overheating engine revs? what in the world is wrong?

[dalinxz]

Ok let me begin the story by saying I've changed alot on the car and it still does this, when the engine is hot or is sitting in idle for too long in traffic it will start revving higher on the RPM so instead of it remaining at 800 or so it jumps to 1100 - 1300 then if i tap it to make it go down it just raises and keeps going up to almost 2000 during this whole time the car feels like it juts wants to go if i take my foot off the brakes it creeps ahead alot faster.

Now I feel that the problem is that it's overheating, so I have changed the radiator, took out my AC also :bong: stupid me since there was really no need because the system had been converted to R134 before i bought the car so with some freon it would have been good to go. I thought the condensor was holding the flow of air or blocking it and i accidentally broke one of the lines to the storage tank oh well i removed it and now including the compressor and hoses and changed the radiator, thermostat, distributor, spark plugs, wires, coil etc. the wires, plugs etc. cant be blamed since its been over a year since i changed that.

Now as for the temperature guage, before i changed the radiator it would always get about halfway and never move above or below that now that I changed the radiator it has always stayed a bit under halfway but hovered around there, now I know the thermostat is working the hose gets hot and I know its opening, I know theres no clog because I flushed the system and also inserted a power washer and flushed the head with water and it seemed to be fine; dont worry engine was cold when I worked on it. The fans also turn on so that can also be ruled out.

My only resolution to fix it is to drive it and after about 30 seconds the air seems to cool it down well enough and the idle returns to normal( cough, by normal i mean the shaking 800 lol) but in any case either that or turn off the car and wait for it to cool down abit which is not practical in traffic. I'm also in Toronto well in the suburbs above it but either way traffic is just as bad here if not worse so yes I need a fix lol. Im getting a 95 Accord EXR too soon but will be keeping the 3gee, can't part it so I decided to keep it and let my sister use it but I want to fix this especially.

I did some research and I just read about thermovalves which I have no idea what and where they are or if it even possibly is this.

Ok now enough of my bantering on now on for the experts advice. Thanks again =)

EDIT: Sorry guys forgot to mention it is a carb, I bled the system thoroughly and trust me on that.

[russiankid]

Is this carb or EFI? Also when you chnaged your radiator did you bleed the system for air? That can cause overheating. I am not sure on the idle problem, this is the first time i hear of this so can't help there.

[Blkblurr]

Is it carbed or fuel injected?

[dalinxz]

Its carbed sorry forgot to mention

[87lxiaccord]

If you're low on coolant it can give a bad idle also.

[dalinxz]

coolant is full, reservoir is halfway to full and I've added more coolant to no avail. Could it be the thermovalves? If so what are they and where are they and what do they do?

[88Accord-DX]

What I did, which some people don't think is right. I YANKED the thermostat out during the SUMMER TIME, & put it back in during winter. My car runs a little cool for a while, but it is better than running too HOT for a while & more problems with head gaskets blowing & head warping.

[dalinxz]

well the thermostat is working properly and as I said it doesnt overheat until a while after meaning that the car has to be driving for a while and then as I'm sitting in traffic for a few minutes you can rule out the Thermostat right away because it's working fine I changed it and put in another one, the thermostat always worked the old one's gasket had a lot of rips throughout the gasket in any case they were both working so that's ruled out what else could it be?

[88Accord-DX]

I have had the exact same problem with my carbed Accord. I replaced everything; water pump, radiator, thermosensor, even have a rebuilt engine. I could have scratched my head untill I lost all my hair. So, after bleeding air out & every trick, the thermostat had to come out. To this day, I have had not one problem of my car getting hot again. I don't know what is up with these old ass cars, but all I know is that it does my car good. The idle thing has more to do with the thermovalve on the back of the intake. I done my own thing with problem too.

[dalinxz]

ddude2uc explain, I might try the thermostat thing but does anyone have another solution something with a little more permanent but ddude2uc your on the right path =) hope to see more replies. By the way this is the symptom of overheating right.

