I took my 2005 Civic in for oil change and Honda adviser suggested i change timing belt and water pump due to it having 150k. I said fine.
After i got my car back i noticed the radiator reservoir was filled to top but the radiator was dry. I drove car a few blocks and noticed reservoir full again and radiator was dry. I pour more anti freeze in radiator and drove around then check next morning, same thing. I took car back in and they said i had after market cap so i bought new rad cap and i got them to check line for leaks and they said everything was fine. I get home same thing again. After the initial repair job when i start the engine it screech before starting. Wasn’t smooth like before, it started up immediately before the repair. Not sure now why it takes a while to start now and it screeches! Bad alternator?
Ive got two problems that Honda said they don’t know what happened. I suspect they either didn’t flush or got something stuck in the system or screwed something up. The adviser heard the noise when i tried to start car but he said it didn’t sound unusual, he lied. I can’t figure what causes the screeching sound.
They aren’t willing to trace back their work to figure out the problem. Usually when antifreeze is stuck in reservoir without going to radiator that would mean there’s a leak somewhere.
They told me to continue to drive it and that it won’t be a problem unless the car overheats. Well, after a week the car overheated. I have a blown head gasket. They said they didn’t cause the blown head gasket and refuse to fix it nor refund me for the shotty work they did. My car ran fine before and started showing these problems after I picked it up. I want to contest this.
Can anyone tell me if they could’ve damaged the alternator and caused the anti-freeze to be stuck in the reserve just by changing the timing belt and water pump?
The screeching noise is coming from anti-freeze getting on the drive belt(alternator belt). This is very common. You can spray WD-40 on the belt while the engine is running and if the noise quits you have now confirmed the belt is the cause of the noise.
Coolant being in the overflow and low in the radiator can come from a leak in the cooling system or if recent work has been done a possible air pocket in the system. The radiator needs to be filled, the engine ran until the thermostat opens up and then the radiator topped off once more. Then it is to be checked often to make sure it stays at a safe level.
As for a blown head gasket, this generally requires the vehicle being driven while it is overheated. If the engine is shut off quickly as soon as the engine starts to overheat, damage is most often avoided.
It got to the point where I couldn’t start the car. It’s more like a clattering sound. Like engine struggling to start. I had someone look at the car and that person replaced the alternator and everything is ok now.
They tested for leaks and claimed that there wasn’t one. They also told me to fill up my car and run it.. I did and I ran through two gallons of anti freeze in two weeks. Everytime I put some in, It would dry out and I needed to constantly fill the radiator. while the reserve continued to be full. Brought back to Honda several times and they told me it was normal and to continue to run the car. They said no overheat then no problem. Well, I did and it finally overheated a short time later. Took car to a friends friend and he confirmed that it’s a blown head gasket. I suspect that it was from continuing to drive it when there obviously was some kind of problem with the anti freeze being full in the reservoir and not going back and forth between the radiator and reservoir.
Since all these problems occurred right after I got my car back and it ran fine before, I believe that they caused the issues. Sadly, their advice for me to continue to drive and that everything was normal caused me to blow my head gasket. If I have to proved this, I’m not sure I can. I’m just upset that they did shotty work and I have to pay for it. But I’d like an expert opinion as to if replacing the timing belt and water pump they could’ve accidentally cause these problems? They are denying that it’s possible.
Of course not bleeding the cooling system and adding coolant to the engine after the repair could cause damage. If the engine is shut off quickly as soon as the engine starts to overheat, damage is most often avoided. As for a blown head gasket, this generally requires the vehicle being driven while it is overheated.
As for the timing belt, usually the engine will not run at all or run rough if the belt is installed wrong.
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