1987 Integra 146k
Coolant Bleed valve was broke and I went to patch it with a J-B Weld.
So I wanted to clean it well …etc.
Used a cone shaped sanding tool bit to rub the hole too - just to make sure my Weld will stay in place.
The toolbit is broke inside the 1mm hole and seems to block 99.9% of the hole - just minor leak now.
The car does 2k-3k miles/yr.
Because the hole is blocked, I am putting the weld - they told me to put it inside the hole too. Started the engine to see if it would pop out - but it didn’t. SO I am leaving it as it is for now.
Any thoughts?
If it’s leaking at all this means that the repair will see hot coolant under pressure no matter how small the leak.
I compare things like this to an old saying about a horseshoe nail being lost. In order, this led to the loss of the horse, the king who was astride it in battle, the war, and the country. Sometimes the tiny things can creep up and bite you.
Keep an eye on the temp gauge and check the repair and the coolant level regularly. That’s my 2 cents anyway.
Assuming that you sometimes drive beyond walking distance of home, you might want to throw some JBweld and/or a screw big enough to act as a temporary plug as well as a couple of gallon bottles of water from the grocery store in your trunk just in case. BTW, if your patch holds, it might be a good idea to take the water out of the trunk after a few years – before the plastic gets brittle and cracks.
You could always replace the bleed valve…
You Could TSM, But That’s Not In . . . The JB Weld Method Of Car Repair Manual.
Besides that, it makes too much sense.
Seriously though, some of these bleeders are in a thermostat housing that can be replaced and others are installed in expensive, difficult to replace, integral engine components. I can understand why somebody might want to avoid causing a bigger problem. Too bad we can’t see a photo of this broken bleeder.
CSA
Good point.
Attached photos. Taken after broken valve.
It is on the housing (connected with the engine block via two bolts) & it connects one of the hoses from Radiator.
Two more photos.
Yes, broken part is inside - the thread must had been seized.
Ouch!
The packaging enngineers outdid themselves on this one.
Great Pics! I See The Bleeder. I Guess Because Everything Is Condensed Into A Small Space, It’s Still Difficult To See The Whole Housing.
You say, “It is on the housing (connected with the engine block via two bolts) & it connects one of the hoses from Radiator.” Does it look like the housing can be replaced without taking half the engine apart? Do you, or does anybody know if this is the thermostat housing?
I’d find out if it’s fairly easily accessed, get a price from Honda, including a new bleeder, gasket and thermostat, and should the JB Weld method fail, I’d go with a new housing. I priced out a Chrysler T-Stat housing once and it was expensive. It inspired me to remove a seized bleeder, but this one had more to grab onto.
I can imagine a “used” housing would be difficult to obtain (renders used engine incomplete), but I’d check. Make sure the bleeder will unscrew without breaking off, first.
Does any of what I’m saying make sense?
CSA
P.S. I took a look at a parts blow-up. Looks like you would be replacing an o-ring on an inlet pipe, too.
Housing can be replaced w/o taking the engine apart.
Even the new part is not expensive - online about $25 - there are plenty of these cars in the pick-n-pull for part.
For me to do it, challenges are accessing it - so compact. Secondly new housing needs some sort of silicone to prevent leaks - perhaps it is done carefully or will leak.
New valve would be easy but how to get the old one out?
If you can remove the housing you can saturate with penetrating lube and drill & Easy-Out.
Or, again with the housing removed, bore and retap the hole.
Don’t do it on the engine, however. You don’t need a whole bunch of metal chips being dragged through your cooling system over and over.
New Valve? How To Get Old One Out?
This is something that would best be left to somebody with experience. Usually the old one is drilled out with increasinly larger drill bits, until the old one comes out like a coil of metal. This is tricky and since I don’t completely understand the part about "The toolbit is broke inside the 1mm hole and seems to block 99.9% of the hole . . . " (I can’t see that in the pics), the broken bit could make this nearly impossible.
Once you have worked alongside an experience person, then you would probably be able to do one yourself.
I’m not convinced that a problem exists as far as your concern about “sealing” the new housing. Is there a manual you can refer to or an experienced person with whom you can consult? You don’t want to go from bad to worse without a plan B. The car runs and is usable at this time.
CSA
Thanks for pointing out “Don’t do it on the engine”.
If I am taking out the housing its easier just to replace the whole lot.
Like CSA said “The car runs and is usable at this time” - perhaps I am a perfectionist and that is why I got into trouble in the first place. Last time, I bleeded w/o touching this valve - my m/c now tells me that he doesn’t touch this at all.