well, it depends on if it is in fact the radiator or something worse like the head gasket.

and in each of those cases, it depends as well. best to find the cause and then determine your course of action. if it's just a leaky hose, fix is cheap. rad? around $100-150 (if you do the job yourself), for a cheap OEM knockoff that'll probably last longer than the car at this point. head gasket? depends on if you can do the work yourself or not. this one can get pricey.

any one of those can let go tomorrow or last for as long as you need it. can't really say without seeing what is occurring and where it's occurring. but it sounds like you're loosing a significant amount of coolant so it doesn't sound like you have too much time to address it.

 

yea this sucks...well i guess ill put the honda/acura name to the real test to see how long it will last with me only refilling it and keeping a close Eye on it...im taking it to my buddy who is a master volvo tech. but knows a lot about honda's as well. ill let him give me the break down an get back to you guys...

 

well im like 90% sure its not the head gasket...i let it run for about 5 min an checked the coolent and the oil...it was not mikly...im goin to take it for a compression test tomarrow to see whats up...

 

There are areas of the head gasket that could be cracked, or blown which will allow coolant to pass into the combustion chamber - but not necessarily the oil passages.

If your going to try and "limp" it out, crack your radiator cap to reduce the amount of pressure buildup in the system. Do this when its cold or you may get burned! It might reduce the consumption a bit.

I had good luck with this stuff called "radiator stop leak", in my 93 mustang. You might give it a try if nothing else, you can find it at your local auto parts store. Heres a pic:

 

those additives wont mess with anything???

 

At this point in your cars life, no. I wouldn't dump them into a freshly rebuilt engine as preventive maintenance, but you've basically told us that your going to drive it until it dies anyway. I used Stop Leak in my 93 Mustang, which I no longer own, and it cured my cracked radiator just fine. Drove it for another year before I replaced the rad.

If this were my car, I would try and pinpoint the source of the problem. Be certain that its not a simple leak, then spend $350 or so on a new head gasket, intake manifold gasket, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, and hope for a little resale value.

 

NAH lol but thanks for the advice...im goin to drive it the way it is, add some coolent when it needs it an pray it lasts abouther 5-8 months...then ask my uncle to hand/sell down his WRX

 

i would strongly advice AGAINST any kind of stop leak additives if you're thinking in the longterm. you run the risk of obstructing coolant passageways and reducing how effectively your engine cools off or worse. those kind of things are bandaid solutions that run the risk of making things worse.

i think that's what 2001TEGGSR is saying anyway, but yeah.. ok.. carry on.

 

Check the top tank on the radiator, it's a common weak point on them. You'll be able to see some green coolant residue near it, or dripping down to the fan shrouds.