Hi Scotty,
About 2 years ago I bought 2008 Honda Civic EX - L4 - 1.8L 1799cc GAS MFI type R18A1, 2 dr cpe, 5-speed manual. It had 149K miles, no body damage, clean car fax. I bought it from a private seller that only asked $850 because it needed a new radiator and had some clear coat peeling from being a Texas car. I just wanted something that got better mileage to supplement my 92 GMC Sierra 1500 that while it ran well, it just turned over 375K miles and was getting about 10mpg when coasting downhill. It was lucky I bought the Honda when I did because the truck got totaled only a few short months later. I had a new radiator installed in the Honda and did a little tuning up. Changed all the fluids, installed new Denso ignition coils, rear bearings, all filters, PCV valve and NGK plugs and the car ran great.
I noticed at about 175K miles that I was losing coolant, but finding no visible leaks and nothing on the driveway. It progressively got worse. I took it to my garage and they did a thorough compression test and found no head gasket leaks. They decided it was the radiator cap, which they replaced with a cheap aftermarket, but it quit drawing coolant from the overflow tank. I removed the overflow tank, cleaned and inspected for leaks or blockages, replaced all the tubing and replaced the radiator cap with a Denso. That did nothing to stop the coolant lose, but at least now it was drawing from the overflow tank. My mechanic recommended using some radiator stop leak, so I used Bar's Leaks Radiator Stop Leak Tablets, but the next day my thermostat was sticking closed. So I drained the radiator, flushed it with distilled water for over 30 minutes, drained again and replaced the thermostat with a Murray Ultra 170 Degree Thermostat, new gasket and refilled with fresh coolant. The coolant lose continued. I cleaned the motor and found a little seepage around the water pump area, so I had a new water pump, pump gasket and serpentine belt installed. I'm now at 189K miles and adding coolant every other day. When I attempt to burp it the bubbles never cease to flow. They are not very many bubbles, but even after 30 minutes I am getting consistent small bubbles. What would you recommend I look for next?
Thanks in advance for your help! I love your show and find your honesty and advice exceedingly helpful.
-Cliff in Kansas City, MO
Welcome new member,
I'm with @mmj. Even though they checked that (and you have done a pretty good job to work the problem), given the symptoms and age of the car, head gasket is still at the top of the list, I'm afraid.
Is there someone else you could give you a second opinion? Maybe a (non-dealer) Honda or Japanese specialist?
[PS: Good luck with your Chief's, and say "Hi" to Winstead's for me.]
Thank you for the Chiefs wishes! As for Winstead's, unfortunately all have closed around KC except for the one on The Plaza and that one is not what it used to be. However, thanks to Patrick Mahomes, we now have Whataburgers. So that is nice.
You were spot on about the head gasket. At least I hope that is all it is. I was due for an oil change, which I usually do myself, but decided to take it to the Honda dealership today for an oil change and a second opinion. They showed me that the oil was milky. And I have droplets of oil now in the coolant, which has been changed twice in the past month. So I need to remove the heads, which automatically means a new head gasket. I've read there is an additional gasket below the heads that could be leaking or it could mean a cracked block. I'm praying for the former.