So I just finished up a TB job on my 91 Accord LX and I was refilling the coolant. I was idling the engine waiting for the radiator fans to kick on a couple times (as the Helms suggests) but they never did in ~15mins. I shut the car off when coolant was overflowing from the filler neck.

The car has never overheated or had cooling system problems. Why is the coolant overflowing and why aren't the fans kicking on?

 

that sounds weird,

on the 6th gen accord there is a little bleeder valve at the end of the lower radiator hose that goes to the motor, open it up like a half a turn or so and let it **** out any air its got, close it when it starts to pee straight liquid only

if you dont do that then you probably got some air in the system or something

i dont know haha

 

Follow the Haynes to go about diagnosing the fan circuit. I did that on my '94 Accord and to only find that I have blown fuse for some reason and that explained why my fans aren't kicking in like they suppose to and why my car keeps overheating in hot weather while I'm at a complete stop. After I replaced the blown fuse, it fixed the problem. I tested both motor fans, relays, and what not and they all passed except for that fuse.

 

Did you have the heat on full blast?

 

I'm going to second that you may have some air in there as well

 

I bled the air out of the system before I started the car but I'll open it again and make sure there's none left.

I turned my heat on full blast for the last ~5mins that it was running because my buddy suggested the same thing. Will this force the fans to kick on sooner?

I don't understand why the fans wouldn't work now after a TB job. I didn't mess with anything that should affect the fans. Maybe they're on the same circuit as the cruise actuator or the alternator? Those are the only plugs I unplugged.

 

If I'm not mistaken the shop manual says you NEED to have the heat blasting, which will kick on the fans. I don't have it on my work computer though. Did you test the fans to verify they still work?

Also near the alternator there is a grounding point for those fans.

 

I am dealing with a similar problem...however, I can't get the car to overheat (and I'm trying to)...but I can't get the fans to kick on. I am not, however, having the problem with the overflowing.

Both of my fans kick on when the AC is on....one of them kicks on as soon as the car engine is turned off. Other than that, I can't get the fans to start while the car is running. The engine does run rather hot eventually....to the point that I was fearful of overheating but the temp seems to level out and stops increasing. IDK Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like your thermostat is stuck open and needs replacing.

 

Check the switch as well as the t-stat. Aslo the coolant is full and no air..correct?

 

After bleedinng the coolant (which I just learned how to do) the temp seems to stay on the cool side no matter how much driving or idling I do with the car. I will now check the switch and maybe move on to the t-stat. I also learned that one fan is a coolant fan, the other is an AC fan (should have known this). I'm still trying to get the cooling fan to kick on...with no success, maybe I'm just too concerned about whether this fan is working properly or not. The car is not heating up at all now, but still haven't seen the fan running unless AC is on or the car is off.

 

you can't bleed the air from the system without the engine running. you need to fill the radiator most of the way with coolant, then run the engine at about 3000 rpm to get it to operating temp. once the thermostat opens, you should be able to fill the system the rest of the way. if you fill the radiator too soon, the coolant will overflow simply from thermal expansion. If this is happening while you are filling it, you can have a helper hold the throttle open a little to draw the level down so you can put the cap on the radiator while the level is down.
Also, make sure you open the bleed screw in the thermostat housing (I am assuming here that the 91 has one like the 94-97). Once coolant flows out of the bleeder, close it and finish filling the radiator. your fans should not be running at this point because the a/c should be off and the heat set to the warmest setting with the blower on. running the heater removes some of the heat from the coolant as well and keeps the fans from turning on.

the fan's don't turn on until 215-220, but the coolant shouldn't get that hot while filling the system. if your car was fine before the TB job, then your thermostat should still be okay too.

 

Check the fuse under the dash as well as the relays that are under the hood first.

Also, you don't have to have the heater on full blast, you just need the it switched to hot. There is a special valve that is connected to the HVAC system that turns hot coolant going through the heater core off. So turn the temperature dial all the way to HOT, turn the fan dial to off. Then start the car, and you want to hold idle the car at 2500 rpm's until the fans come on. You can just stick the tip of a pair of needle nose pliers in between the throttle cable to hold it around that range. I dont believe you HAVE to have the fan switch turned to the off position, but this is the way the manual suggest as well as the way I was taught, and it has worked for the last 6 accord coolant flush's i have done.

Also, if the temperature dial was not turned to the off position when you bled it, there will not be enough coolant in your system.

Hope this helps.