1994 Honda Civic Resevoir steaming

GMCRAMMIT

MEMBER
1994 HONDA CIVIC
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
175,000 MILES

I have a 1994 Honda Civic LX that underwent a head gasket replacement last July 2008. Last week I started my car to let it warm up. I went out and noticed white smoke from the tail pipe. Once I got in to drive it, it went away.

(I do park on a pretty steep driveway. If I start the car when it is level, there isn't any smoke until I get out of 1st gear and then it is gone.)

Later that day on the way home, I noticed my temp gauge rising and when stopped, steam coming from under the hood. I opened the hood and saw where the steam was coming from - the radiator resevoir. I unscrewed the cap and steam was coming out of the hose.

I don't see any apparent leaks from the radiator, or any of the hoses. When I add more coolant or water, temp goes down and steam stops but only lasts for about 1 -2 days and starts all over again. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

My fear is that I have another head gasket leak or worse, a cracked head.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

Hi:
It sounds like another head gasket. The white smoke indicates that coolant is getting into the combustion chamber and being burned. That is why you need to keep adding coolant. Make sure no coolant is in the motor oil. Also, this could cause it to overheat because of low coolant. You will need to perform a compression test to be sure. You could also pressure test the cooling system to see if it holds pressure or leaks it and where.

The white smoke is the indicator.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Joe