under the passenger headlight it started to leak water or coolant

1989 HONDA ACCORD

ZARZILLA

MEMBER
1 POST

i recently received a 89 honda accord with 200000 miles took it to get emissions. under the passenger headlight it started to leak water or coolant i was wondering if this could be from the reservoir or something else. also the car runs hot when idle but when moving there are no problems. i was told to replace the thermostat and then if that does not fix the problem move to the water pump what is the best plan of attack?

Jun 1, 2007 at 3:35 AM

SQM

✓Experienced Mechanic
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

The first step should be to figure out where the leak is coming from. It could be the radiator hose or the radiator itself. Unless this gets fixed it could be difficult to pin down the overheating issue. As you know the engine can overheat due to being low on coolant.

Here is a helpful guide:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-is-leaking-coolant

If the leak is difficult to see, you might want to do a pressure test on the cooling system, which can help with finding the leak.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/radiator-pressure-test

If you still have the overheating issue after the leak fix, then from what you are describing it could be an inoperative cooling fan. If the fan is not working then there is no air flow thru the radiator, while the vehicle is stationary. This makes the engine overheat. But cools back down as you drive and have air flow through the radiator.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-an-electric-cooling-fan-works

I have attached diagrams for your reference.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you.

Images (Click to enlarge)