97 accord
it over heats unless i have hte heat on full blast
ive changed:

thermostat 3 times
water pump
obx aftermarket radiator hoses
mishimoto aftermarket radiator

head gasket
valve cover gasket



What i had in mind for a solution is a 16 pound double lock radiator cap.


any ideas would be appreciated.

 

both fans working ?? air in system ??you are opening up the nipple in order to bleed the system ,,, right ?? low on coolant ??

http://techauto.awardspace.com/

click on the above link .on left upper side click on overheat... it has a good diagnose ..hope this helps

 

the fans are new,

the radiator was flushed by a mechanic so im assuming he bled it properly.
i got a leak after that though - the bypass hose blew off.
so that was replaced and coolant was filled.

so MAYBE there is air in teh system.

but the car was overheating before that even happened so thats not the problem.

 

How is your Radiator cap? A bad one will not allow the cooling system to pressurize correctly.

As the other poster asked, have you bled the system all the way? If not trapped air will displace the coolant and you will over heat.

Are you sure your gauge sending unit is working correctly?

Good luck

L

 

the radiator cap is a 19 pound cap. i was thinking if i had a 16 lb cap, it woudl be okay.

i can try bleeding teh system again.

and i believe the gauge is correct. it shows the temp dropping when the car is not driven...

 

are there any other ideas? i was reading on a subaru forum.. somethign about head gaskets possibly. yes i know thats a subaru but does anyone have any input on that?

someone said to open the overflow while the car was running to see if there are bubbles.. and if there are, that its a sign of the headgaskets failing.

 

Bleeding the system I believe, will only allow you get more coolant overall into the system, it won't prevent overheating persay.

 

well i believe. that bleeding the system is also necessary because of pressurization in the system. and ive experienced the radiator hose pinching itself shut since there was air in the system.

im mostly concerned that its possibly the head gaskets? im not really sure. but i just read something about that..

 

Well in your first post you listed that you changed the Headgasket and it is still doing the same thing as before? I would rule out the headgasket for now as it should continue to overheat regardless of if you run the heater.

Yes you are correct, if you don't bleed the system then the trapped air will keep the coolant from effectively moving in the system effectively starving the system of coolant.


I know you said you got new fans but do they come on by themselves when the car reaches the top part of the gauge? Or do they only come on when you turn the AC or Heater on? If this is so, then check the fan switch (should be ether in or around the T-stat housing or around the area (I don't remember where it is located exactly on the 5th gen engines) this turns on the fan when it senses a high temp

Cheers and good luck

L

 

hmm alright thanks for the input, ill check on that and post back.

 

bleed the system after you park the car on LEVEL ground via the nipple on top of the t-stat housing

 

hokay status update: car still overheats after

bleeding car on level ground. - used bleed nipple on t stat housing, while blasting heat and everything,

the thermostat works, as it opens and the fan turns on when that happens. water pump circulates coolant as i can feel the difference in coolant temps between the two hoses before and after the engie

hm what else..

the car will not overheat when idling even with heat off.. but when moving, the car will overheat if the heat is not on. even then, it is just a smidgen above half.


somebody please tell me whats going on with this car..


could it be that the headers are soooo hot that the radiator isnt doing enough to cool the coolant? it seems a little odd especially for when the car is moving.. but what else could it be?!?!?!


btw.. the overflow level doesnt ever change.. or so it seems...

 

Hmmm..... That is a mystery

How are your radiator hoses? especially the bottom one? I have heard of and have seen myself the strange case of the the water pump sucking the bottom hose shot (i.e. collapsing the hose) the symptoms never seem to duplicate themselves when the car is standing still in idle but only when the car is being driven.

I know you changed your water pump, but perhaps it was the wrong one or defective and not able to supply proper coolant flow when you are driving?

Another thing to check on is if you have something blocking the airflow into the radiator. Perhaps ether the condensor shifted and blocked alot of the airflow off the radiator? Perhaps something is covering the condensor?

When I was in the auto industry, a car came in that only seemed to over heat when driving it. It turned out that a large piece of packing paper affixed itself to the condensor for the AC (this is in front of the radiator) and thus blocked off the airflow


Also check to make sure the fans are turning in the right direction, if the fans are turning in one direction instead of the other direction (for example if the car cooling system calls for a fan to pull air across the radiator and the new fan you got blows it across (i.e. in the opposite direction then it is supposed to) then the car will over heat

Cheers

L

 

check you relays n the fuse box it got to be an electrical issue may try to jump the fan switch to see if it ill turn the fans on might work

 

Green leg, I have seen water pumps sold with the wrong direction on the fins that spin around and circulate the water flow. Another thing I have seen is a clogged up intake waterport or ports from years of rust build up restricting the flow of water. Have you replaced the temp switch? With everything you have done, and everyone else's statements, that's all I can think of.