Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
My car is overheating, the heater doesn't work, and only a half gallon of coolant comes out of 3 gallon cooling system. Please help?
So, I have a 2000 honda accord sedan with the v6 engine. It was overheating, so I replaced the thermostat. That was a year ago. I noticed that there was some gunk in the tubes but because I am a n00b I left it and didn't think much of it. It was still overheating in the summer, so I just made do the best I could. Then comes winter, not overheating much (gotta love Montana winters) but alas, the heater doesn't work. The tube going into the heater core is hot and the one coming out is cold. Which doesn't make sense, because it wasn't plugged up anyways and it's not leaking. Anyways, fast forward, I try to empty my cooling system so I can do a complete flush, and only a half a gallon of coolant comes out of the radiator. Only a half a gallon goes back in too. It's supposed to hold 3 gallons. I don't really want to mess around fixing 10 different things, does anyone know what really needs to be fixed or replaced? Once I know I can either fix it or hire someone, but I don't want to do that until I know exactly what the problem is and how I can fix it. Thanks.
4 Answers
- 3 years agoFavorite Answer
I'd guess that the radiator is so plugged up from lack of regular flushes over its lifetime that it needs to be replaced. Likewise, the heater core may be in the same condition, but do the radiator first. The engine block also needs to be flushed, possibly several times, and while you're at it you might as well give it a fresh set of hoses so that won't become an issue this summer.
- ?Lv 73 years ago
First of all, the "radiator" and the "cooling system" are not the same thing.
If the "cooling system capacity" is 3 gallons, then it's in the engine, the radiator, the heater core and the hoses.
The heater not working is often a symptom of a low coolant level in the cooling system.
The engine overheating can also be a symptom of low coolant level in the cooling system.
Many vehicles must be filled with coolant and bled of air using some specific technique. Read about what your exact car requires.
-Engine overhaul mechanic and general automotive mechanic since 1972
- Anonymous3 years ago
Replace the radiator and flush the heater core and the block. You might need to use compressed air to clean the heater core if flushing does not fix the no-heat issue.
- thebax2006Lv 73 years ago
Sounds like the minimum you need to do is to pull the heater hoses running to the heater core and flush the heater core with a garden hose to see if you get good flow out of the heater core. I know another master mechanic that swears filling the heater core with CLR and letting it soak a couple of hours helps flush a partially plugged heater core. You'd need to buy a couple feet of heater hose to fit on the heater core so you can fill it.
To remove all the old antifreeze that you can't drain out of the motor install a flushing "T" in one of your heater hoses and hook the garden hose up to the "T" to flush the cooling system until the water coming out of the radiator neck runs clear. Then drain the radiator again. You'll need to add 1/2 gallon of STRAIGHT antifreeze first, followed by diluting the remainder 50/50 with tap water before adding it, That compensates for the water that is trapped in the motor. You'll end up with a -35 degree Fahrenheit protection level.
Source(s): Mitsubishi Master Tech
