I just replaced the radiator 2 months ago. It was all good until last week.

It started when I only had the AC on and now I can't go more than 5 miles and the car starts heating up on me.

The radiator is not leaking and all fans seem to be working. I hear the radiator boiling pretty bad.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

water pump is water properly? thermostat opening? tried to bleed the system? possibly a headgasket issue.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PrettyLude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">water pump is water properly? thermostat opening? tried to bleed the system? possibly a headgasket issue.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Your talking to a prelude noob here. The water pump is where? Where is the thermostat?
How do you bleed the system? I hope to hell its not the headgasket.

Ive been having to drive with the heater blasted to keep this baby cool in the afternoon in this TX heat. wooo!
sucks man.

 

damn...before you go throwing the word head gasket around i would consiider the issue at hand....thats not the best thing to tell someone who isnt overly informed about cars

as far as how you should attack this, start by checking over the system and replacing the cheapest part first. first off, make sure there is no leakage on the water pump base, dripping down the engine etc...this normally will leave a puddle under your car...the only other problem a water pump normally has is the bearing goes bad or seizes...but being that its timing belt drivin, that would be a bigger and more obvious issue

i am willing to bet on the thermostat not opening...a thermostat works based on allowing the engine to heat up and then opening at a certain degree, roughly 180 degrees, to allow passage of coolant through the rest of the engine to cool down the block...kind of like a dam in a river....the heat that is transferred is also the heat that is passed thru your heater core, etc, allowing you to feel the heat inside your car from the blower....if the thermostat is failing to open, the temperature will continue to increase until it eventually "boil over" and the engine over heats, causing a pressure leak and the signature white cloud of smoke from the engine

to make a long story short, flush the system, replace your thermostat and radiator hoses (if you didnt when you did the radiator), fill it up and start the engine and allow it to get to normal operating temp...if the needle in the coolant gauge sits a little less than in the middle, the t-stat is opneing and your problem is solved

 

What about the fan? Does it start overheating when you come to a red light?

 

the water pump is on the driver side of the block driven by the timing belt...again i would not worry about that unless you can see a coolant leak from the base of the pump or a puddle on the ground

you do not bleed a cooling system, you flush it. to save time on explaining how to flush the system, visit this link: http://www.carcentral.net/cont...m.php

as for the thermostat, follow your lower radiator hose up to the block behind the coil etc on the h22 or behind the distributor, etc....that is your thermostat housing and inside there is the thermostat

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE HEAD GASKET RIGHT NOW!!! change your t-stat and make sure your cooling system is set, and go from there

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GRAF-FITI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">as far as how you should attack this, start by checking over the system and replacing the cheapest part first. first off, make sure there is no leakage on the water pump base, dripping down the engine etc...this normally will leave a puddle under your car...the only other problem a water pump normally has is the bearing goes bad or seizes...but being that its timing belt drivin, that would be a bigger and more obvious issue

i am willing to bet on the thermostat not opening...a thermostat works based on allowing the engine to heat up and then opening at a certain degree, roughly 180 degrees, to allow passage of coolant through the rest of the engine to cool down the block...kind of like a dam in a river....the heat that is transferred is also the heat that is passed thru your heater core, etc, allowing you to feel the heat inside your car from the blower....if the thermostat is failing to open, the temperature will continue to increase until it eventually "boil over" and the engine over heats, causing a pressure leak and the signature white cloud of smoke from the engine

to make a long story short, flush the system, replace your thermostat and radiator hoses (if you didnt when you did the radiator), fill it up and start the engine and allow it to get to normal operating temp...if the needle in the coolant gauge sits a little less than in the middle, the t-stat is opneing and your problem is solved </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats some good stuff! I'll give that a shot. Thx for your thoughts.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GRAF-FITI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What about the fan? Does it over start overheating when you come to a red light?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The car does start to overheat when I get to a red light.

