1994 Honda Civic-Radiator

AEMAXIMA01 · 07-20-2008, 11:02 AM

Ok, so my gf has a 94 auto civic, with 148k, and has been having some problems with the cooling system over the past 3 months or so. Back in April we were heading home from college for a weekend and got about 25 miles before the check engine light came on. The temp gauge was way above normal, and we pulled over. I popped the hood and there was anti-freeze all over the engine bay. After we got it towed back to where we came from, the diagnosis yielded a cracked hose. It was the hose from the top of the radiator to the engine, and was promptly replaced.

Now fast forward to Friday. We were heading up to college to move our belongings into storage b/c we are both moving apartments. We covered the 125 miles w/ absolutely no problems. We got there, drove around town for a few errands, still no problems. Then we drove from my apartment to Chilis for dinner. We got out of the car, and then I noticed some white smoke coming out from under the hood. "Oh s**t, we've been through this before". I decided to go in to dinner and then let it cool down a little bit before we messed with it. I did check the temp gauge and it was well above normal. So we finished dinner, came outside and popped the hood. Once again, there was anti-freeze over the engine bay, but nowhere near as much as the last time.

We decided to baby it back to my apartment, by only driving as far as we could before it would overheat again. We had to stop about 5 times, and it took over 45 minutes to drive what is normally a less than 10 minute drive. By this time, it was too late to take it anywhere, so we looked online for a place to take it to in the morning. We found a Firestone complete auto care, and decided to take it there. We left for Firestone and got it there w/out it overheating, as the engine was completely cooled off.

When I called Firestone Friday night, I told them I suspected that it was just another hose. They said assuming that was the case, that they could have it done before noon on Saturday.

So after it was dropped off, we started doing the moving. She got a phone call around 8:30 am with the diagnosis. They couldn't find a cracked hose, but said the radiator had a whole in it, and needed replacement, and it would be a good idea to replace the thermostat as well. So we said, ok fine, do it. 11:00 rolls around and we get a call saying that it is done, and we can come pick it up. Total bill: $597. So she gets it back, and is driving around, running some more errands, and it seems to be running fine. Then I get a call around 12:30 while she was out, and said that it's overheating AGAIN! Well there wasn't anything I could do about it, as I was in the Uhaul w/ her dad on our way to the storage facility. So I told her to call firestone and get it towed back to their shop, as she was on the complete opposite side of town. They actually sent a couple guys out there with a gallon of anti-freeze. They poured a bunch back in and babied it back.

Now they are completely perplexed as to what the problem could be. They proposed that the new thermostat could be bad. Then they said there could be a clog somewhere in the whole system (which doesn't make sense b/c they were able to successfully flush the system). They continued trying different things, and finally found the culprit: another bad hose, this time on the lower side of the system. They cut the part that was cracked, and re-clamped it(there was enough slack in the hose to not warrant a whole new hose). We made it back home w/out a hitch, and the problem seems to be solved.

Before we left, we asked to look at the the old radiator, b/c we were a little skeptical that the radiator was even the problem at this point. The car has been in their family ever since it was new(her grandma owned it until the gf turned 16), and there are no records of the radiator being replaced. I don't have a picture at the moment, but can get one soon later today. The mechanic showed us discoloration in the coils on the lower half of the radiator. They said antifreeze was leaking though the coils (I'd say about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total surface area). The gf's family has a trusted mechanic back in KC that they are going to take it to to get a second opinion.

My question to you guys (once I get the picture up), can you guys tell by either the story or the picture, that the radiator actually needed to be replaced? Firestone gave us a $50 credit, but IMO, I don't think the radiator actually needed to be replaced. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I don't think it was a completely bad idea to have it replaced, but I think a $50 credit isn't very fair for all that they drug us through. All in all, it turned into almost a 12 hour affair.

Thanks for any help!

*Pearl93VE* · 07-20-2008, 12:08 PM

If you could plainly see on the radiator that 1/3 to 1/2 was discolored from burned anti-freeze I wouldn't doubt it had some kind of leak. If it is a small pinhole like hole you may see anti-freeze coming out of it, but it wouldn't be enough to stain the coils, or cause that much smoke to billow out. I don't think the Firestone place was trying to rip you off (even though repair costs are effing ridiculous) but they should have noticed the bad hose if they actually flushed the entire system out, which I doubt they did.

You probably needed a new radiator, and hoses get old and need replaced/ inspected every now and then, fortunately cooling systems aren't that complex. The only other problem I could think of is that the thermostat wasn't opening when the car got hot and the engine started overheating, but that wouldn't explain the leaking radiator.

I would ask to talk to the manager and explain the situation and that whoever serviced your car the first time didn't pay enough attention and could have caused a lot more damage, and that it takes time out of your day, you were stranded etc for a hose that they should have saw when they were "flushing" the system.

AEMAXIMA01 · 07-20-2008, 03:51 PM

Edit: Here is the picture of the radiator