For all the hybrid guys, i have an H22a in my 94 accord. The car does not overheat when driving it around or sitting at lights. But when i let it idle tonight for about 15mins the temp guage was all the way towards the top. I shut it off, let it cool for a couple mins, the fan shut off and I started it up and the temp was normal. I then let it sit idling for a couple more mins and the temp started going up again slowly.

I drove it home (5 miles) and everything was normal (sat at a couple stop lights etc) . Whenever I open my hood there seems to be alot of heat, and i credit this to the stainless steel OBX header. Is the header enough to cause my temp guage to go up to "2'oclock" when its sitting there idling for a "long" period of time? Am i worried about nothing and should just avoid letting the car idle for long periods of time? I know its not good to let a car idle for extended periods of time the only reason it was idling that long was because I just forgot it was running while i was checking out a CRX a friend was interested in buying. Give me some feedback guys. Thanks in advance.

 

i had a similar problem like the one you are decribing. my h22 used to heat up all the way for some odd reason and only at long idling. i would check your radiator first, its probably low. i would change the t-stat and the gasket there for sure. also, check behind your water pump, and see if the o-ring is leaking there also. also make sure you check all of your radiator hoses to make sure nothing is leaking there. it sounds like you have a leak in your coolant system somewhere.
hope this helps

 

Does the Accord use the same radiator that the Prelude does? If not, there might be some minor coolant system compatability problems.

Also, replacing an old thermostat is easy, and might help.

Ever heard of Redline Water Wetter? Its an additive for your cooling system that makes your standard coolant run 20 degrees cooler. I used this in my car, and it was running so cool on a 90 degree day at idle, that I could not get my thermostat to open. Some people dont use coolant at all, and just fill their radiator with Water Wetter.

 

faulty thermostat

 

If the temp goes down once you start driving it, you can pretty sure that you have low coolant in the radiator. This happened to me before.

 

That's a pretty shitty header if it makes your engine temp go up to the point where it raises the temp needle. I don't notice a temp difference with my Greddy SS on an H22 v. my old DC CC on my F22.

 

Im gonna add some more coolant and probably replace the thermostat just to be safe. Im not gonna go step by step and try to eliminate options, just do it all at once. Ill let u guys know how it goes.

 

or you could figure how to hook up your fan w/your radiator, so its constantly cooling it.