lately, if i let my car idle for a long time or the car is just stopped in traffic for a long time, the temp raises, then when i get the car moving, the temp goes down back to normal. i had this same problem when i had a bad head gasket, but im not experiencing the same symptoms... white smoke, bubbling resevoir, etc...... the car runs fine. im not leaking anything. yet, ive had to fillup on coolant 2 or 3 times....what can the problem be?? TIA

 

thermostat

 

can the thermostat cause a loss in coolant? also, how often is the t-stat supposed to be changed..? TIA

 

I pulled the weather stripping off of my rain tray to get keep the heat from being trapped under the hood. A vented hood is next on my list.

 

Find your leak. Air is getting into the coolent and causing some overheating.

That or you didn't properly fill radiator system, i.e. didn't use bleeder screw.

BTW, only use honda type 2 coolent...

 

can the thermostat also cause your A/C compressor to not kick in?

 

are your fans turning on? make sure your system is bled properly as stated before, do you have any oil in your coolant? does it smell like something else other then coolant? i hope you didnt warp your head or the deck of your block...

 

my fans don't stay on all the time. In fact I've only seen the D/S fan kick on but I've never seen the other fan go on. Is this bad?