CFiannotti

1. OEM thermostat
2. Bleed the system.
3.New Mechanic.
4. Service manual

pmp

Hey, Well i bleeded the system and there was a bunch of bubbles coming out and whatever i lost i just put water in. So far everything is good now. I drove around alot yesterday and it was fine. Fan came on and went off and guage stayed the same. I might wait on the thermostat everything is working now.

motegicivic

Just keep an eye on it, esp at idle.

Did you get like one big burp of coolant?

Humphrizzle

lol. had to bleed my system again today. glad to hear it worked out.

pmp

it did it again today but didnt go up as high. what now try bleeding again or thermostat. its a spectra radiator does that mean anything. Could the radiator be defective?

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Yes. Try bleeding it again and changing out the thermostat.

Humphrizzle

this

or sell the car and use public transportation.

pmp

its not bubbles the guage went up really high today real close to the H. the fans were on too and my friend said the thermostat is good if the fan is on. So its in the shop now. Idk wat to do wit this lemon. It looks like on idle it just keeps rising with no slowdown. When i move it goes down a little.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Have them test for blown headgasket.

pmp

they said they will check everything. This radiator has to be defective it didnt do this before they changed it. They ran a test about 2 months ago and said they took the spark plugs out and checked the cylinders for water overnight. they said that was good.

pmp

i drove the car around all day and way homei problably did 50 miles today

pmp

no white smoke, no funny smell in oil or under oil cap. coolant level is good. resivor isnt overflowing. coolant is clean and smells like coolant. no leaks

pau0811

Change your thermostat to oem. Some aftermarket thermostats are defective even though theyre brand new. Your engine is heating up most likely because of a stock close thermostat. Dont mind your water pump or the speed of the fan. If a water pump is broken it should be noisy or leaking and fans of civics are not variable speed ones. And just to make sure bleed out your cooling system. Dont forget to turn on your heater when you bleed it out. This is what probably the mechanic who did your car forgot. He must have bleed out your cooling system when he changed your rad but did not turn on your heater.

pau0811

It doesnt mean that your thermostat is in good condition if your fan kicks in. There is no relation. What switches on your fan is the ect (engine coolant temperature sensor) it is located just beside the thermostat. So if u have a stock close thermostat it will read the tenperature of the coolant on the engine side rather than that of the rad side turning the fans on. Even if your fan is on it still wont be able to cool your engine down coz ur coolant isnt really circulating coz of a broken thermostat. It onle cools down a small amount of coolany which passes by the bypass hose of your cooling system.

motegicivic

If they did the radiator, have them change it under warranty, most shops back their work.

Like everyone said also change the damn thermostat to an oem 170 degree one NOT STANT

SCoupe 5sp

YOUR OEM FAILS CAUSING IT TO BE STUCK CLOSED OVER HEATING YOUR ENGINE AND CAUSING DAMAGE, SO BUY ANOTHER ONE, ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME ??

I am not on the OEM thermostat bandwagon. Why? Look into FailSafe. It specifically does not get stuck closed like oem and every other thermostat out there and damage your engine. It costs $21 and worth every penny. Its is very high quality aftermarket stat.

Autozone sells three stats. Valuecraft $7.99, Duralast $13.99 and Failsafe $20.99. Obviously, you don't buy aftermarket cheapo stats, and that is what everyone warns about. FailSafe offers you real protection. I have installed three FailSafe in family and relatives Honda's.

The list of eom replaced include one stuck closed destroyed an engine, one was in my daily driver that I caught right when the oem failed and the other was preventative maintenance only.


FailSafe, sold at Autozone and probably some others:

"Patented safeguard against overheating. When overheating occurs, Fail-Safe automatically locks in the open position to permit maximum coolant flow. Manufactured from high quality components to meet the demanding conditions of the automotive cooling system. Manufactured with OEM specifications and processes. Copper case and wax compound assures rapid response to temperature changes in the coolant. Offset design, air relief valve, and OEM style seals included where applicable.
Helps protect your engine from overheating
Allows coolant to flow in conditions a normal thermostat would fail
High grade stainless steel and copper construction
Meets or exceeds OEM standards
Consistent and precise response to cooling system needs
100% tested and calibrated"

motegicivic

Google failsafe, I have read problems with them.

The OP did not use OEM he used an aftermarket brand at 195 degrees by the way, that is why everyone is telling him to change it, at least to 170 degrees, which is the oem temp.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Just did. Looks like they have issues as well. Maybe not so "fail-safe". I'll stick to OEM thank you.

motegicivic

This is not rocket science, you have a temp gauge for the most part they work, when it starts climbing shut the car down, it has saved me many times. I am not saying the temp gauge is fool proof, but for the most part it works.

SCoupe 5sp

ok, ok, these are wear items, none are perfect. And I'm not being a *****, but I google failsafe and see JEEP Wrangler and Chevy forum posts from five years ago saying they think it stuck open. bfd, they still have a motor, got home and did not blow a head gasket. They're worried the engine is not at high enough temp. I am not finding Failsafe failure overheat engine issues.

We all agree that OEM is known to fail and get stuck closed destroying engines. Failsafe fails and gets stuck open. Can live with that.

Tim1982

Sounds like air in the system to me.

supermoto

Temp guage or what? If temp guage, what's the DIY fix and what's the difficulty level on a scale of one to ten? Note: Top radiator hose temps at 170 F or lower and both fans kick on and off properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roKGa1NguUw

motegicivic

What car is that, 99 accord?

Is the car running or just key on?

If they are like civic's under the distributor there should be a sending unit to the gauge you can test. 1 wire for civic for accords I am not sure.

supermoto

Yep, a 99' Accord Coupe LXV6. Engine on and fans kicking on and off in the video. Top radiator hose at 170 F or lower. Engine temped the same or lower in some spots.

Fixed it today, I think. Replaced the coolant temperature sensor with an auto parts store coolant temperature sensor. The temp guage is operating properly now. Again, so far, so good... will give it a week and then post back to confirm.

pmp

Hello, I have this ongoing problem and I dont know what to do and im sick of it already. The cooling system is flucuating and if I let the car sit and idle the fan comes on normally. If i take it for like a 20 minute drive then get to a light or a drive thru the temperature guage rises until a certain temp. (I brang it to a shop and they said it was the fan switch so i changed it and i still have the same problem. They also said the fan isnt coming on till 260. I also have a 1-3 minute video of me parked and what the guage does and where in the guage the fan turns on. What else could it be???