Coolant...

[kagalingan]

all along tama yung radiator repair shops yung mga coolant dati nagcause ng clogging. Basta pinipilit nya wag gagamit ng coolant so yung silicates pala culprit.

So ang bago pala organic acid.

[chrshaha]

mas mabilis po ba talaga mag evaporate ang distilled water? chine check ko po kasi yung kotse, baguhan kasi ako nabili ko po ng second hand and last time naubusan ako ng coolant bigla. triny ko palitan ng radiator cap parang hindi naman na gaano na babawasan compared as before. siguro third of a cup po ang bawas ngayon pag ginagamit, dahil sa evaporation kaya yun or may leak?

[oj88]

mas mabilis po ba talaga mag evaporate ang distilled water? chine check ko po kasi yung kotse, baguhan kasi ako nabili ko po ng second hand and last time naubusan ako ng coolant bigla. triny ko palitan ng radiator cap parang hindi naman na gaano na babawasan compared as before. siguro third of a cup po ang bawas ngayon pag ginagamit, dahil sa evaporation kaya yun or may leak?

Car year, make and model?

Generally speaking, hindi dapat gumamit ng distilled water. It should be premix coolant designed for your engine. For example, if it's a Toyota, use Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. Check owners manual for the correct coolant.

[chrshaha]

Car year, make and model?

Generally speaking, hindi dapat gumamit ng distilled water. It should be premix coolant designed for your engine. For example, if it's a Toyota, use Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. Check owners manual for the correct coolant.

Honda Civic 2008 FD 1.8s, meron na din po akong coolant na ready ilagay, kaso nag babawas kasi before kaya hindi ko pa nilalagay and nung pina check ko sabi palitan ko daw buong radiator, yung iba linis daw radiator, yung iba relay so hindi ko talaga alam hehe I can insert or send a picture of the radiator if you want to see! Thanks!

[dr. d]

mas mabilis po ba talaga mag evaporate ang distilled water? chine check ko po kasi yung kotse, baguhan kasi ako nabili ko po ng second hand and last time naubusan ako ng coolant bigla. triny ko palitan ng radiator cap parang hindi naman na gaano na babawasan compared as before. siguro third of a cup po ang bawas ngayon pag ginagamit, dahil sa evaporation kaya yun or may leak?

in the olden days, when car engines were made up of iron, ordinary water was fine.
in today's aluminum alloy engines, "coolant" has taken on new meaning. consult your car manual, po. "pula" o "verde" are the two popular ones.

it is difficult to explain coolant loss and how to determine its existence in the modern car to a, pardon me, "total newbie".
"a third of a cup" loss, as determined by the opening of the radiator cap and adding more water to spillover, is not a significant loss, in my opinion. it can be easily explained by the engine's normal running cycle.
instead, i look at the radiator overflow cannister's low and high marks, to see where my coolant levels are. a good flashlight helps in finding these marks. so what does your cannister level show?

so what is your car's make, year and model, etc etc?
if it has a real temperature gauge... well, i prefer my cars to have one. i believe i can spot overheating, early on.

if you have your car's owner's manual, reading it will greatly aid in your understanding of the car.

[dr. d]

Honda Civic 2008 FD 1.8s, meron na din po akong coolant na ready ilagay, kaso nag babawas kasi before kaya hindi ko pa nilalagay and nung pina check ko sabi palitan ko daw buong radiator, yung iba linis daw radiator, yung iba relay so hindi ko talaga alam hehe I can insert or send a picture of the radiator if you want to see! Thanks!

in my opinion,
unless these mechanics can explain why,
they're guessing creatively, po.

it's a given, that one can guarantee fixing a radiator problem when there's none, by cleaning or replacing the radiator.
or that one can fix a non-defective aux fan, by replacing it.
or replacing a perfectly working relay with a brand new unit.
tongue in cheek.
these are "very expensive fixes", and they still will not guarantee a good fix.

"nagbabawas."
is it possible, that your perceived problem is not really a problem?
assessment of coolant loss is probably better performed, by viewing the overflow cannister. kasi, in all likelihood, your perceived coolant loss from the radiator, might simply have transfered to the overflow cannister.
now, when i determine that my cannister's level is decreasing sizeably after only one day's use, then i think i may say i have a problem. one-third cup is not size-able enough, in my opinion.
how do i do mine? i look at the overflow cannister every morning, before i start the engine. the level should not be lower than the minimum mark. if it is, i add more coolant to the cannister to maximum level. if next morning it is less than minimum again, then i am in trouble. if it is at halfway mark, "them i am probably, but not surely, in trouble", and i make a few more observation-days. normally kasi, these coolant levels need zero to minimal addition over a period of months.

might i inquire, why did you think that the coolant was being lost? can you provide volume of coolant added or lost, po?
you have a temperature gauge. when you drive the car, does it show some form of overheating?
i don't honda, but i gather, if the gauge shows 3/4 hot, that's overheating to me. in my non-honda, normal is 50% or slightly cooler, even in crawling traffic under a hot noonday sun.

how's your aircon, po?
sometimes kasi, engine overheat can affect aircon efficiency.

even a perfectly good radiator can look bad on the outside, even as a perfectly busted radiator can look photogenically beautiful on the outside.
so no, i personally do not think a picture of the radiator will help significantly.

