boots420

okay so i thought i had finally solved this problem. but i just got hot on me again today. i have replace the thermo, thermo switch, fan switch and hoses. water pump is fairly new. so in short i have replaced most of the parts involved with the cooling system.

i have verified the fan working by jumping the switch and fan comes on. although something is def up with the fan. once it warms up to temp it will come on by itself, but for only about 20-30 sec. then goes off. when i turn the ac on, no rad fan, only condensor fan. could the ect be the cause of this.

or does anyone have any ideas?

Archidictus

Under what condition does your temperature rise? Are you driving or at a stop or what? It could be a head gasket. Have you done a compression check or coolant system leakdown test?

Get back to us with more info.

boots420

the temp will raise while driving. but i drive the car daily and this does not happen often. this seems to be an intermittent problem, or only happens when the car is driven over long distances. i have not done a compression check, nor a leakdown test.

but i did just notice that the overflow tank doesnt seem to have a proper seal, the plastic on the threads seems to be a bit warn and out of shape.

question though...... shouldnt both radiator/condensor fans come on when the ac is turned on?

red96civicex

iTrader: (3)

yeah they should, sometimes it could be your actual radiator cap...they go bad after a long time, i know because this happened to me, you should try that also

stock_honda_coupe

Or your radiator is clogged and not flowing cool coolant properly.

boots420

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by red96civicex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah they should, sometimes it could be your actual radiator cap...they go bad after a long time, i know because this happened to me, you should try that also</TD></TR></TABLE>

the radiator cap is fairly new.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stock_honda_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Or your radiator is clogged and not flowing cool coolant properly.</TD></TR></TABLE>

the rad is also fairly new. maybe a year old.

stock_honda_coupe

So the coolant is new also? It don't look thick or like it could plug something up? Theres nothing keeping wind from traveling through the radiator is there? The fan runs the whole time while its overheating right?

95ProjectEJ1

iTrader: (5)

It seems like you have covered much of the causes of overheating. Have you looked inside the overflow tank? Spy anything black in color, like a film?

boots420

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stock_honda_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So the coolant is new also? It don't look thick or like it could plug something up? Theres nothing keeping wind from traveling through the radiator is there? The fan runs the whole time while its overheating right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

the coolant is new. no oil mixed in with coolant, or vice versa. radiator is clear of debri. but no the fan does not run while its over heating.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stock_honda_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So the coolant is new also? It don't look thick or like it could plug something up? Theres nothing keeping wind from traveling through the radiator is there? The fan runs the whole time while its overheating right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

as far as overflow tank goes, its clean. although i do believe it does not hols pressure and needs to be replaced.

i believe i am having an issue with the fan not turning on. when i turn the ac on the rad fan does not come on. another observation i made was that, when i turn the car off the fan does not come on. but when i turn the key into the acc position it will run for a min or two and then turn off. something is not allowing the fan to kick on. i have replaced most of the colling system parts. the only thing i havent replaced is the ect which is located at the back of the block under the intake mani correct?

philosofy1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by boots420 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
i believe i am having an issue with the fan not turning on. when i turn the ac on the rad fan does not come on. another observation i made was that, when i turn the car off the fan does not come on. but when i turn the key into the acc position it will run for a min or two and then turn off. something is not allowing the fan to kick on. i have replaced most of the colling system parts. the only thing i havent replaced is the ect which is located at the back of the block under the intake mani correct?</TD></TR></TABLE>

ok, the radiator fan and the condensor fan are seperate. if the a/c is on, the radiator fan will not turn on.

i've noticed in all your post you didn't mention that you burbed the system. well, have you burbed the system?

boots420

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philosofy1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

ok, the radiator fan and the condensor fan are seperate. if the a/c is on, the radiator fan will not turn on.

i've noticed in all your post you didn't mention that you burbed the system. well, have you burbed the system?</TD></TR></TABLE>

hmnnn. i havent burped the system recently. i will do that today. but whats weird is it only overheats when the car is taken over a long distance. could it really be a head gasket?

philosofy1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by boots420 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

hmnnn. i havent burped the system recently. i will do that today. but whats weird is it only overheats when the car is taken over a long distance. could it really be a head gasket?</TD></TR></TABLE>

sounds like you have replaced alot of parts. when the system is opened, air is sucked in. now you can add all the coolant you want, but if the trapped air is not release the car will still overheat, especially over long distances.

if you do not know how to burb it, it's quite simple. let the car cool, open the radiator cap, start the car, add coolant until it is topped off, close cap off, drive car and be happy!

now, not to say that your gasket might be bad, but there are usually sighns when they are. oil in coolant or burning oil and/or coolant. lets start with the easiest and the obvious first (burbing the system).

boots420

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philosofy1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

sounds like you have replaced alot of parts. when the system is opened, air is sucked in. now you can add all the coolant you want, but if the trapped air is not release the car will still overheat, especially over long distances.

if you do not know how to burb it, it's quite simple. let the car cool, open the radiator cap, start the car, add coolant until it is topped off, close cap off, drive car and be happy!

now, not to say that your gasket might be bad, but there are usually sighns when they are. oil in coolant or burning oil and/or coolant. lets start with the easiest and the obvious first (burbing the system).</TD></TR></TABLE>

hmnn. when you meant burp it i thought you meant topping off, and turning the bleeder screw until no more air comes out.
but i will try the above and get back to you.........

