[John_92L]

I'd like to start of by saying that everyone on this board seems great! I recently purchased a dark metalic blue 1992 Legend L with 145K miles on it. The seller of the vehicle appeared very honest and was the original owner. He had stacks of service records and the car is running great so I'm confident he took care of it as best he could.. I've noticed a few issues and am asking for some advice on how to proceed and maybe in what order...

1. Small amounts of gray/white smoke from exhaust, after idling for medium periods of time. After reading pages and pages of BHG stories I'm not confident that's the issue but as with most BHG issues its hard to determine. The engine runs great, performance is fantastic and the engine sounds great and runs smooth and silent. What would some of you suggest to begin looking into the reason for the smoke after idle?

2. I can smell coolant when lifting the hood and every so often I think I smell it coming from my dash AC vents. When the car has been started for 5 minutes and idling my resavoir stays between the max and min levels. Doesnt appear to be adjusting. After driving the car around the city for a while and I park it to go in the house I can smell coolant outside of the car in close proximity. I dont see any leaks on the ground or hear any hissing sounds. I do not notice any wetness on the passenger side of the car.. Any suggestions as to why this might be happening, is this possibly normal with the Honda coolant or the Acura Legend itself? Would the first stage in my aproach involve a pressure check on the coolant system?

3. My tempeture guage appears to reach its normal level fairly quickly after starting and running the car, usually within 5 minutes. Is this normal, if so I'm not used to this with my other american made cards I've owned. Once reaching the desired tempature (right below the halfway mark) it NEVER adjusts. Is this normal? Especially the somewhat apparent quick rise in tempature?

That's really all the questions I have. I'm sorry to be so long winded but I wanted to be thourough to give any of you who take the time to respond a complete idea of my concerns.. Any advice/suggestions/flames are greatly appreciated!

-John

 

[truonghthe]

ok first thing i know that you need to replace the heater core. it located under neath the carpet on your passenger side. you have to take entire thing out. Labor and part at a normal shop would be around 600-800 in my local area. if your car doesn't overheated then it not neccessary mean that your legend has a BHG. park your car at a parking lot or at your house and let it sit over night then look under the car to see any coolant on the ground there are some coollant hose that may be blow and locate in the back of your engine so you could not see it. my Dad Legend temp come up fast and it keep blew coolant hose one after another. and the temp goes up to normal quickly compare to my bro and my Legend.

 

[John_92L]

Hey truonghthe, Thank you so much for you input!

The Heater Core: What symptoms did I mention in my initial post that make you believe this needs to be replaced.. I'm a little new with this car and am not sure what a bad Heater Core will cause as far as symptoms.

Secondaly and also outlined in greater detail in my first post, what can some of yuo make of a small amount of white/gray smoke after 2-3 minutes of idle?

Third, is the temperature guage reaching normal temp. within the first 5 minutes of starting the car normal, or is this a sign of a heater core problem?

Sorry if my first post was confusing.. just clarifying after your response to try to get as accurate of a response from the memebers here as possible.

 

[truonghthe]

you said that you can smelt coolant throught air vain. I am not sure about the grey smoke come out from your exhaust but they are a symtomp of coolant get in side the engine. third did you or the previous owner had replace the thermostat yet?

 

[93lsz]

you said that you can smelt coolant throught air vain. I am not sure about the grey smoke come out from your exhaust but they are a symtomp of coolant get in side the engine. third did you or the previous owner had replace the thermostat yet?

Truonghthe could be correct on that it is very possible of your heater core needs replacement. But to properly diagnose your coolant smell problem coming from the vents, do check for cracks on the coolant hoses going into and out of the heater core first.

 

[John_92L]

Would the heater core cause a noticable coolant odor when standing outside of the car after running around town for a few hours? I mention that I could smell it in the cabin but only very slightly and not very often at all. I'm trying to determine if the smell is just coming from outside the car and making its way through my windows or moon roof. Would a busted heater cause coolant odor outside of the car?

In regards to the thermostat, I'm not sure if/when it was replaced. I can either check all my service records that he handed me or/and call him. Is that a common problem which might lead me to find out why my temp guage gets to the normal temp (a notch below the middle) so quickly..?


*edit* I'm going to go read up on this heater core device on the board and other places..

 

[93lsz]

If you smell coolant, they have to present outside of the system. Do check all your hoses.

 

[jimmer]

If you smell coolant, they have to present outside of the system. Do check all your hoses.

:werd:

going through the same thing....although I have seen my temp gauge spike twice since I have had the car....Im not taking chances anymore, getting a new motor installed

there are no less than 22 hoses I believe to check...and some are a real bitch to get too

 

[John_92L]

Any ideas on the speedy rise of my temp. guage (mind you, it only rises to the desired spot, a notch below the middle) but it does rise within the first 5 minutes.. and then never moves. Maybe this is normal?

*edit* Thankfully I have never seen it spike at all.. just get to its normal temp quickly.. again, Im hoping this is normal.

