So when I'm driving the temperature gauge will occasionally climb for a moment and then go back to normal. The frequency of this is increasing. I think I first noticed it about 3 months ago. I saw the needle climbing so I immediately put my blinker on to pull over and then it suddenly started going back down. It never gets to the red line and it always goes right back down. Clogged radiator? How to clean it out? Are the radiator cleaning solutions you can get good for aluminum?

 

Check the coolant level in the radiator and bleed the cooling system.

 

I just bled it the other day. I think I bled it enough. I put the radiator cap on 1/2 way, cracked the bleeder and let it idle for about 15 minutes. Then I turned off the car, removed the cap, filled it up and repeated. How long does it usually take to bleed the system?

 

the way i bleed my coolant system is to fill up the radiator, leave off the cap and let the car idle. it normally takes about 15-20 minutes before it stops spitting coolant out. then i top off the coolant level, thats it.

 

Was the heater set to max to allow any air in the heater core to be purged? Did the fan come on twice?

Bleeding the cooling system:

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):

 

Thats almost exactly what I did except I did it with the car on level ground and I had the bleeder cracked while the engine was running. And the heat was set all the way to hot.

 

The up and down of the temperature gauge suggest that there's more air trapped in the system.

 

Yeah I agree. I just went out and checked and it was a little low on coolant. I topped it off with the engine running and the idle smoothed right out (been having problems with the damn idle again) but as soon as I put the cap back on the radiator the idle gets rough again. WTF?! Tomorrow, when it's light out, I'll jack the front of the car up and then follow the aforementioned bleeding plan.
Thanks for all the input. I'll report back tomorrow with results.

 

RonJ@HT, I have a question about the bleeding procedure before I go out there and get into it. During steps 4 & 5 should the car be running? It isn't stated there. You just said to park the car and the only mention of it running is after the bleeding procedure.
Thanks

 

Guys, i cant find the bledder valve, where is it?
I have a B16A engine. Im having the same problem.
The only issue is that i changed thermostat and let it idle for about 20-25 minutes and fan never turned on, the same with thermostat, never opened, but temp was normal.

 

HA! Just figured out what the REAL problem is! Damn head gasket let go! No wonder it's been drinking coolant. Not a job I'm looking forward to doing. Looks like I'm going to have to get a new gasket on Monday morning. I have heard that there is a compatible HG for a different engine which is more robust. Metal. Anyone know what it is?

 

a cometic HG? it will lower your compression slightly.

 

It's the HG from the SI/EX. Can anyone verify that this will work with a D15B7?

 

d16 and d15 have differerent head gasket. heard from many ppl over at d-series.org running autozone fel-pro with great success, even with boost.

 

Well I just ordered the felpro kit but I was going to use a Honda HG just to be safe. Any other recommendations or input? This job sucks and I'd like to wait as long as possible before doing it again. So I'm more than willing to pay a little extra for a better product.

 

when my HG blew on my d15, i used a felpro gasket and had no issue with it. might as well do the timing belt and water pump while your in there...id go to honda for those.