alex52e

I just bought this car knowing it had a crack in the upper radiator tank. I fixed the crack and the next day the radiator blew. I did not notice it overheating before the radiator blew. I stopped at a light and saw steam from the hood. I opened it up and saw coolant streaming out the top seam of the radiator. There was a big crack in the plastic top tank of the radiator. I replaced the radiator and thermostat and bled the system. As I waited for the engine to warm up, I noticed that the fan wasn't turning on. If I turn on the A/C, both fans come on, but turn off again as soon as I turn the A/C off. I let it cool down and then drove it around. The temp will get almost to the red (I haven't let it get any higher than that.) It goes up and down like the thermostat is opening, but it still gets too hot. The fan has come on once or twice without the A/C on, but it will almost be in the red before that happens and it doesn't always come on. The fan does come on and stay on until cooled down when I turn the car off. Any ideas??

BLKFLSH

I'm wondering if you bleed the cooling system correctly (still has air in the system). The bleed bolt should be removed before pouring the coolant in. I have a link below. It may help you. Good luck.

http://techauto.te.funpic.org/overheating.php

alex52e

I bled the system again. I had forgotten to turn the heat on. The fan still never came on. I shut it down when the temp gage got to a little over 3/4. I was seeing bubbles in the radiator at times. I wasn't sure if it was air in the system or if it was created by the coolant "bouncing" up and down in the radiator.

Should I just let it run until the bubbling stops? If so, I guess I would need to turn the fan on using the A/C if it gets too hot.

I also noticed that the lower radiator hose was almost cool as opposed to the top which got real hot before I shut it down. From this, I assume the new thermostat I just installed is bad.

FIDIRO

You stated you installed a new thermostat. Did you possibly put it in backwards if that is possible. I have not changed mine on my 92 so I don't know if it will actually fit in backwards without realizing it. Just a thought

good luck

alex52e

No, it is in the right way. It had been many years since I put one in so I made sure to check it out.

BLKFLSH

Bubbleing doesn't sound good (could be blown head gasket). Does smoke come out of the exhaust?

If the bottom hose is not getting at least warm, either the thermostat is bad, or the system is seriously clogged up. Hope it turns out to be something simple. Good luck

Meatweasel

You could have a faulty fan switch. It's located in the thermostat housing. I think it is green in color. You should also do a cylinder leak down test to see if the head gasket is blown. A radiator pressure test won't always show a head gasket leak

HondaWrench

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Meatweasel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You could have a faulty fan switch... </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't think so. The OP noticed that the lower radiator hose was almost cool as opposed to the top which got real hot. In this case the fan switch will not operate in this kind of temperature.

alex52e

Well, I went and bought a new thermostat from Honda this afternoon. I put it in this evening, bled the system and waited for the fan to come on. After what seemed like forever, the thermostat was obviously working, the fan came on. I drove it around for about 20 minutes and everything was fine. The temp gage stayed rock steady at the middle of the normal range.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.