[chrshaha]

in my opinion,
unless these mechanics can explain why,
they're guessing creatively, po.

it's a given, that one can guarantee fixing a radiator problem when there's none, by cleaning or replacing the radiator.
or that one can fix a non-defective aux fan, by replacing it.
or replacing a perfectly working relay with a brand new unit.
tongue in cheek.
these are "very expensive fixes", and they still will not guarantee a good fix.

"nagbabawas."
might i inquire, why did you think that the coolant was being lost? can you provide volume of coolant added or lost, po?
you have a temperature gauge. when you drive the car, does it show some form of overheating?
i don't honda, but i gather, if the gauge shows 3/4 hot, that's overheating to me. in my non-honda, normal is 50% or slightly cooler, even in crawling traffic under a hot noonday sun.

how's your aircon, po?
sometimes kasi, engine overheat can affect aircon efficiency.

even a perfectly good radiator can look bad on the outside, even as a perfectly busted radiator can look photogenically beautiful on the outside.
so no, i personally do not think a picture of the radiator will help significantly.

There was a time po na bumyahe ako say 60-80km away, and nasimot po ang coolant pag check ko pag uwi, sa reserve and mismong radiator. Hilig ko kasi icheck itong mga ito before and after bumyahe, before di nababawasan talaga ang coolant. Hindi naman po ako nag overheat sa byahe and normal naman po ang temp less than half. Ginagamit ko parin siya now pero dagdag dagdag nalang ako ng tubig habang chinecheck pa if ano talaga nangyayari, nagpalit po ako ng radiator cap and not sure if yun din ba nag help para ma reduce yung pagka ubos ng coolant. Distilled water palang gamit ko now kasi hindi parin po ako sure if need ba palitan. radiator, or i flush tong mga to. Sa temp po okay na okay naman siya. Ok naman po ang aircon, mga pinupuntahan ko lang now kasi is around 20km, takot baka ma overheat tapos nag dadagdag po ako ng mga half cup ng water before umalis.

[dr. d]

There was a time po na bumyahe ako say 60-80km away, and nasimot po ang coolant pag check ko pag uwi, sa reserve and mismong radiator. Hilig ko kasi icheck itong mga ito before and after bumyahe, before di nababawasan talaga ang coolant. Hindi naman po ako nag overheat sa byahe and normal naman po ang temp less than half. Ginagamit ko parin siya now pero dagdag dagdag nalang ako ng tubig habang chinecheck pa if ano talaga nangyayari, nagpalit po ako ng radiator cap and not sure if yun din ba nag help para ma reduce yung pagka ubos ng coolant. Distilled water palang gamit ko now kasi hindi parin po ako sure if need ba palitan. radiator, or i flush tong mga to. Sa temp po okay na okay naman siya. Ok naman po ang aircon, mga pinupuntahan ko lang now kasi is around 20km, takot baka ma overheat tapos nag dadagdag po ako ng mga half cup ng water before umalis.

if you are losing coolant, but you are not (yet) overheating,
you have a leak!

you should bring it to a shop and look for that leak.
my guess is, it's a very small leak, as you have not overheated yet.
shotgun replacement might not work, if the source of the leak is not among those parts that were replaced.
the leak might be in the engine block. what does exhaust gas + coolant look like?

google for common sources of leak in the honda civic 2008.

[chrshaha]

if you are losing coolant, but you are not (yet) overheating,
you have a leak!

you should bring it to a shop and look for that leak.
my guess is, it's a very small leak, as you have not overheated yet.
shotgun replacement might not work, if the source of the leak is not among those parts that were replaced.
the leak might be in the engine block. what does exhaust gas + coolant look like?

google for common sources of leak in the honda civic 2008.

I'll try to get it checked out again and thank you! Sabi po nung mekaniko before, okay naman daw. Wala naman daw hangin at okay naman makina.

[dr. d]

I'll try to get it checked out again and thank you! Sabi po nung mekaniko before, okay naman daw. Wala naman daw hangin at okay naman makina.

in advanced shops, they introduce fluorescent liquid into the radiator, then observe for leaks on the outside using special visualizing equipment.
in local shops, we still cling to the ordinary visible light visualization using strong flashlights, as well as kapa-kapa system in the less-visible and hidden nooks and crannies.
the mechanic would even crawl under the car, looking for drops of coolant.
so what to do with leaking radiator? personally, i would replace it. my logic kasi, "if it leaked now, it is not far into the future, that it will leak again from another place". but it all depends on you, po, whether to repair or to replace. yes yes, i know. it's plastic.

examples of challenges,
in my one car,
one leak was via a perished 5 cm hose hidden by the huge intake manifold over it. coolant was escaping under its metal clamp. the mechanics that inspected the radiator, the engine and hoses, missed it. only mechanics familiar with that engine, would know that such 5 cm length of rubber hose, existed!
another time, it was the water pump. it could not be visually inspected, but a clever hand creeping beneath the overhanging hoses and wirings, exposed it.

the third time was the challenge of challenges! i was losing coolant and overheating, but we could find no leak! finally, an old hand said, "mahina na yang auxiliary fan nyo. palitan nyo na."
i countered, "malakas pa naman ang buga nang hangin!"
"bili po kayo nang bago, at papakita ko kung gaano ka-lakas dapat yan."
i bought one, and lo and behold! he was right! even as my old fan motor was still blowing good and strong, the new one was blowing at least twice as strong.
in retrospect, that fan motor should have been my first suspect, because i was seeing boiling coolant in the overflow cannister. all the evidence was in front of me, and i did not put two and two twogether.
ah well...