I am back... Greetings from cooler Arizona!! :)

My 91 Civic came out with white smoke yesterday and I had to pull over... it was my coolant leaking form somewhere for sure... Firestone guys ran a pressure check and came out with some leaks in the system... they told me that it would cost around 350 dollars to replace hoses...

I have a couple questions...

1. Can I wait replacing those hoses to seal those leaks... would it affect the car anyway ? Ocourse I can top off the coolant level every now and then...

2. Is there a better way of repairing the problem other than replacing the hoses..

I would appreciate any suggestions here... thanks a loads...

Ciao !
Vinit

It may be a cracked head, where antifreeze is being burned in combustion.

Nah... I don't think so... cause I checked it and even did it at Firestones... they said its hoses for sure...

$350 seems a lot for hoses, I know it's very tight and difficult to work on most cars now but I tend to think that's a little high. Try an independent shop that doesn't have to pay their mechanics, $35 - 50 an hour, or even a shade tree mechanic, a handyman neighbor or such, buy the hoses yourselft at a parts store. But no your cannot wait, without coolant in your system, the engine will burn up and that's very expensive and proabably not practically feasible on a 91.

OK... I would try and find someone on more reasonable side of prices... but the leak is not that big and coolent is not vanishing fast (I would guess it's a small hole and surface tension comes to the leak's rescue... )... but if I keep replacing / adding coolent in the system for some more time and then do the repairs, would I hamper the car immensely?

Hint: I don't have that kind of money (around 350 bucks just for hoses) right now, so looking for cheaper deals :D

Thanks,
Vin

$350.00 is way too high! I just replaced my entire heater core for less than that! You can buy those hoses and clamps yourself probably for less than $75. It is not difficult to replace them yourself. Especially in a 91 Civic! Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can!

Didi

I did replace the heater hose myself... its was easy as you said ! ;)

But as yet, my temp reading goes high up to red... coolant is fine a I replaced it yesterday... I think I need to replace thermostat / radiator cap...

Any suggestions what I should be doing ?

-Vinit

I would consider replacing the radiator, which may be partially blocked due to corrosion or mineral buildup.

But they (Firestone) did the Pressure check and came out with leaks in hoses and a suggestion to replace thermostat... would it be apossible to detect (in a pressure test) blocks in the radiator ? What I am asking is, whether it would have showed up in the pressure test if the radiator was blocked partially ?

Thanks,
Vin

No it wouldn't. Honda's are know for this! The problem... when 1 thing is wrong with a Honda, you end up replacing about 3 things to fix it. Yes, you should replace your thermostat, but either way... if you keep driving the car with it overheating, then you'll crack the head (REALL easy to do!). I wouldn't take it to Firestone for mechanical problems... in my area (Alabama) they won't even work on a Honda (I have to take it to a Honda specialist or do it myself). I say get a Haynes manual and get to work. I'm a girl and almost completely rebuilt my 87 Honda Accord by myself. The instructions are very easy.

First everybody is right $350. Way to high. Find a mechanic friend and ask him to help you replace hoses or else take it to another garage for a second opinion.
When you said the needle is up in the red I think that would mean you better replace your thermostat. Also I would not replace the radiator unless it has a definite leak.
I was having all the same problems as you a month ago.
For the radiator I bought a tube of powder I think it was called Stop Leak and it cost $1.95
And it did wonders for my radiator and then (especially since you live in AZ) I bought a can of stuff that says it cools the radiator (follow the directions).
Also do not use Bars Leak I have had nothing but problems with it.

First of all, my response is written under the assumption that you no longer have a smoke problem...

It might be an idea to check that the fan, fan belt and water pump to see if they SEEM to be working correctly first. If so, then I would replace the thermostat and see what happens. You can pick one up really cheap. Unlike (most) men when it comes to their cars, I always start with the most obvious and least expensive fixes. I generally recommend changing the thermostat when hoses are done... in addition, I never just do one hose. I figure if one's gone, the other will follow! ;)

Anyhow, my response might not be popular, but it is the route I would take.

Didi

Thanks for all your responses... I am trying out almost all things mentioned here by descrition since its easier and logical than spending 350 bucks on hoses... :D

I was giving the problem a thought and I am struck by a blunderous probability that what if something is wrong with the wiring and my display is wrong... :eek:... I have had electrical problems in the past with the same car and thos definitely made the temperature needle to dance when I switched the turn indicators on... so there is some short or something on that lines... may be grounding has issues...

can somebody suggest a good way to verify if that the needle has no issues operating properly ?

thanks a loads,
Vin

Thanks for all your responses... I am trying out almost all things mentioned here by descrition since its easier and logical than spending 350 bucks on hoses... :D

I was giving the problem a thought and I am struck by a blunderous probability that what if something is wrong with the wiring and my display is wrong... :eek: ... I have had electrical problems in the past with the same car and thos definitely made the temperature needle to dance when I switched the turn indicators on... so there is some short or something on that lines... may be grounding has issues...

can somebody suggest a good way to verify if that the needle has no issues operating properly ?

thanks a loads,
Vin

Not me! I know NOTHING about wiring! (Nor do I have a desire to learn.) ;)

Good luck!

Didi

I am almost done with solving the mysteries on my car... replaced hoses, battery (free since it was under warranty ! :D ) and insulating it since it used to get grounded... but now Thermostat remains... and I have a question before working on that...

Is there a way to make sure the system is REALLY heating up other than the temperature needle on dashboard.. The needle shoots up so fast and violently at times that I have begun to feel the necessity to make sure that it's the temperature that send it up and not any electrical shorts... so can I make sure of the risen temperature by any other means ?

Thanks a loads...
:confused: Vin