[Oldblueaccord]

Well on my FI accord the throttle cable was to tight and made the idle high hot days in traffic. I could pull the gas pedal back with my foot and it idle normal. Took and old but good Honda mechanic to fix it for me I suffered with it for years.


wp

[dalinxz]

ya no luck with that its carb and pulling the pedal doesnt make a difference, pushing it just gets the idle to move higher and stay higher under 2000.

[dalinxz]

so it happened again today I'm guessing that the overheating is the culprit. I haven't taken the T-Stat yet so I may try that if no suggestions roll in. I was also thinking could it be the tranny oil which needs a change?

[Strugglebucket]

what year is your car? when your idle drops down to normal is it all of a sudden?

i had a similar problem with my '88dx and i think it was a problem with frequency solenoid C. i think it's blue and on the passenger side of the engine bay. i disconnected it from the carb and the problem went away but i lost my fast idle. i can't remember the # of the vac hose i disconnected but i had to take the top hat off to get to it. i might have been #14? or #24? sorry, it was a long time ago.

[labeledsk8r]

i dont know if this works on the accord for sure so somsone chime in but you should be able to doa quick test, let the car get up to its normal temp, as soon as its on normal touch (carefully) the uper radiator hose, it should be much cooler then normal due to the thermosat not letting coolent flow, its a quick check, its allways better to open it up and check for sure but yeah, good luck

[dalinxz]

the thermostat is fine coolant flows once opened, by the way its quite a coincidence strugglebucket mine is an 88 DX, spooky but ya I dont know. It only happens when its really hot outside plus with all the smog in toronto the humidity gets bad so its probably a worse cause but thats the only time it happens. by the way strugglebucket did you plug the hole and disconnect the line?

[LX-incredible]

Are the fans coming on before it overheats or after? If before I would look at the thermostat and then the water pump.

[dalinxz]

I dont know all I know is it comes on, is it possible it's not coming on enough or at the right time and if so then how can I adjust it to turn on quicker.

[LX-incredible]

I dont know all I know is it comes on, is it possible it's not coming on enough or at the right time and if so then how can I adjust it to turn on quicker.
There is no adjustment, if it isn't within range, the sensor needs to be replaced.

[dalinxz]

if that's the sensor on the radiator I've checked that it's fine there was alot of calcium buildup when I changed the radiator and I had two OEM ones and they were both good so that can be ruled out.

[LX-incredible]

If you haven't replaced the thermostat recently, now would be the time. It is common practice to replace every few years. Just because it feels hot on both sides doesn't mean it's working properly. They can open 1/2, 1/4 or less of the way, both sides will still be hot. Replace with dealer parts, it's like $10 for the thermostat and the gasket. If you still have problems, check the water pump. The fins can corrode off due to improper cooling system maintenance.

[dalinxz]

$10, try $26.xx for the T-stat and like another $12 for the gasket like $38.xx total from Honda dealers in Canada maybe they were talking shit but in any case I did change it and it is working for sure, twice to be sure original one was still good surprising since it was original and the gasket had lines on it everywhere but still worked well. I'm going to be doing the water pump and timing belt soon but am very unsure about it making a difference. Flow seems good if I open the bleeder more than 30 degrees the liquid flows and escapes extremely quickly cause me to get water in the cap so changed the entire distributor works like before but still have the overheating issue.

[LX-incredible]

$10, try $26.xx for the T-stat and like another $12 for the gasket like $38.xx total from Honda dealers in Canada
Sorry, forgot you were in canada. Are you loosing coolant? Have you checked oil for coolant and coolant for oil?

