mikestang89

Alright well I recently purchased my first honda, a 1995 Del Sol S.
Great little car however I just had the first problem pop up. The temp gauge barely moves off the C the highest it will get is just above the first line. If I let the car sit and idle it will heat up enough for the fan to cut on but the temp gauge still reads very cold. Is it the temp sensor on the thermostat housing or is it the temp sensor under the distributor?

Any help would be greatly appreciated I would really like to know what temp my car is running around haha.

Former User

Sounds more like a stuck open thermostat to me.

mikestang89

Even though while idling for an extended amount of time the temp gauge barely moves? Doesnt the fan kick on at a certain temp?

Former User

If the thermostat is stuck open, the engine will struggle to reach normal operating temperature.

mikestang89

Alright that makes sense however it still does not make sense to me as to why the fan is cutting on even with the temp so low.

Former User

The 1-wire temp sending unit is located below the distributor. Unplug it and use a jumper wire to ground the wire to the engine. When you turn the key to ON(II), does the needle on the temp gauge now rise to hot?

mikestang89

Alright i'll check that tomorrow after work, so your saying if it goes to hot its probably the thermostat if not sending unit or gauge cluster?

Former User

I missed the fact that the fan turns on when the engine idles. My guess now is that either the gauge needle WILL NOT rise to HOT, suggesting a bad gauge, or that it WILL rise to HOT, suggesting a bad sending unit. If you get the latter result, I'd first recommend that you bleed the cooling system to ensure that a trapped air bubble is not causing the problem.

mikestang89

Well I grounded that wire and the temp gauge itself is working so now it is down to air bubble, thermostat, and finally sending unit. Im about to bleed the cooling system so im hoping for the best.

rizzuto

i think its just that way because my 93 del sol is the same way

Former User

Bleeding the cooling system may take 20-30 minutes:

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):

mikestang89

I dont have that bleed bolt? I just let it idle throught a few fan cycles with the radiator cap off till the bubbles stopped massaging the hoses a little. After bleeding the cooling system still no luck with the gauge so I headed to the parts store and picked up a temperature sending unit and BINGO problem solved thank you for the help!!

Former User

You should find the bleed bolt where the upper radiator hose attaches to the engine.

mikestang89

Yea I just went and looked and I dont see one.

Sonia's Driver

Where does the temperature gauge now point when the engine is at normal operating temperature?