I've searched for several hours and need a small clarification. Here is my issue:
--1992 Integra GSR --
I have a coolant leak that seems to be coming from the back side of the engine, passenger side, that I am having a little trouble locating. It seems to be on the opposite side of the water pump and timing belt, so I am beginning to think it isn't the water pump. On Sunday, when I first started it, the idle was all over the place, but I believe there was very little, if any, coolant in the system (not sure if that makes a difference). We had a 90 mile trip home to make, which had us filling up the radiator every 20 minutes or so with water. It has a new radiator, new thermostat, has been flushed (before all the leaking) and had a previous, intermittent overheating issue. (All maintenance done by myself - I am a certified Indmar mechanic, but those are Chevy Vortec engines marinized for boat applications)

Here's my first question: If the FITV or the IAC have backed themselves out or failed, would coolant leak out of either of those spots?

2. Any other thoughts or suggestions? The car runs great, still has tons of power, oil looks fine, etc. I am leaning away from a head gasket issue b/c of those, but am open to some outside suggestions from those that really know these engines.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

check the coolant hoses on the throttle body and IACV they might have broken some how.

 

Okay, the plot thickens. I am not certain how this happened, but the dash climate controls seem to stay on, regardless of ignition position. The buttons stay lit up and you can hear the condensor fan turn on when you hit the AC button and turn the fan blower position to one of the "on" spots. You can also hear the motor run as you select options between defrost and floor.

The car seems to hold coolant, but is still overheating. Any thoughts?

 

Wait, so with the key out of the ignition, the climate controls still function? I have never heard of either the FITV or IAC every backing out. Your right, the idle was jumping because of the lack of coolant. The FITV has coolant lines attached to it. Have you checked the lines to/from the heater core?

 

Yep. Tonight was the first that had ever happened. There were two relays loose on the driver's side (Front of the car) of the engine compartment that were loose that I had re-bolted to the frame, but no other "electrical changes" to the existing system. All work done replacing the radiator was done with the battery disconnected, so I doubt any arcing occurred.

I saw a tiny bit of steam showing up by the lower radiator hose where it enters the bottom of the radiator, but I can't seem to find it leaking anywhere else. All other lines seem to be leak free, but it still seems to overheat pretty quickly. Is it crucial for the fans to be completely flush on the radiator? With one of them, I was having a little bit of trouble getting it to seat back in completely. There may be at most 1/4 of an inch space at one end, but otherwise pretty snug.

 

Well, not really sure about the electrical gremlin, but it looks like I am seeing some coolant on the oil dipstick. I guess that isn't a good sign.