'95 Accord: overheated at idle, possible coolant leak?

[atomiclightbulb]

1995 Accord LX, 4 Cyl/2.2L

 

I was driving home late this morning under fairly hot conditions (88F/31C) and I got stuck behind a lot of cars waiting for a red light. There were so many cars that I wasn't able to get past the intersection at the next green light. While waiting for the light to turn green again, I noticed that the temp gauge started climbing past the middle mark, and then about 5-10 seconds before the light turned green, it started going into the red zone.

 

I drove through the intersection slowly and looked for a safe place to pull over to let my car cool down, but I noticed that as I continued to drive, the temperature gauge started falling. I was going about 30-35 MPH through local neighborhoods, and eventually the temp gauge fell to about the midline. I got home and let the Accord cool down for about 30 mins while I ate lunch, and then I went to check the coolant levels.

 

- Radiator reserve tank was almost dry. The manual said to add coolant to the tank, so I did.

 

- I then checked the radiator level. The coolant appeared low here as well, so I added coolant up the the base of the filler neck as the manual suggested.

 

Later that day, I drove the car about 2 miles. When I returned home, I saw drops (not a whole lot, but enough to get my attention) of liquid on the driveway where my car had been parked. I used a paper towel to dab up some of the liquid and it appears to be coolant from my car :(

 

I've run the car at idle again to check on a few things.

 

- The two fans in the front by the radiator work. I turned on the AC and they both start spinning.

 

- I reved the engine to 2500RPM for about 30 seconds and the temp stays well below the middle mark.

 

- I checked the coolant levels again. The reserve tank appears fine, but the radiator coolant level has again fallen below the base of the filler neck.

 

- No unusual noises from the engine. Oil level and other liquids are fine. Exhaust is normal.

 

Any ideas on what (if anything) might be wrong? I think I might have a coolant leak somewhere.

 

One other thing to note: I've noticed that when I park the car and turn off the engine, the front fans will sometimes turn on for about 2 mins. I figure this might be relevant because the fans move air over the radiator.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Kegger]

Sounds like you gotta leak there. Check all your hoses and your radiator. If somethings bad, replace it.