Big puddles of water?!?

Question

I have a 2003 Honda Civic that I have had since it was new. I've never had any troubles at all with it.

I hit a piece of wood on the freeway going 70mph about 3 months ago and blew out the tire. Since then, I've been noticing problems. Obviously--my alignment is shot. But, my steering is odd too--it sort of "sighs" when I turn the wheel. It also is lacking it's get-up-and-go. I can hit the accelerator & it takes it a half a second to respond. Perhaps the most concerning thing is the puddles of water that are forming under my car every time I stop. They're not tiny either. They're big puddles--too big to just be moisture from my air conditioner. If it is a leak in a hose or something--could it have been caused when I hit the wood? The leak seems to be coming from the center of the front--what COULD it be? I'm trying to determine how urgent it is that I get it into a shop.

I am lacking in serious fundage right now...which is why I'm asking the urgency of it. I'm the type to take it in at the slightest sound, so it's driving me nuts not to be able to get it fixed.

Answer 1

Actually, it is the condensation from the air conditioning unit that is draining out of the evaporator case. Three months ago you probably weren't dealing with the humidity you have recently. The more humid the outside air is, the greater the volume of water that condenses and drains out of the air conditioning system.

I've watched as a streams of water run out from the center of Hondas that are parked and left running. The drain tube for the evaporator case is in the center of the car. If its water, then the ONLY thing it can be is drainage from the air conditioning system. Other fluids have dyes in them--windshield washer fluid is blue, power steering fluid is red; coolant is green.

as for the other problems, the alignment should be checked and reset. the sighing power steering may be as simple as a damaged belt from the accident or the pump may be low on fluid. You can check the fluid level yourself. as for the get up and go, it could be any number of things and its almost impossible to make an accurate guess. check your fluid levels for the transmission as a starter. also, if you're running the air conditioning it will take a lot of power out of the engine. try accelerating with the air conditioning off and see if there is a difference.

hope that helps

hope that helps

Answer 2

when you hit the tree which had enough force to blow the tire, you likely also damaged components of the wheel, like the bearing, or the tie rod. You may have bent the knuckle of the steering rod where it attatches to the rotor. The sound you hear may be stiffness in the joint for this reason, or you could have lost the lubricant which is sealed into the joint.
Leaving this go may be causing excessive wear on the power steering (most vehicles tend to only provide enough to do the standard job, so when the job of steering is made more difficult, the pump wears quickley).
Pay attention to difference between steering towards the damaged side and away. This can indicate the nature of the damage.
Also as previous answerers have noted, There is no fluid within the car's engine compartment which is clear like water.
Also, if it was pooling as you describe, it would have ran out by now. Humidity is an infinite source for pure water.
You may be only noticing because you are aware that there may be problems, when you previously did not look for it.

The acceleration could relate to damage of the bearing, which allows the wheel to turn without friction resistance.
From a stopped position, in an open lot, position your wheels straight forward. Without touching the wheel accelerate as hard as you can and see how the vehicle pulls.

When the tire was replaced, who replaced it?
Did they encounter any problems with the studs that held the wheel? How badly was the rim damaged by the tree?
They should have spun the rotor freely to check for uneven pressure or poor rotation. You could still jak up the one side and put the car in neutral and try spinning the wheel.
If you need a reference, raise the other side, front and spin it.

As of future damage, uneven tire allignment will cause uneven wear on tires, excessive wear durring breaking, and excessive wear on one side's break pads.
All of these problems would easily be resolved through replacement, at a sooner rate than normal resulting in extra expense. But more importantly, your vehicle is less safe than it was. Im not suggesting it to be unsafe to drive. Im only saying that it is surely less safe.
You must know someone who can help you, rather than an over priced mechanic you can't trust.
You yourself can fix a car, and these problems are relatively easy, you only need tools and time, and maybe some parts.

A hub wich includes a sealed bearing is easy to take on and off, and might cost 15 to 30 dollars.
A ball joint might be 20, but requires a special tool to remove and probably an extra hand to force the steering arm to move.
Some places only charge 35 dollars for an alignment.
You may not be able to get perfect alignment since the vehicle has been damaged.

I would start with the alignment and see how things improve, before doing anything else.

Answer 3

I would say the lack of acceleration is due to your alignment. Having it bad can mess up a numbe of things including acceleration. Since it is a front wheel drive car you hsoudl have that fixed asap!! If your steering making noises I would check the power steering fluid and the lines to make sure there is no leak. When something tears up stuff underneathe the car it can get real bad! There are line for everything under there and you should get it in the shop ASAP! Your drip hose from your AC is at the bottom and you could have ripped that off causing the water to just come out where the drain is instead of running down the tube and on to the street. if the water is cold I woudl bet that is it

Answer 4

You need to have this checked immediately. There could be a variety of thing wrong. I have had a similar problem. I did not have a leak, but I did have a steering problem. Your tire is rubbing somewhere. Make sure there is no structural damage to your wheel well or underneath your fender.

The leak could very well be from a punctured hose or damage to your radiator.

A body shop should be able to fix most of these problems. Get estimates, but you need to get if fixed as soon as possible.

Answer 5

Any time you notice something wrong with your vehicle you should get it in right away. The longer you don't, the more damage you risk doing. The wood could have damaged a hose that is part of a vacuum system in the car and that is why it is taking so long to accelarate...not sure. Go in and ask somebody that knows what is going on.

Answer 6

i do no longer purely like the assumption of a pipe interior the floor. comes a annoying and quickly rain the water will nonetheless take a seat there for a while. no longer seeing the format of your place; yet once you're able to be able to make a manner for the run-off water to pass else the place. possibly via making a shallow swell interior the floor to incourage the water to take that path no longer so deep to look gruesome yet shallow and huge in the direction of the line or someplace else else. sturdy success.

Answer 7

Sounds like you did some real damage. Get it into the shop ASAP.

Answer 8

If your radiator overflow bottle and or radiator has water in it then its just the ac unit. its been humid lately and ac's take moister out of the air.

Answer 9

FUBAR