Overheating

[ahmad89]

Well yesterday after i came home from school i had to go back to meet my mom to get her to sign an early dismissal form, on the way back i noticed my temp gauge was creeping up to H, i was in the middle lane and there was heavy traffic because the stoplights on this road suck. I was stuck sitting there and it reached H by the time i started going, i was hoping it would go back down from getting airflow but it stayed up. I tried to turn into a parking lot but this retard wouldnt let me in the lane. Took me 5 min. to get in the lane, the gauge was on H for about 8min or so. When i finally got in and stopped at a parking lot, i popped the hood and all i hear is a loud hissing, the hose that leads from the radiator cap to the overflow tank was shaking and i heard the tank bubbling. I let the car cool down for awhile and tried to open the cap, i have a cap that has a lever to release the pressure before opening, when i opened it a little bit coolant, almost scalding hot coolant started spraying out everywhere. I was kicking myself for not waiting longer. I refilled with coolant and water and made it home without the gauge going past halfway.
What would cause my car to overheat like this? Im thinking its from my thermostat im going to turn it to where the pin points up and my thermostat housing is only held by 1 bolt but i havn't had a problem with the really small gap at the top.
CLIFF NOTES: Car overheated on the way home, coolant sprayed everywhere from my stupid mistake, refilled and made it home ok.

[MessyHonda]

oh man that sucks. sounds like your thermostat is not working. also next time that happen turn on the heater and set it on blast. and just open your windows cuz you are going to cook.

[ahmad89]

My heater doesnt work remember. I will check out my thermostat today but i need coolant i barely have any left in my trunk.

[88accordSF]

replace the thermostat. very cheap, like under $15

check that the fan is turning on and off... which PROBABLY wouldn't cause the temp to ping the H of the temp gauge. if the fan wasn't working, it would be likely for the temp to stay around 2/3rds up if the fan wasn't working, rather than 1/3 up like normal....

a top temp reading more points toward a faulty thermostat not opening up, and therefore not circulating coolant, causing your overheating condition

if you replace your thermostat, run the car OK for a while, and find oil in your coolant, you may have to replace your head gasket also... those sometimes get wrecked when you drive an engine way too hot (coolant pressure is so great it starts seeping thru the gasket to the oil passages, and also vice versa)

[ahmad89]

This is a new thermostat, im sure its not working properly cause its not being held in all the way or something cause theres a small gap on the part that connects to the thermostat housing, which is being held by one bolt. Im ordering another one from vanilla. I need to get coolant before i check the thermostat.

[Pico]

did you bleed the cooling system after you replaced the thermostat?

[russiankid]

did you bleed the cooling system after you replaced the thermostat?

x2

[LX-incredible]

So does the car only heat up when stopped? If so it sounds more like a fan not coming on. If not, my money would be on the thermostat. The pin on the thermostat should point up and the spring end should face the engine.
Also possible but not probable is a water pump, I have pulled a few that had the fins corroded off. With all this overheating, check your oil cap after the car sits overnight. Condensation inside the cap could mean a bad head gasket.

[ghettogeddy]

This is a new thermostat, im sure its not working properly cause its not being held in all the way or something cause theres a small gap on the part that connects to the thermostat housing, which is being held by one bolt. Im ordering another one from vanilla. I need to get coolant before i check the thermostat.

so ur buying a used thermostat and also there souldent be any gap what so ever in between the housings

[LX-incredible]

I think he is just buying the housing used.

[ahmad89]

im buying the housing like LX said i have a new thermostat and gasket installed i will drain the coolant and check the thermostat can someone show me a pic that has the pin pointing up? i cant picture this and would help a lot to get a much better idea. Also shouldnt the fan be running when your in gear and stopped? When my car overheated and after i refilled it, i put in D4 and pulled the handbrake to stop it and i looked at the fan and it wasnt spinning. I want to change both fans cause only one is working the bigger one. Looks real simple to change them.

[LX-incredible]

Here you go, sorry for the quality.

Gasket on thermostat:


Thermostat installed:

[ahmad89]

oh that pin, thx for the pics man i know what yall mean now. Today when i flush it ima fix that. Really appreciate the help everyone. Ima go drain my radiator now and fix this before it rains or gets dark.

[ahmad89]

i fixed the pin its pointing up now, i drained the radiator and poured water and let it run through. I bought a radiator flush liquid, tomorrow im going to flush it and refill and go from there.

[russiankid]

Make sure you bleed it a few times.

[ahmad89]

bleed? by unscrewing the cockscrew? im going to run water through it first then put the flush in.

[russiankid]

bleed? by unscrewing the cockscrew? im going to run water through it first then put the flush in.

There is a nut on the thermostat housing with the hole in the middle of it. You unscrew that and wait until a steady street of coolant comes out, then close it. Let the car run for a good 20 minutes, then do it again. I repeated this about 3-5 times until all the air was out of the system.

[ahmad89]

There is a nut on the thermostat housing with the hole in the middle of it. You unscrew that and wait until a steady street of coolant comes out, then close it. Let the car run for a good 20 minutes, then do it again. I repeated this about 3-5 times until all the air was out of the system.

ok i'll look into it.

[88accordSF]

its important to bleed the coolant lines after a thermostat install, because if there is an air bubble in your system, the thermostat wont necessarily work, because there may not be any part of the thermo unit contacting the coolant liquid, and therefore the valve to flow coolant won't open. and/or the fan relay won't be switched on automatically because the coolant still technically isn't flowing, according to the basic honda relay "brain"

also sounds like a defunct fan, possibly you have 2 problems together that are cooling related. easiest thing to do is get those 2 problems solved (assuming you have a good head gasket with no leaks) then move onto possible electrical relay diagnosis if the problem persists... electrical is a pain in the ass, even for the most experienced mechanic. when it comes to electrical problems, i just start replacing relays and units with fresh new off the shelf stuff. trying to fix old electrical units can drive any mechanic up the wall.

[ahmad89]

k can yall show me pics cause i dont have the manual right now im going to get it tonight, also pics would help a lot.

[Pico]

I dont have a picture but your fan relays are in the fuse box located in the engine compartment on the right side fender.
Your fan switch/sensor is located on the bottom of the radiator right next to the lower hose

[ahmad89]

i'll check out the fuses and see if theres an discoloration.

[Oldblueaccord]

I think this has been asked but are your fan/fans running? They should once the temp gets about half way or so. But really my car never gets hot enuff for the fans to come on so something is wrong like blown headgasket or bad water pump.

If it does over heat again always refill it with the engine running so the cold and hot water mix and dont shock and blow the head gasket.

wp

[88accordSF]

I think this has been asked but are your fan/fans running? They should once the temp gets about half way or so. But really my car never gets hot enuff for the fans to come on so something is wrong like blown headgasket or bad water pump.
If it does over heat again always refill it with the engine running so the cold and hot water mix and dont shock and blow the head gasket.
wp

might i suggest checking the coolant cold. make sure its to the brim of the radiator filler neck, to about an 1/8 inch under where the rubber seal of the radiator cap sits when installed
the fans should engage, period. turn on your car, let it sit where its parked, and wait till the fans turn on. if they don't ever turn on after reaching operating temp, there's a fan problem.

[russiankid]

might i suggest checking the coolant cold. make sure its to the brim of the radiator filler neck, to about an 1/8 inch under where the rubber seal of the radiator cap sits when installed
the fans should engage, period. turn on your car, let it sit where its parked, and wait till the fans turn on. if they don't ever turn on after reaching operating temp, there's a fan problem.

Also when you turn your a/c on, both fans should click on.