Should I be concerned?

[civicfan111]

Oil change and hange thenoil filter asap maybe even spark plugs and s**t might not be a bad idea. Also, sounds like a tube or somethen is missing or has holes for the wiper fluid. That's a b***h cause if ur car is anything like mine, the whole passenger side is cluttered with accessories and crap lol. Like ps and all that. I'd jack the car up and try to see were it's draining from.
I'd recommend using a hose and not fluid that actually costs so
Money though lol.

 

[Osiris19]

Ehh, it was 1.99. Wasn't too much of a waste for the fluid. I'm gonna see about calling the shop down the road to use their jacks and see if they can figure it out. My jack doesn't fit under my car.

 

[civicfan111]

I usually just use the scizor jack from my spare tire compartment..
*shrugs*

Gl!

 

[Osiris19]

Thanks. I was wondering if you could jack the car up from the trunk compartment?

 

[91Civic_ZC]

Not to beat a dead horse. But that wasn't oil smoke OR steam. But I read every post and see it went away.

But you should be able to get to the windshield washer fluid reservoir by taking apart the splash guard. You won't get to it via the bumper. I mean I don't even know what year or model of car you have...but....

I PROMISE you do not take off the front bumper to gain access to the wishy washy fluid reservoir.(Wife always calls it that...lol)

You should be able to gain access and actually remove the tank by going through your splash guards. I have never taken one off of your model car, but I have on others. I have never had to take any mechanical parts off the car...ie power steering pump, alternator, etc, but I have had to come from underneath it and remove splash guards.

O, you do have to take the wheel off the car..whichever side its on obviously. I would jack it up, take the wheel off, take the inner wheel splash guard off, you should be able to locate the reason it is leaking your fluid out, and it is more than likely the main line coming out of the reservoir tank. Most cars, the pump isn't located next to the tank, it is closer to the windshield.

Hope I helped some.....

Good Luck.

 

[Osiris19]

Alright cool. I'm going to check that out in a few minutes and I'll post back here. I have '92 Civic LX btw.

 

[91Civic_ZC]

What did ya discover?

 

[Osiris19]

Not much. I honestly cannot see where it's leaking from. And I didn't have any washer fluid on hand because it was in my dad's trunk and his car was at work.

 

[lethal6]

Ehh, it was 1.99. Wasn't too much of a waste for the fluid. I'm gonna see about calling the shop down the road to use their jacks and see if they can figure it out. My jack doesn't fit under my car.

Drive up on some blocks or 2x4s and then jack it up.

Thanks. I was wondering if you could jack the car up from the trunk compartment?

Don't know what you mean by this, but if it is what I think then no it isn't advised. The gas tank is directly below the trunk.

Not much. I honestly cannot see where it's leaking from. And I didn't have any washer fluid on hand because it was in my dad's trunk and his car was at work.

Use water until you find the leak.

The hose from the pump to the tank is probably gone or has lost connection.

 

[protojunkie]

That doesn't make sense.. So cause the car is a stick, it doesn't need oil?
No. All of our civics should have dip sticks unless the previous owner some how lost urs.

Manual trannys dont have tanny fluid dipsticks....

 

[91Civic_ZC]

Ya just use water til you can figure it out. Just take the splash guards out. I bet the main line out of the tank has either gotten damaged, or has gotten pulled, or someone has done some work on it and not put it back together right.

That....or someone has filled it with water in the wintertime, it's froze and busted the tank. I have seen that happen PLENTY of times...people fill them in summer, forget about the water..and it freezes, expands, and basically blows up the tank.

You need to get the splash guards off so you can see it clearly, fill it with water find the leak. Fix the leak...hold the switch down til you drain it 100% of all the water, fill it with correct windshield washer fluid.

 

[Osiris19]

Okay, if it's not raining I will try this. I might not be able to till Friday though because of work.

 

[stateofjustin]

DO NOT jack under the trunk. It is not a load bearing structure. Has nothing to do with the gas tank... you want your spare tire to stay where it is, not move it up 5 inches.

I thought this thread was about engine condition? When did it turn into a washer reservoir removal thread?

 

[Osiris19]

Well, the engine seems fine so kinda switched haha.

 

[stateofjustin]

Do you drive through a ton of mud ? Why not just clean your windshield thoroughly and apply rain-x.

You'll barely need wipers, let alone washer fluid.

 

[Osiris19]

My dad says the spritzers will be necessary when winter comes. Also, now I`m really worried. I drove the car about 65 miles since i bought it two weeks ago. The coolant is a quarter above min and i think, but I`m not positive, that it was near max when I bought it. Also, the guy I bought it from put 2 quarts in when I bought it because it was empty and now it`s about a quarter down on the dipstick.

