Whenever I drive my car, after about 10 minutes of driving, the temp goes all the way to the top. I pull over and notice that the fans aren't spinning. I touched the radiator cap and it's literally cold. I touch the hose connecting to the engine from the radiator and it's warm. There is no hot air from anywhere whatsoever. If I turn off the engine after a 10 min drive from a cold start, the fan will come on.

When I pull over and turn off the car after a long drive, I can hear something leaking onto a hot platform and sizzling, like right below the engine.

Could it be a broken fuse for the fan to come on? Bad temp sensor?

On a side note, sometimes when I start my engine, the car will start then die. Then I have to sit there for about 5 min before I can start it again. I have a feeling that a leak is disrupting my car.

 

Try replacing the t-stat and jack the car up and check the coolant lines for any leaks or holes, because it sounds like your engine isn't getting any coolant. or at least it isn't circulating back into the radiator.

 

I've no idea where you're hailing from (Arizona or Oregon (ah, there it is Vancouver!) but try this --- if you haven't changed your antifreeze recently, refill your radiator with water/coolant mix, put a pressure tester on it and pressurize the system.
If you can't spot a leak almost immediately, more than likely your radiator is toast
They often develope a leak about 4 - 5 inches down from the top between the A/C condenser and the raadiator support. it will leak water until it leaks enough to reach that spot, then it turns to steam and it's a bear to spot without some diagnostics (like this)

P

 

bleed coolent

 

There are two temp sensors, one for the temp gauge which may be bad or your gauge may be bad, a resistance test on the gauge sending unit will prove that out, its the temp sensor with a single wire tied into the cooling system. The temp sensor for the ECU is a two wire sensor and helps control fuel delivery during cold starts, once a Honda warms up this two wire sensor no longer comes into play during Closed Loop engine (warm) operation. BUT, if you turn the engine off, let it hot soak, 1 second to 1 hour then on restart, even while still in Closed Loop, a bad sensor will come into play and more than likely make the fuel delivery very very rich but you would need to check the resistance against the repair manual to see if it shows ice cold, normally a bad sensor will go to 40 degrees below zero. This problem with the two wire sensor is usually intermittent so recycling the key or try to restart 5 minutes later, it will act normally.

At least on Honda and Nissan I change this sensor as a matter of course, they have a high failure rate and do cause many hard start / no start conditions in Closed Loop. I believe that you have two separate issues and they both should be tested properly prior to throwing parts at your car.

 

Have you checked the coolant level?

 

Duane:

On a cold start, after about 5 minutes of driving, when I come to a stop at a red light or put it in park, my rpm would go up and down from 750 to 1500 repetitively.

Could this have anything to do with the bad sensor the the fuel delivery you're talking about?

 

Fuel cut strategy in closed loop operation, idle is high in open loop strategy so you dont get the idle hunting, a vacuum leak is not always external, read below for everything you need to know to fix this issue. All of these do not go with every year.

High Idle speed and Fluctuation troubleshooting

Leaking EACV- Disconnect EACV connector. Idle speed should decrease. With the connector disconnected block the hole in the intake port or pinch the hose from the air cleaner to the EACV. If the idle speed decreases the valve is leaking. This condition will not set a code. The ECM can only detect an open or short circuit. It also may clog it’s screen if it has one.

Leaking IAC- (Idle air control valve) Disconnect IAC connector. Idle speed should decrease. With the connector disconnected, block the hole or pinch the hose to the IAC valve. If the idle speed decreases the valve is leaking. May not set a code and may not be a codeable circuit on all models.

TW or ECT sensor- (engine coolant temperature sensor) voltage should be about 3.0 volts @ 60 deg F and between .55 & .7 volts @ normal operating temp. If the voltage is above .8 volts at normal operating temp, will cause rich mixture and high idle speed. May not set a code because it is not far enough out of its operating parameters. **Also this sensor will not read temperature correctly if coolant is low. (beware)

Vacuum leaks- a loose vacuum hose or leaking intake manifold gasket can cause high idle speed and/or fluctuation. Also check for bad PCV valve.

Fast Idle Valve- (if equipped) a fast idle valve that is sticking can cause high idle speed and fluctuation. Check it by removing the steel cap on the top and putting your finger over the hole in the middle of the seat under the cap or block the port just inside of the throttle body opening, when the Idle is fluctuating or staying high. When the engine is warm this valve should be closed. You can tighten the seat but it will also change the idle speed warm up values (closing).

Throttle valve- throttle position sensor voltage should be .5 volts with the throttle closed. Make sure the throttle valve is fully closed and voltage is within spec.

ECU-If all else is good, if you reset the ECU and the problem goes away temporarily, the ECU may be defective.

Verify that the cooling system is full of coolant and
there is no air in it.

Remove the air boot from the throttle body and cover the
throttle body with something that will stop the airflow
(your hand, tape) with the engine running. With the
throttle body covered and no air going into the engine, the
engine should stall. If the engine does not stall, look for
a vacuum leak. With the engine running and the coolant
temperature above 90 degrees F, verify that there is no
vacuum on the lower port in the throttle body. If it does
not lose vacuum, look for a faulty fast idle valve on the
bottom of the throttle body, as long as the coolant hose is
good and hot.

Verify that the base idle screw was not turned way out on
the top of the throttle body. If it was, set the base idle
and see if the problem still occurs.

The upper port in front of the throttle plates feeds the
Idle Air Control (IAC) valve and the base idle screw. If
the IAC is unplugged and the base idle screw is turned all
the way in and there is still airflow through the upper
port, check for a stuck open IAC valve.