[2oodoor]

I wouldnt take out the thermostat. It serves to keep the engine at it's intended operating temp, takeing it out would not let the oil heat up and cause it to start sludging, also the thermostat keeps the coolant from going thru the radiator too quickley as to give it time to cool off. Not to dismiss ddude2uc suggestion, that would work in some intances, and depends on your climate as well, but I would not do it. It could add to your problem by not letting the thermovalves read warm temps and make the car run rich all the time.
YOu can either buy a thermostat that has a relief bypass valve built in on the side, OR you can very carefully drill a 3/16 hole in the flat body part of it. Do not distort, bend the body of the thermst and do not touch the copper thing no more than possible when you handle it.
I am confused about your problem, is the car overheating or do you just think it is. From you first post I suspected you possible could be barking up the wrong tree. These carbs have several controls that could cause your problem, but try this, remove your electric choke and fast idle pulloff, tie back the linkage going to the choke blade so it stays open. These carbs have a seperate fast idle pull off from the choke pull off, it can make the car idle high even when it is warmed up. Or just wait till the car is acting up and go under there and manually pull back the fast idle acuator, also make sure your secondary diaphragn isnt holding the secondary thorttle open a little at idle.

[Strugglebucket]

the thermostat is fine coolant flows once opened, by the way its quite a coincidence strugglebucket mine is an 88 DX, spooky but ya I dont know. It only happens when its really hot outside plus with all the smog in toronto the humidity gets bad so its probably a worse cause but thats the only time it happens. by the way strugglebucket did you plug the hole and disconnect the line?
yes. and plugged the line, i think.

if you don't get it figured out i can take a look and see what i did. my dx has been sitting for about a year now.

[dalinxz]

cool why is it sitting? but ya I'd appreciate a look at it. Too bad all of you guys are mostly in CA how is it there, I plan to move there after college.

[Strugglebucket]

tags and insurance are expired so i can't drive it. plus i think there's a wasp's nest somewhere so i'm kind of afraid to open the doors.

CA is pretty varied. micro-climates and micro-communities. a little bit of everything both good and bad. a lot of people and a lot of money...and the types of things that accompany the combination of the two.

oh, the weather's nice.

[Strugglebucket]

alright, it was frequency solenoid C that i was having the problem with. i think it's only used on auto trannys but i'm not sure. i'm kinda lost with the carb versions of these engines.

what i did was unplug vac hose #20 from the throttle controller (diaphram-looking thing with a shaft running to the throttle). you will see a pair of #20 lines running parallel to eachother, one goes to the throttle controller, one goes the metal line with the white plastic "20" on it. disconnect the one from the throttle controller and plug it (the line, not the controller). then on the metal lines nearby you should see one with a white tab labeled "6". it should be capped already. uncap it and run a short piece of vac hose from it to the throttle controller.

this will work as a quick fix if a failing frequency solenoid C is your problem. i don't think your cold idle will work without it so you'll have to use your foot to raise the revs when warming it up. or you could replace the solenoid. if you grab one from a junkyard i'd say there's a 50% chance of it working.

[dalinxz]

I have a parts car that I could grab the solenoid off of any chance you can get a picture of the solenoid for me anyone for that matter. really appreciate the help strugglebucket, ddudec2 you should look into it too, that thermostat thing is really bad my uncle was telling me that without it your car will run more rich and cause you to waste fuel , also he said the coolant might not be able to ever cool down efficiently since the flow will be so fast. also the engine will take extremely long to warm up, he said its really only a temporary fix and he wouldn't recommend it

[88Accord-DX]

ddudec2 you should look into it too, that thermostat thing is really bad my uncle was telling me that without it your car will run more rich and cause you to waste fuel , also he said the coolant might not be able to ever cool down efficiently since the flow will be so fast. also the engine will take extremely long to warm up, he said its really only a temporary fix and he wouldn't recommend it
I'm good. My car don't take real long to warm up on these hot summer days. When I do go to put it back in, towards fall season. I'll probably drill a hole in it at 12' o'clock. So air don't get stuck in it. I get pretty decent gas milage as it is, it might run a little rich for a little.
I'm done messing with vacuum lines. I got my idle right where it needs to be, it took me hours to do. Anyhow, good luck with yours. Looking forward to my ASE license this week. Master license hopefully in Nov. pencil testing.

[Strugglebucket]

ok, hope you can tell where it is from this. passenger side of engine bay, facing towards distributor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/luby555/switch002.jpg
i hope you're happy, i went out in the dark of night to take this. it was freezing, like 60 degrees or so. with a slight breeze.
slight i tell you!