Hi all,

I'm new to this forum. I currently own a 1991 Civic LX 4dr AT, needless to say it's a commuter. Well yesterday I was driving and noticed small amounts of smoke coming from under my hood. I opened it up to find that the radiator had been completely drained. I think there may be a leak somewhere, because there is a pool of radiator fluid underneath the car. There is radiator fluid dripping down the sides of the radiator, but I cannot find the source of the leak. Could I have damaged my engine? I'm thinking my radiator is done, but if any of you have any advice for me, I would so much appreciate it.

Thanks alot!

-Greg

 

I would get that rad fixed up or replaced, then get a compression check done.

 

Fixed up then huh?

It could only be two things right? Either the radiator hose or the radiator itself?

Should I just get an OEM radiator? Or is there any good aftermarket ones (for a reasonable price)?

Compression check...it definately feels normal when I drive it. I don't think there was any compression lost in any of the cylinders, but I could be wrong.

Thanks for the advice (I welcome more!)

-Greg

 

I think what ngoti8tor was referring to is a pressure check (please correct me if I'm wrong). It basically tells you if you've got no leak, a little leak, or a BIG leak (the mechanic started laughing when he ran mine!).

It could be a lot of things; bad radiator, bad cap, bad hoses, head gasket, etc. Fill that sucker back up with fluid and get it over to a shop. Sometimes when the radiator fails you can see green coolant in the crease on the very top of the radiator (hard to explain). Do you know if the little bit of coolant that you saw on the radiator was previously boiling? Has the car been running hot at all? How long you drove like this plays into whether or not you have any damage to your engine.