 

[stateofjustin]

Yeah... Those tests that are taken for granted because a car 'seems' fine can reveal some pretty interesting things.

We just got rid of my sister's 2007 Toyota Corolla, it had 44K miles and 'seemed' fine. First time I saw it I heard a noise (a not normal one) but it only barely showed up at idle, and only got even a tiny bit loud between 1000-1500 rpm. No big deal right? It went to a mechanic and they claimed it was just the wrong weight oil in the car. Amazing how things are these days.

The timing chain tensioner was either defective or deprived of oil for a long time, the noise was the chain not being tensioned. As the load increased the noise went away since the chain was being pulled tighter by mechanical force. Removal of the engine front cover revealed metal in the oil there, and in the drained oil that was a month old. Something plugged an oil passage somewhere, the car was run with too little oil for to long, the oil pump gear cracked... who knows.

Anyway, It went back needing a new engine.

Tests that should always be run:

Visual inspection (I mean like 30 minutes here, not just a once over. You're looking both for problems, accident damage, and evidence the car has not been serviced on schedule) I love this part because sellers hate it... it's intimidating to them and if they're hiding something they will get nervous. Point out everything that is wrong, and why it's wrong. They really hate that... you're already dropping their asking price.

Current oil condition (might not say much, if they're hiding a problem they will have changed the oil)
Current coolant condition (full, clean - again, may have been changed or topped off)
All other fluids and their condition
Inspect spark plugs for normal wear or signs of issues (they may have changed these too, you'll know when you look)
Test drive vehicle from gentle at start-up until warm, then like you stole it. Listen for noises, clunks, shift issues, non-working gauges)

Any anomalies like new parts and fluid, ask them about it. You'll be able to tell they're lying, because chances are good they are intimidated by your knowledge of the vehicle at this point.

If all that seems decent, ask if you can either have the car inspected or sign something to take possession for a day (most sellers with proof of insurance will allow this). Compression test is good, that plus a leak-down test is better, but the compression should tell you what has been hidden. Blown head gasket, where it's blown, how badly, leaking valves, poor sealing rings, it really tells a lot. If you can squeeze in a pre-smog, that would be great too.

If it passes all that with at least a B grade (depending on price), it's probably a keeper. If you're planning to remove all of those things anyway, just make sure you have a well cared for body, frame, panels, and paint.

Use any or all of these points to help you negotiate price. Have the asking price, in hand, in cash when you are showing up to look at the car. Don't show them all of it, only whatever you are going to offer. A thick stack of $20's is better than a short stack of hundreds but throw a couple benji's in at the top.

Most people will take it, they know they need that money and it is RIGHT there.

 

[maximusmda]

That doesn't make sense.. So cause the car is a stick, it doesn't need oil?
No. All of our civics should have dip sticks unless the previous owner some how lost urs.

not saying this for all cars.. but for every honda motor i've ever worked on: d series b series h series f series.. if they are manual they DO NOT have a oil dipstick for trans fluid.. they have a check plug on the side of the trans..

 

[stateofjustin]

Maximusmda, you're right. Most Standard Transmissions/Trans-axles do NOT have a dipstick. The lubricant used has a specified change interval, and you drain and refill at that time or if you suspect a problem. They also do not typically have anywhere near the amount of fluid an automatic does (it's typically like 3 to 1). There are usually two plugs, one at the bottom and one on a side. You pull the inspection/fill plug, then drain by pulling the bottom/drain plug. Replace the bottom/drain plug and then fill through the fill/inspect hole. Most times you fill until you just start getting leak back out of the fill hole. If all you want to do is check your fluid level, you pull the fill/inspect plug and put a finger in (it should get wet barely below the threads of the hole). Car cold and on level ground.

Usually the fill level does not need to be checked between changes, the only reason you would need to do that is if you had a big enough leak to lower the level substantially.

Some cars specify NO changes to the gear oil for the life of the vehicle. VW for example (at least on my Mk-III Golf) does not specify a change interval. The oils used in applications like these are custom and specially formulated, it's not standard 75w-90 or other regular gear oil, nor is it standard ATF (yes many Toyota vehicles used ATF instead of gear oil in their manual gearboxes). It's also super expensive. Fluids are benefiting from modern chemistry. The ATF in my ex's Yaris is good for 90K miles between changes.

The fluid in the gearbox isn't really subject to contamination so it doesn't need to be changed very often compared to say engine oil. The only things that end up in the gear oil is water from condensation (which burns out to vapor at temperature), and the metal from wear of various trans parts.

 

[XpL0d3r]

if they are manual they DO NOT have a oil dipstick for trans fluid..

OIL dipstick for the TRANNY fluid eh?