hls90

Hello again h-t. Seeking your all knowing honda wisdom as usual. The car is a 97 accord ex (f22b1)

Heres the deal.
Neither fan comes on, even after letting the engine run for a while.

Heres what I can tell you.
Both fans work properly. They come on with the ac turned on.
Fuses all seem good.
Temperature gauge on the cluster never really makes it to half way. It sits about half way, maybe little more than half way between the cold line and the middle line. is this a concern?
Upper rad hose is hot while bottom house is not.. Would this be a thermostat issue?
I jumped the switch on the thermostat housing(I think its it's called the coolant temp switch a) with a wire and both fans came on.
The temp gauge still never moved on the cluster.

Would the switch likely be a culprit or is the thermostat more likely to be closed? Or am I just missing something here? the switch seems to have some build up around the threads..
I attempted to remove the switch but did not have a socket to fit and couldnt comfortably use the crescent wrench without removing the air intake. Will have to wait until I have more time to putz around to get at this.

I have also not attempted to bleed the system. Ive never done it before, is it as simple as opening the bleed valve with the engine running and closing it?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

hls90

The manual is a bit vague.

It says check temp gauge but lists no conditions..
So the temp gauge didn't read higher than normal, even with the engine running..
So the next step it lists is repair cooling system with no explicit instructions.
Just a little lost here

hls90

Anyone? Lol
I ran it with the radiator cap open and kinda jiggled the hoses around, no air bubbles really came out that way. Still not sure how to properly bleed the system. The lower hose is hot now, but still nothing from the fans.
Heres a picture of where the gauge tends to sit also

celicool

Why do you think you have fan problem? You don't seem to have an over heating issue. I would be worry only if I have an overheating problem with the thermostat indicator moves past half way point and my cooling fan is not kicking on.


The bleed valve is located on the thermostat housing. Simply open it loose until you get a solid flow of coolant coming out. But, people usually perform the coolant bleeding when they have overheating problem causing the cooling fan to kick on all the times. You don't seem to have that issue.


If your vehicle is running cool all the times, then I would suspect your thermostat may be stuck open.

hls90

There have been times where the gauge will start creeping up after longer drives, but in the entire time ive owned the car, I have never heard the fans come on other than a/c

When you open the bleed valve, do you do it with the engine running or off? Cold or warmed up? It can't hurt to try it, other than the cost of replacing coolant?

The reason I ask is because I want to try to reset the idle(if you noticed in the picture, its below 500) and part of what I was told is the cooling system must have no air in it and radiator fan comes on twice to know youre warmed up

celicool

Your engine doesn't have to be running when bleeding. If you can't obtain a solid flow of coolant (w/o bubble) from the bleeder, then I would turn on the engine to force that to happen. But like I said, people only do bleeding when they have overheating problem and not underheating.


How does your heater work in the winter (say it's 32 degree outside)? Does it seem to take a long time before you feel the heat? You should feel warm air after driving for about 2-3 minutes under normal condition. If it takes a long time then your thermostat is probably stuck open. You may also have a summer thermostat (one that opens at a lower temp)


I don't pay much attention to the cooling fan on mine, but I do notice that when that fan does come on, I usually have issue with my cooling system not being working efficiently. That fan rarely kicks on even when I am driving. It probably kicks on more often after i turn the engine off. It obviously doesn't kick on in your case because you don't have an overheating problem which is a blessing if you have a deal with an engine problem. Underheating doesn't kill your engine, but overheating does.


Does it always idle that low? How long have you own the car? mileage? tune-up record?

hls90

Thanks for the information. I hit a deer with the car a while ago so it's been parked, and i don't remember how long it took to warm in winter.

It has always idled low since I've had it. The whole car vibrates at a dead stop. Just a little under 205,000 miles. Ive changed the spark plugs and put a catback exhaust. And changed the front motor mount. thats about it for the engine other than routine oil changes. Going to put a power steering pump on tomorrow hopefully but other than that, it still runs good. Leaks a bit of oil, not sure exactly where it leaks from but I never have to add much between changes. You dont think the temp is anything to worry about so I will try to put it out of mind til I get it back to road worthy condition and actually drive it

celicool

Ok, I have a better picture of the car now.
No, yours should be fine. I actually wish mine would run cool like that.


Have you ever cleaned out your EGR Chamber? That could be the cause of your low idle speed. This generation of Accord (1994-1997) does have serious problem with clogging EGR chamber which would drop your idle speed then cause the engine warning light to come on then goes away by itself after a while (because the ECU would learn to bypass it after awhile). I bet, yours (if never cleaned before) is completely blocked. I clean out mine every 90K miles or so.


Also, a going bad sparkplug wire set would also show the same symtom.


Anyway, clean out your EGR chamber first. That should help big time with your idle speed. See it here.

hls90

Hey thanks a lot. Before the battery died, I would have an on and off code that I diagnosed (by jumping the 2 pin connector by the glove box) as egr something.. So that definitely makes sense to me. Didnt know how to clean it though. Ill have to watch the video later. Thanks again for the help. Ive also heard in the automatics, there is a vacuum assisted motor mount in the rear that could cause the car to idle rough? How can I check for vacuum leaks? Ive sprayed starting fluid around a few things but no noticable variations in idle.
Ill keep you updated as I get more work done on the accord!

LeeMajors19082

Try swapping out the condensor fan relay. The one one the front driver's side of the car, at the end of the radiator, sort of behind the headlight there. It could've been damaged when you hit the deer or it could just be on it's way out? But they're pretty cheap, especially at the you-pull-it, and definitely worth a shot. I had a similar issue, but with the compressor clutch relay, took me forever to track down the cause but once I put in the new one... problem solved!

hls90

That is pretty much exactly where I hit the deer. Ill take a look tomorrow. Thanks a lot. I was just at the u pull today haha I should have known prior!

poorman212

Just me but I think you are trying to fix something that is not broke?

Start the car, open the hood and let the thing sit there an idle with the AC off. Keep an eye on the temp gauge. After about 20~30 minutes of sitting there, does the temp needle stay at the same place, do the cooling fans cycle?

Why would you think one relay for one fan would keep BOTH fans from working.......plus you jumped the thermo switch on the t-start housing with the key on and BOTH fans came on

Next, you are reading your tach wrong. The marks read like this. 0, 500, 750, 1000. So in your pic you are just under 750.

hls90

Haha I never realized that. Now I feel pretty foolish! I just thought it was odd for the fans to never come on. Thanks everyone I really appreciate the input.

celicool

I never thought there were anything wrong with your fan. But, you should still need to check & clean out EGR chamber.

PsXtreme

I have the same car as you except mine is the 96, I thought my fans were busted too, but my temp gauge looks exactly like yours and I too never heard my fans kick on until recently because its over 90 degrees outside. My temp gauge has creeped up a few times, but thats because I have a coolant leak with my lower radiator hose. Make sure to check your fluid periodically, but other then that your car sounds like it is functioning normal. Also, as long as you are driving over 45mph the fans will never kick on, because the air is moving fast enough through the radiator.