jasonw

My car has been overheating. I have just replaced the following items:

Radiator cap
Hoses (old top hose burst)
Fan switch(on t-stat housing)
Thermostat
Coolant (Made sure to top off radiator after cooling down car)

The radiator fan will not come on unless I turn on the AC or short the plug that goes to the fan switch. Otherwise, temp gauge will go all the way to red without the fan coming on(turning on the heater helps with cooling). The bottom hose still does not seem to be getting hot either, so I am wondering if the t-stat is still not opening.

The oil seems clean - no white stuff. And the exhaust is not smoking.

The car actually does fine if the weather is cool and I don't drive it hard or up hills. But summer is here and I do plan to be driving up mountains in the heat!

Any more ideas? Could a bad water pump be causing these problems?

I guess I could try just removing the t-stat as a diagnostic...

jasonw

ttt

Bignel00

make sure you didnt put the t-stat in backwards , and also check your fan relay , also make sure that the radiator is actually top off all the way , let the car idle for a little then turn it off , take the cap off slowly( might have a air bubble stuck) then add if needed.

jasonw

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bignel00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make sure you didnt put the t-stat in backwards</TD></TR></TABLE>

Done.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bignel00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and also check your fan relay</TD></TR></TABLE>

I swapped the two relays in the fuse box and the heater still works...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bignel00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">also make sure that the radiator is actually top off all the way , let the car idle for a little then turn it off , take the cap off slowly( might have a air bubble stuck) then add if needed.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm going to jack the front up and top it off. The fan did turn on today after toping off the radiator But, the car did overheat before that. I'm hoping there is just some more air to get out.

I'm still wondering if the water pump is on the way out though...

jasonw

Well, I'm pretty sure I got the air out but the car is still overheating when I drive it hard.

What I noticed is that the radiator cap is hissing when the engine is real hot. If I push down on the cap, the hissing stops... It's a brand new cap, but I'm wondering if that's the problem...

CJR

How long has this been happening?
I just fixed mine today - fortunately mine was a lot easier (just was the relay in the fusebox under the hood).....

jasonw

It has been happening for a couple weeks now(weather has been warmer).

First problem was the busted radiator hose. I replaced both but I am wondering if they are letting air in at the ends...

How did you figure out the relay was not working?

CJR

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jasonw &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How did you figure out the relay was not working?</TD></TR></TABLE>


It was just randomly missing LOL

jasonw

Alright, I'm going to do one last attempt at getting the air out and then replace the water temp sensor. If that doesn't do it, I'll have to take it to a mechanic!

Steven.

My fan isnt turning on when stopped. The car is getting hott.
The fan does work if i turn the ignition to ON.

I guess it is the relay?

prb22786

If you can hear hissing around the radiator cap, you do not have a good pressure seal. If you buy an aftermarket cap, it might just not fit your car right and you'll have to get another one. Also, check the rubber seals on the underside of the cap if they are torn it won't seal properly.

jasonw

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by prb22786 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you can hear hissing around the radiator cap, you do not have a good pressure seal. If you buy an aftermarket cap, it might just not fit your car right and you'll have to get another one. Also, check the rubber seals on the underside of the cap if they are torn it won't seal properly.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was thinking there is just too much pressure built up from the heat and the cap is only supposed to hold 15 psi...

I think it needs a new head gasket. I know someone who will do it for $400 + parts.

Da9Gro

before you go to the conclusion of head gasket. replace that radiator cap because obviously it's not supposed to be hissing. play it safe and go with OEM. second if you have access to cooling system pressure test kit. pressurize you cooling system and see if the pressure drops. after that if you have access to a 5 gas anylizer. test for HC levels @ the radiation if above 50ppm i think it was.. you'll most likely have a blown head gasket. do your tests before you make any decisions on doing head gaskets..its pretty expensive

Da9Gro

oh and hey u live in livermore.. im pretty close probably like 30 mins away.. depending on how many pigs i pass along the way.. but i can help you

MiKeAhOwSkI

If the lower hose isn't getting hot, the Tstat is not opening. I PERSONALLY put in 2 aftermarket tstats (brand new) that didn't open before I bought an oem one for $5 more, which worked perfect. I don't know if your thermostat is oem or not but just throwin that out there

jasonw

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Da9Gro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">replace that radiator cap because obviously it's not supposed to be hissing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just put my S2000 radiator cap on the Integra and it still overheats. I think we can rule out the radiator cap.

I would like to do the hydrocarbon test, ideally without buying a kit for $50 just for one test!

jasonw

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MiKeAhOwSkI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If the lower hose isn't getting hot, the Tstat is not opening. I PERSONALLY put in 2 aftermarket tstats (brand new) that didn't open before I bought an oem one for $5 more, which worked perfect. I don't know if your thermostat is oem or not but just throwin that out there </TD></TR></TABLE>

The lower hose gets hot now. I think there was just too much air in the system. Either that, or the one I replaced really was stuck closed.

jasonw

Well, the head gasket had in fact failed. And it looks like the block had timeserts on ALL of the head studs and they are stripped. So, I'm looking for a bare 1996+ GS-R block. I think the head is OK so far.

Let me know if you know anyone with an obd2 block!