DCSportEJ1Civic

as i said before. id replace the rad cap and check the heater core. it sounds like youve done almost everthing else. what exactly is the car doing? is the temp gauge shooting up? is it getting so hot the engine shuts off? is the coolant filling or spewing into the overflow tank. it would be a lot easier if you would describe the cars symptoms more specifically.

boots420

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DCSportEJ1Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">as i said before. id replace the rad cap and check the heater core. it sounds like youve done almost everthing else. what exactly is the car doing? is the temp gauge shooting up? is it getting so hot the engine shuts off? is the coolant filling or spewing into the overflow tank. it would be a lot easier if you would describe the cars symptoms more specifically.</TD></TR></TABLE>

the temp gauge will........after a long period of drive time 45-1hr. slowly start to go into the red. i have never ran it until it shut down. i'm not trying to blow a head gasket. if i turn the heater on it cools back down. i pull over, pop the hood, its overheating, coolant is going into the overflow tank...... yet no fan on.

what trips me out is this happens while air is constantly running through the radiator. so it should not over heat. i think the rad fan isnt coming on when it should. although that would only be an issue when at a stand still.

philosofy1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by boots420 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

hmnn. when you meant burp it i thought you meant topping off, and turning the bleeder screw until no more air comes out.
but i will try the above and get back to you.........</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, you can do that too.

DCSportEJ1Civic

every strange. id replace the cap. its meant to hold i think 14-15 psi. pressurizing the coolant raises the boiling point. for every psi i think it goes up buy like 3 degrees ur something. so its possible that you cap is not holding pressure and leaking into the overflow, and the loss in pressure is decreasing the effectiveness of the coolant all together by making it turn to steam or boil off into the overflow. and if thats true than the coolant isnt getting as hot as it normally would which would possibly make the fan not turn on. now i could be wrong but id replace the $15 cap before going any further.

stock_honda_coupe

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DCSportEJ1Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">every strange. id replace the cap. its meant to hold i think 14-15 psi. pressurizing the coolant raises the boiling point. for every psi i think it goes up buy like 3 degrees ur something. so its possible that you cap is not holding pressure and leaking into the overflow, and the loss in pressure is decreasing the effectiveness of the coolant all together by making it turn to steam or boil off into the overflow. and if thats true than the coolant isnt getting as hot as it normally would which would possibly make the fan not turn on. now i could be wrong but id replace the $15 cap before going any further.</TD></TR></TABLE>

His overflow bottle would be over full then.

Syndacate

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philosofy1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

ok, the radiator fan and the condensor fan are seperate. if the a/c is on, the radiator fan will not turn on.

i've noticed in all your post you didn't mention that you burbed the system. well, have you burbed the system?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why do people always mention this? I only see people mention this on Honda-Tech.

I have yet to see "air in the system" make a car overheat.

It's real simple, when you add the coolant, you let the car run for 10 minutes or so w/o the rad cap on and the coolant filled up to the brim - and the air will be out of the system - simple as that.

It's not the damn air in the system.



It sounds like the ECT which conveniently is the only part you haven't changed relating to the fan kicking on - give that a try.

philosofy1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Syndacate &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Why do people always mention this? I only see people mention this on Honda-Tech.

I have yet to see "air in the system" make a car overheat.

It's real simple, when you add the coolant, you let the car run for 10 minutes or so w/o the rad cap on and the coolant filled up to the brim - and the air will be out of the system - simple as that.

It's not the damn air in the system.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, lucky for you that you haven't seen this, but it's true. not sure how much you've worked on hondas, let alone have to deal with any of their coolant problems. having any type of air in the system can and will make the car overheat. it's happened to me already. i was once skeptical like yourself. i never had to do it on my previous cars until i got my honda. maybe it's a honda thing? who knows, but i will tell you this, whether you think it's a H-T thing or not, i only post of my past experiences. i'm not going to post if i don't know what the hell i'm talking about. it's just that simple!

bpkmrtoes

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philosofy1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

well, lucky for you that you haven't seen this, but it's true. not sure how much you've worked on hondas, let alone have to deal with any of their coolant problems. having any type of air in the system can and will make the car overheat. it's happened to me already. i was once skeptical like yourself. i never had to do it on my previous cars until i got my honda. maybe it's a honda thing? who knows, but i will tell you this, whether you think it's a H-T thing or not, i only post of my past experiences. i'm not going to post if i don't know what the hell i'm talking about. it's just that simple! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Air in the system can cause a car to over heat. Symptoms are usually seeing the temp gauge rise and fall.

DCSportEJ1Civic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stock_honda_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

His overflow bottle would be over full then.</TD></TR></TABLE>

maybe i miss read it. i thought he said it was filling it.