I had to drive to the airport in LA last week and the car read HOT before it was even warmed up. I had a plane to catch and was worried about the car. Pulled over and fluid levels fine and the car was running fine. It made it from Pasadena to airport just fine
and home again.
The temp. gauge however still reads hot...any idea what this might be?

I though maybe the thermostat? But I couldn't even find it..

Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks

Terry

 

Need moreeeeee info.

Reading "HOT" meaning it is pinged to very top, or just somewhere in the "red" range?

Is it going there immediately when the car is turned on?

Or is it going there after sometime driving?

Could be the gauge has gone bad. But then it could be the cooling system like cooling fans, thermostat, rad. cap. Better hope its the gauge, because driving any distance at all with it reading hot is not good at all for the engine. Head gaskets have a tendency to blow on that one.

Oh and the 5th gen accord the thermostat housing is at the end of the lower radiator hose, which is near the intake manifold, and sits somewhat under the air intake duct itself. Most likely the same for the 4th gen.

Please more descriptive on what's happening, then we can narrow it down.

 

Thanks for quick reply. Firstly, the car gets hot ( and reads completely HOT)..
in about three minutes...

Seems to run OK....but I think I need to attend to this

Thanks

 

That does not sound like the a gauge. Because if the gauge was grounding out, it would immediately go hot. Maybe try replacing the thermostat? Could be getting stuck closed. That or the rad. cap. I mean those are cheap and simple starts.

Any more information that can be provided to help narrow it down??

 

would it be wise for me to change the thermostat and radiator cap before I check the gauge itself?
Thanks in advance

Terry

 

Thanks Tama Drummer

Will do!

Will post results later!

 

I mean getting the gauge would require getting a used cluster from a junk yard or online.

The thermostat and cap are cheaper than that

 

Radiator cap was not the problem..looks like the thermostat...is there an easy way to replace for the non mechanic that I am? I have the new thermostat and have removed the air cleaner..I think I know where the thing is, but access is difficult..

any suggestions/advice?

Many thanks

Terry

 

the bottom hose on your radiator is long, follow it up to the point where it clamps onto the Thermostat housing there are 3 bolts, 2 easy ones and one at the bottom (though mine only had 2 but doesnt leak.., you may want to unclamp the radiator hose first . Be sure your car is cold when doing this or you can burn the Sh*t out of yourself just touching hoses etc.

and pay attention the the little metal piece that looks like a small little drain plug, it should be around 12 oclock on the thermostat.. and make sure you put on the new gasket properly.

 

Could also be the coolant temp sensor.

 

If it isn't actually overheating then i wouldnt start worrying about the thermostat.

The coolant temp sending unit might be bad its just a potentiometer that changes resistance with heat. It's a single plug with a wire stuck to it on the passenger side of your head.

Check the simple possibilities before you go making a mess.

 

there is a gauge sensor which is one wire sensor right next to the coolant temp sensor right under the distributor....disconnect it to see what it reads....if it still reading somthing than it could be that its getting a ground from somewhere else......it is reading nothing.....than it could be that sensor....the wire color should be yellow with a red stripe or so....im not sure what year of motor you are but try that.....those sensor are easy to go bad

 

here is a quick key for your thermostat...
stuck closed= car will NEVER warm up

stuck open= car will take much longer to warm up but never really reach running temperature

As for the wiring...it's very possible that it could just be the gauge. A temp gauge is just a basic thermistor therfore it works off of resistance in the wiring. I would personally check the gauge.

 

I have a 1993 f22a1 and its doin a similar thing but it doesnt go all the way to hot. And it does in gear when im stopped. But i put it into park and it does a surging thing. Could it be the Samething?

 

When the car is cold and turned to II(ON) does the temp gauge read hot? If so then there is a problem with the wiring to the temp sensor, or the sensor is bad.
Check that there is no air in the system. There is a bleed nipple on the backside of the thermostat housing, open it a 1/2 turn a steady stream of coolant should come out it should not sputter with air. Verify the cooling fans work. If your car has A/C when the temp gauge starts to read hot turn on the A/C. The secondary radiator fan should turn on, if it does and the engine begins to cool down there may be a problem with the cooling fan, thermoswitch, or relays.