 

check your cooling fan fuse . Its in the underhood fuse box.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LSBeast &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all fans seem to be working </TD></TR></TABLE>

flush the system, get out all the scale

http://www.carcentral.net/cont...m.php

replace the thermostat, gaurantee thats the fix

 

I agree, the thermostat is the best place to start. Do a good bleed on the system as well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GRAF-FITI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">flush the system, get out all the scale

http://www.carcentral.net/cont...m.php

replace the thermostat, gaurantee thats the fix</TD></TR></TABLE>

So I flushed out the system and noticed I was really low on the fluid. Ding Dong!!
That’s my first problem. Second I have a slow leak somewhere obviously. It took 2 months after replacing the radiator to start overheating. I haven't noticed any leaking after flushing out the system. I say flushing out like I did some big process. I may of mist some steps. 1. I drain the radiator. 2. Ran water through outside hose. 3. Filled up on new fluid. I'll check the fluid levels later this afternoon. I may have used too much. I poured 1 full container of Prestone 50/50.

I have not replaced the thermostat. Just because time and I'm not sure that I need to now that I know I have a leak.

Any thoughts?

 

well first off i would still replace the thermostat because it's cheap and easy to do. second i wouldn't worry about overfilling your system....when your filling it through the radiator and the coolant fills to the top you're set.

to find the leak you can get some special UV dye to put in the system that won't hurt anything....after doing so run the car for awhile and let it get hot etc...then get it off the ground and use a blacklight to find the leak...the UV dye will mix in w/ the coolant and will then allow you to trace the leak

 

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

you do not bleed a cooling system, you flush it.

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

You do not know what you are talking about!! Bleeding the coolant system is essential to keep from overheating. Bleeding removes all the air bubbles from the system and is the last step any time you have to fill the coolant system a lot (such as changing a radiator, thermostat, intake manifold, etc).

There is a bleed screw on top of the thermostat housing that you unscrew to let the air escape, and you can also open the rad cap when you first start the car to let some air out. Air will cause overheating.

 

wow junior.....you need to check yourself...aside from the fact that i'm ASE certified, i was referring to the TERMINOLOGY he was using.....you BLEED a brake or clutch system (if its a hydraulic clutch) whereas you FLUSH a cooling system, obviously you don't want any air pockets in the system

while you are correct about the bleeder screw and radiator cap...you need to check yourself before you go saying someone has no clue what they are talking about....IF YOU REFER TO THE IMMEDIATE POSTS FOLLOWING THE OP, HALF THE PEOPLE WERE SAYING "BLEED" IT....i was trying to clarify the terminology so you can take your assumption that i know nothing and sit on it .....from what i've seen LSBEAST post, the stuff that i "KNOW NOTHINGT" about has seemed to help him out

 

Well, it's pretty sad if you're a big ASE certified mechanic and you actually say that "you do not bleed a cooling system".

Where do you work with your 3rd grade attitude and ASE certification?

 

actually its a a fourth grade attitude.....a third grade attitude would tell someone they don't know what they're talking about without reading all the other **** that was involved the post....funny how i forgot to mention the air issue but all the information and procedures were correct, hey? but thremoving the air pockets goes hand in hand w/ flushing and any coolant part replacement...it shouldn't have to be mentioned....but i guess that means i don't know what i'm talking about. and it shouldn't really matter where i work as long as i have the ASE certification.....but as it happens I curently manage a Firestone and have 9 years of experience working specifically on Hondas..... there's the explanation i didn't owe you little boy

 

My God, you sound like a total *****. I'm not going to mess up this guy's thread any further.

 

good deal....its ok to admit that someone knows more than you....its just a shame you had to mess up his thread in the first place

LSBEAST, keep us posted on your situation

 

make sure the fans are running when the AC is turned on. My rex had a problem like that once.

 

you FOR SURE bleed a coolant system freaking idiot....

 

its always nice to see such educated comments.....read the previous posts bleed is the term used to remove air from liquid based systems...i shouldn't have to restate myself to make it easier for you to understand....but when you flush and fill a system removing the air pockets aka bleeding goes hand in hand with it...but you dont just "bleed" a cooling system for no reason after having things work fine for 2 months after replacing a radiator...think about it, if that wasn't done when he replaced the radiator these problems would have occurred a hell of alot sooner...freaking idiot gosh, go read another magazine