My 93 Accord takes forever to warm up. The temp guage stays on cold. The heater works but does't get as warm as it should.
I had this problem before with another car and it was low on radiator fluid. I thought it might be low on radiator fluid but it was full.
Can anyone give me any ideas?
Thanks!

 

you probably have either a broken thermostat or a thermostat that is the wrong temperature for your car. It is likely that when it is cold, your thermostat is always in the open position, therefore keeping your engine cool and making it impossible for it to ever warm up.

 

It is a stock sensor. I will check it and replace it. Thanks!

 

what sensor would cause it to never warm up?

 

it's probably a thermostat....im having the same problem right now...im gonna get it fixed in a couple of days here...its pretty easy....plus the thermostat is pretty cheap....if you are a DIY'er i recommend it...they charge an arm and a leg to do it for u

 

Is the thermostat designed to stuck on open when it goes bad? because I noticed that problem on my car when I drove from South Carolina to Virginia this weekend. It was warm up before I left home, but as soon as i touched the highway, my temperature guage stayed on cold the entire lenght of the journey.

Do I need to drain my radiator fluid to change the thermostat?

Does this cause any problems by it not staying warm?

 

Anyone worked on it lately...It's easy to put t-stats in backwards.

 

my mechanic recently changed my thermostat in November. Is it a easy check to see if it is backwards? do i need to drain the coolant to check this?

 

You'll have to drain some coolant...then pull the stat case. I have to stop and think.....the spring should be on the block side. Ask your mechanic ?

 

Draining the coolant from the radiator in not necessary: that coolant level is below the thermostat. You will spill some collant when you remove the thermostat housing. The thermostat should be installed with the rounded or pointed end away from the block (spring toward the block) and the little loose pin that pierces the base of the thermostat should be up (toward the sky). The thermostat comes with a rubber gasket into which you insert the t-stat. Make sure that the curved section of that gasket goes around the pin. Then, there are rubber protrusions on that gasket which will make it fit properly (and only one way) into the housing.

 

I don't think they're specifically designed to fail open. Just lucky.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by profroopchan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my mechanic recently changed my thermostat in November. Is it a easy check to see if it is backwards? do i need to drain the coolant to check this? </TD></TR></TABLE>On my '95 Integra & '98 Accord, they won't fit into the housing if you try to put it in backwards. I guess it would be the same for you '94 Accord??

The gasket has a slit around the inside. It fits over the edge of the t-stat flange, so it seals both sides. Get this wrong, & maybe it won't let the t-stat close completely.

If you don't drain the coolant, it'll gush out when you open the t-stat housing. Maybe that bothers you, maybe not??

 

I would say it is most likely a faulty thermostat. It is a simply job that a true novice could do.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by -RedneckDave- &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would say it is most likely a faulty thermostat. It is a simply job that a true novice could do.</TD></TR></TABLE>




the T-stat broke in the open position.

 

Would the coolant need to flow in order for the heat to work in the car? i was wondering this, since it would make sense for the coolant to flow, hence the engine wouldnt get warm when the cold air is blowing on it. just a random thought. please enlighten me as to how the heater works in the car please?

 

The coolant is always flowing thru the engine, as long as the waterpump isn't broken. It's flowing thru all those smaller hoses in the back, too; like FITV & heater hoses. What the thermostat does, is it shuts OFF the coolant from flowing thru the radiator. It doesn't shut it off from flowing everywhere else.

 

oh, okay, so where is the heater in the car? where does the car collect the heat from?

 

Your thermostat is stuck open. Replace.

 

they do sell fail safe therm. in Canada anyway. change the them. and may be before that check on the firewall there is a little gismo that contorls your heater for hot & cold it has a black coverd wire that goes to your switch on the control for hot & cold the wire has a round end on it which hooks over a plastic pin on the control it should be up for heat & down for cold it could be unhooked.If on change the therm. not that hard....

 

I mean, the heater in the car works, the only way i know the thermostat was not working is because the temperature guage goes on cold whenever i drive on the highway. could it still be that little gismo?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by profroopchan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh, okay, so where is the heater in the car? where does the car collect the heat from?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The heat comes from the heater core, which looks like a little radiator, the coolant flows through that and heats up the fins, then the fan blows the heat into your car.

Unless the thermostat is stuck open, then the coolant never gets warm enough heat the interior..

 

i dont understad what u mean. will the car not get hot?

 

The car must build up heat and keep it almost half way on your gauge in order for your heater core to get the proper amount of hot water in it.it also helps your fuel mileage if your car is running warmer. soooo check or change the T-Stat

 

do you think i could open the thermostat and just give it a bump to unstick it? since i only bought it from honda in november?

 

If that works, it'll probably stick again in a couple weeks anyway. Is there a warranty on parts??

 

Thanks for the post... my '93 is having the same problem, and I really just hadn't thought about it until I saw the post. Anyway, I'm going to replace my thermostat by the end of the week... I'll let you know how it goes.

As far as trying to "unstick" the thermostat, it's not worth it. A new thermostat seems to be about $15 at any local auto part store (probably $25 or so from a dealer).

If any of you can confirm this for me... I believe the '93 Accord uses a 195 degree thermostat. Is this correct?