i have a 94 accord ex and it seems like my car is overheating when i drive the temp goes up to red but when i drive to get some wind it cools down anyone know whats wrong? plus when i stop driving and park my car the fan always goes on. im guessing its the fan im not sure . anyone help.

 

have you checked the coolant level?

 

how do i check the coolant level

 

With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap. The coolant [50/50 mix of anti-freeze & water] should fill the upper tank completely. There should also be the same mix in the whitish plastic bottle to the left, just in front of the battery. There should also be a small diameter hose from the plastic bottle to just under the edge of the radiator cap.
Caps with expansion tanks DO wear out. When the coolant gets hot, it expands, and flows into the white tank. When the engine & coolant cool off, it contracts, and is drawn back into the upper tank, thus keeping the tank full of coolant, with no external air to provide oxygen and perform oxidative mischief.
There are marks on the white tank for 'full hot and full cold' The lower mark is full cold, upper is full with the engine at operating temp.
When you turn on the A/C, I am pretty sure that one of the fans comes on. The other fan, I think, only comes on when the coolant temp is high enough to call for cooling. Thus, going down the road at 40, you have enough air flow the fan is not needed. When you sit in traffic, it is, and will come on as needed. If it is not coming on, you have a problem with the fan or the switch[or the pump, radiator or thermostat]
Generally, if it is cool at highway speeds, the radiator is ok. If it overheats at idle, the pump or fan is the problem.
tom

 

Make sure there is no air in the system. You have to bleed any air out with the nipple on the intake. The procedure is in the FAQ.

 

When you park your car, the fan is supposed to come on to keep the engine cool. This is actually especially a good thing if you're having a problem with overheating and the fan isn't coming on when you have the key turned on. The reason is that it tells you the fan is not the problem, it's either the thermostat or the switch/sensor attached to the thermostat housing. You can check by feeling the hose that goes to the thermostat housing. If it's cold then the thermostat isn't opening so it's probably stuck closed. Some thermostats are designed to fail open so that you don't overheat you just get less operating temperature and your heater will blow lukewarm instead of hot. If the hose is lukewarm or hot, then your next check will be the switch/sensor on the thermostat housing. The prices on these can vary so shop around. You can get one for 20-25 bucks or so but some places will charge upwards of 45 bucks. Just make sure you get the right one, tell 'em it's the one one the thermostat housing, there is one that attaches on the head and one that attaches on the outlet hose housing too. The thermostat is like 10-15 bucks.