Depends on how bad its leaking, how big the hole is and where its leaking from. What do you mean by replaced the radiator? Have you actually swapped it out for another one and you're still losing power? Basically here are the two solutions 1) if its a small crack you might be able to just use some radiator stop leak. You can buy a bottle of this from any auto shop. 2) if this doesn't work and you have to replace your radiator, try a salvage yard or ebay or some shit like that. You'd be surprised at the quality of some of the stuff there. I'm not saying its in pristine condition but it should suit your needs very well. Shouldn't be too hard to find since you drive a civic. You guys and your damn civic nation... we've seen your commercials. We're not impressed.
The quickest way to diagnose a cracked head/blown head gasket is to check the oil. If there's water droplets on the dip stick, you're pretty well screwed....it's either the gasket or the head itself.
I'd actually go a step further and do an oil change and check for water/coolant in the oil. You'll be able to tell right away if it's there or not. Unfortunately there's no easy fix if this has happened.
What the other guys said, but to add: The easiest way to tell if there's water/coolant in the oil is that it will look "milky." DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR IF THERE'S WATER/COOLANT IN THE OIL. You will destroy the engine, because the oil stops lubricating things. Could be a cracked head, but cheaper/easier things to check for are warped head, blown head gasket, or maybe even an intake gasket.
Thanks for the responses guys. Yes, I replaced the radiator. I initially took it to a radiator repairer, he told me it was screwed. I had him order a new one because it was very close to the cost of a re-coring. Also, I live in Australia. I wasn't too sure how the oil and water would mix so I just tried this with every combination of engine off/on, and hot/cold. Couldn't see any sign of water or milkyness in the oil. It's a little dark, but the last change was around 3000km ago. Is this really necessary after checking from the dipstick? If you think so I can do it this afternoon but my only concern is that oil ain't free.
Decided to post this here as it's relevant to automobiles. My very sexy car, for those who don't know I have an Athens Blue 2008 Infiniti G37s (it's pretty much sex on 19's), has scored me not one, not two, but three chicks at the same time. I'll let the exhaust blow their mini skirts off so I don't have to trouble myself with the buttons and zippers. Car High Five!!
If it doesn't show up on the dipstick you're probably OK as far as a cracked head/gasket. Water /coolant is lighter then oil and will usually show on the dipstick. If your loss of power is really significant you may have a warped head, which would show no signs of water in the oil. I can't really think of anything else that would cause that problem after overheating an engine. You must of seriously overheated the engine if you warped the head. Then again, don't Honda's have aluminum heads? Yeah, I could see warping an aluminum head pretty easily if it was run without noticing the engine temperature.
Bugger. Is there anything I can do to test for this, or could it be an intake gasket as slippingaway suggested? It was never a powerful car to begin with but the loss of power is pretty noticable when accelerating from a stop up to highway speed.
as it turns out having an engine that clatters like an icecream truck would draw way too many questions about who I was trying to pick up, and good mileage numbers aren't a turn on.
General rule of thumb: most modified cars, exotic cars, sports cars etc are dude magnets. Chicks are impressed with a nice, luxurious interior more than anything. One rare instance where whats on the inside counts.
When I wasn't above the douchebaggery of showing off one of my "moves" would be to open my personal garage bays at my storage building and ask the girl which vehicle she wanted to go out in. Undoubtedly they chose the Tahoe w/ 20's or my company STS. Really it shouldn't be surprising since most women go after shiny baubles and love leather shoes and purses. So the car with the most leather and shiny metal usually wins.
Absolutely true, guys are usually impressed by the 442 but chicks always just think it's too loud and hot.
Agreed, and that's what they were doing, looking at shiny things in a Firehouse Subs parking lot. But I have the plus of having a very nice interior also which flows very well. Sky blue exterior, tan leather interior with stainless steel accents on a bunch of stuff. It's funny, because I happened to park next to one of those new Camaro's and it was getting no love at all.
That's actually a great tactic. If the girl wants to roll out in the 323 GTX, propose to her on the spot.
Boys and girls, I now have a column at Speed:Sport:Life, you can read my first article below. It's nice to have someone else publish you for once. http://tinyurl.com/yjhb2hu
Senna, that's why women are comparable to crows. Diablo, I have the same thing happen all the time. I've had a few Ferrari owners get miffed when their cars weren't getting the "oohs" and "aahs" that mine was. Speaking of which, here's a picture of her from last weekend's blast through the Tail of the Dragon aka US 129 aka the Greatest Road on Planet Earth.
How were the patrols that day? When I was selling that white on black NSX, I couldn't believe how much attention and double takes I got when driving the damn thing. By the way, that thing has been fully serviced and cleaned, basically restored to show room condition. The owner is mental.
Does the NSX look dated? To the eyes of someone like us, maybe the popup headlights and tape deck are a giveaway, but most people I'm with always stop and ask what it is, and can't believe its a 20 year old design. Its aged so much better than Testarossa/other F-Car, Lambo etc of a similar era. An absolutely timeless design, like the Citroen DS it will always look good.