My radiator is leakingthe top and l put water in it and it has a bad smell like water when I' driving the shop said that l need to repair it soon but is it ok to drive my car is not overheating or anything just a little smoke coming from under the hood

With a leaking radiator, ur cooling system can not build up pressure, & so will continue to leak more & more. It may be safe to drive it on short trips, but if u keep on driving it, the car will eventually overheat & serious engine damage will occur. You will have to get a new radiator. They r not that hard to put in, & most anyone with some mechanical ability can change one out. I've done one in the school parking lot before.but that was on a 99 accord, maybe it is different.

the leak u describe is very common on the accords of that period. The radiator uses a plastic tank at the top that is pressed onto a rubber gasket then crimped on to the metal radiator. eventually the rubber gasket starts to leak. unfortunately the radiator has to be replaced as the tank will be broken when u try to remove it.

the good news is that the only time u will see a leak is when the water is turning to steam & leaking out of the gasket. it wo not rupture to the point of pouring coolant all over the place & leave u stranded. So as long as u remember to check the coolant level & add to the coolant tank before u start off for the day the chances r u can drive for years with no problems.

particularly as we r coming into the winter months u wo not have to worry about overheating as long as the coolant jug level is maintained.

if & when u start to see water come out instead of just steam its time to get the radiator replaced but that will be some time down the road.

hope that helps

bottom line is replace the radiator. do you want to worry about this every day? You can get a radiator for about 120-150 bucks and about one hour to change it. No more worry.

l got a koyo with lifetime warranty from these people.they have local distributors all over the country.. best price too.. call them and replace it yourself l did it myself and it was not hard.use a haynes manual if needed from autozone for about 15 bucks..bleed the air too. 1-866-283-7657