Questions and Answers

Acura Integra Losing Coolant Q. Hi Vince... welcome back! I have a 1992 Acura Integra, 100,000 miles, A/C and cruise control. I've recently noticed that my antifreeze reservoir has been way below the "MIN" line lately. I filled it back up to "MAX" and then after the next couple of drives, it was gone again. Then I thought maybe I had put in pure antifreeze by mistake, so I filled it with 50/50. It still disappeared.

A couple of months ago the thermostat was changed, and the coolant flushed. It was working fine up to a couple of weeks ago. Any ideas on what to check? When I look in the radiator, the level there looks fine. Should I be this concerned about how much is in the reservoir?

Thanks!

A. There are only two places coolant can go, into the engine or out of the engine. I would have a cooling system pressure test done to see if there are any internal leaks. If there are, they should be repaired and that should solve the problem.

If there are no external coolant leaks, then it is going inside the engine, most likely through the head gasket. This could very well be the early symptom of a blown head gasket.

Keep the level in the reserve tank up above the "MIN" level. This will keep air from entering the cooling system and rotting it from the inside out.