 

[93lsz]

:werd:

going through the same thing....although I have seen my temp gauge spike twice since I have had the car....Im not taking chances anymore, getting a new motor installed

there are no less than 22 hoses I believe to check...and some are a real bitch to get too

Why spend more $$$ on installing a motor when the current one is in good condition? Of course if you want a NEW motor.
Once you remove the intake, you can then check for almost all of the hoses.

 

[93lsz]

Any ideas on the speedy rise of my temp. guage (mind you, it only rises to the desired spot, a notch below the middle) but it does rise within the first 5 minutes.. and then never moves. Maybe this is normal?

*edit* Thankfully I have never seen it spike at all.. just get to its normal temp quickly.. again, Im hoping this is normal.

Believe it's normal. After 5 minutes of driving, the coolant should be hot.

 

[jimmer]

Why spend more $$$ on installing a motor when the current one is in good condition? Of course if you want a NEW motor.
Once you remove the intake, you can then check for almost all of the hoses.

cuz I bellieve my motor to be smoked.....I had a huge cloud of smoke cooming out from my car, smelled coolant and seen the temp guage spike 2 times....and a new engine means a more reliable means of travel...last thing I need is this damn car blowing a motor on the highway in the middle of no where ya know?

I travel ALOT...in cali right now in fact...although car in phoenix....and seeing as I had some weird looking crap in my radiator isnt helping....a 3.5 and some mounts and WHAM!! Im all set and no worries about a HG popping again...too many scares for me

 

[93lsz]

cuz I bellieve my motor to be smoked.....I had a huge cloud of smoke cooming out from my car, smelled coolant and seen the temp guage spike 2 times....and a new engine means a more reliable means of travel...last thing I need is this damn car blowing a motor on the highway in the middle of no where ya know?

I travel ALOT...in cali right now in fact...although car in phoenix....and seeing as I had some weird looking crap in my radiator isnt helping....a 3.5 and some mounts and WHAM!! Im all set and no worries about a HG popping again...too many scares for me

If that would provide you a peace of mind, I am with you on that issue.

 

[John_92L]

Thanks for the input guys.. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about my engine temp. at this point. I'm still wondering if anyone has any suggestions to cure a small smoke problem after idle.. Any additives you can suggest? I'm looking to try the cheap solutions first before going heavy.

 

[LPB]

If you can smell coolant, you have seepage from somewhere. It could easily be a hose or O-ring, and the smell is being sucked into the heater/a.c. ducting as the vehicle is driven. To check for a seeping heater core you need to check the carpet for moisture. At early stages, you can use your finger tips to check the inside of your windshield for the presence of an oily substance (coolant) deposited directly above the vents. If your state has emission testing, you can take the vehicle to a testing facility and have them "wand the radiator" testing for hydrocarbons. This could answer your "smoke" question. If not, I believe NAPA sells a testing kit. This to rule out a seeping/leaking head-gasket. I would also fill the reservoir to the Max level and then drive for a few days. You need a specific mark in order to rule out any coolant loss; having a level midpoint is still a guesstimate and you need more precision. As for coolant/leakage areas if you perform a Search you shall find what to look for and where. The issue has been discussed many times.

 

[Jetdoc]

Your temp rise is normal. That's what it's supposed to do. It shouldn't move once it's up to normal.
You can use the "recirculate" air switch on the climate control panel to help diagnose/isolate where the coolant smell is coming from. If your heater core is leaking you will have a problem with fogging on the inside of the windshield.
Does the smoke at idle have any oil smell at all(or bluish tint) or is it strictly white?

 

[John_92L]

Great Ideas!!!

Glad to hear the temp. rising to the normal temp within 5 minutes is normal. The engine runs great so I'm not fearing a BHG just yet. The smoke appears to possibly have a blueish tent and does smell of exhaust/oil. It doesnt seem to be a very bright white smoke so I would say it has a blue tint to it.

As far as the heater core, I havent noticed any dampness or fogging of the windows. Just a strong coolant smell when you are standing close to the outside of the car so I assume I need to have all my hoses checked for leaks/cracks/ or clamp issues. is this the correct course of action..

If I notice the smoke smells of oil and looks blueish what is the difference between a purely white smoke.. and how should I proceed in diagnosing/reparing that problem?

Thanks guys, great gelp!

-John

 

[Jetdoc]

smoke smells of oil and looks blueish

This is from oil leaking past the valve stem seals. The only way to really repair it is by removing the heads and replacing the valve stem seals.

 

[John_92L]

Have you ever seen quotes for this type of work.. are we talking under $500 or over $500?

And is there a more definite way of diagnosing this issue, what type of checks or tests would you suggest?

 

[Jetdoc]

over $500. It's the same work as when you have a BHG. $1500-$2000+ at most good shops. If it's not too bad It's ok to drive that way. Leaking valve stem seals are common in Legends. If it doesn't smoke during normal driving but starts to smoke after you stop and idle it is almost certain to be VS seals.
Basically, the engine creates more vaccume at idle and oil gets sucked past the VS seals and into the combustion chamber. Take it to a good import shop and they will diagnose it easily.