, i'll try going to a workshop to use their pressure test kit,, thanks :)


mist303
User

Nov 9, 2013, 4:24 AM

Post #7 of 8 (1910 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

could that be coolant under the Oil cap not oil?? I mean, the coolant can't stay on top of the piston under all that pressure. What do you think?

Also, if there was any coolant collecting on top, what is to be fixed?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Nov 9, 2013, 4:28 AM

Post #8 of 8 (1908 views)
Re: repetitive problems, or is it? Sign In

No, the coolant would be blown right out the exhaust as soon as the engine cranked but if you find any there after pressure test it would indicate a blown head gasket or cracked head and serious problems.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







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