I have a '91 Honda Accord Station Wagon with almost 300,000 miles. Runs great, showing its age, as am I, A/C gone.
Here's my question:
My temperature needle almost goes to 1/2 in a matter of minutes and stays there. It doesn't overheat. Yet it doesn't seem to warm up.
Then, when I turn my car off, the fan comes on and stays on for a while. No matter if I drive 30 miles or 3 blocks.
Got water in the Radiator, no leaks.
Car runs fine.
Any thoughts?
(I'm not a mechanic, yet, I'm thinking, thermostat, don't know why)
Thanks for your input.
I'd like to keep her running as long as possible, got sentimental reasons. My sister gave it to me back in 2001 when she died.

 

check to see the upper and lower radiator hoses are the same temp (carefully). If they are not then you either have a bad thermostat or water pump.

 

How long have you had the vehicle? In other words has it done it since you got it, or did it do something else before? Can you get a picture of where the needle goes to?

It seemed weird to me that mine (96) never got over about 1/3, but my mom just got a wagon a year newer (with only 85k) that goes to exactly the same place. It just goes there and stops. I'm paranoid in general (and have been planning to test my gauge by jumping the sensor connector), but it seems it may just be a correctly and efficiently operating cooling system that it never gets hotter than that.

 

The upper hose is very hot, the lower hose is not as hot... I had a water pump put in about 2 years ago when I got the timing belt done, so I don't think it's that. Still thinking, thermostat? Is that a hard job?

 

By the way, thank you two!

 

It takes about 40 minutes of just sitting and idling for my lower hose to get as hot as the upper (I found this out trying to do the ECU reset directions where you let the car warm up til the fans come on. Mine never did after waiting 50+ mins, but will once in a while as needed while driving *shrug*). I don't know how different that would be after driving, but if you got it just warmed up that might be why. On the other hand, if you warmed it up thoroughly and drove around for a while, that could indicate a thermostat.

Edit:
here is a photo of as hot as mine ever gets. is that where yours ends up also?


Edit:
Also, that 40 mins for the lower hose to heat up. That was both before and after I installed a new OEM thermostat.

 

Look almost to me that you have a stuck open Thermostat.

 

thats both before and after replacing the thermostat with a stock OEM one when I flushed my coolant a month or so ago. I think the picture is a little deceptive on the angle though, it seems a little higher than that practically. but not much.

I need to rustle up a helper to jump the gauge connector for me while I see if my gauge is working

 

nope, get the manual here. http://www.hondahookup.com/manuals/

if the thermostat doesn't help you may need to replace the water pump

 

I want to thank you all. I replaced the thermostat and now all is back to normal. I will post another question here and on another thread if need be about my speedometer not working. (Engine runs great, tach works, yet the speed-o and the o dometer stopped a couple of years ago, ever now and the it will kick in and run for a few seconds and then stop. was told it was a computer malfunction and not an engine issue. Ideas?
Again, thank you all! This is a neat forum of 'Hondarains'

 

glad to help. you may want to try searching the forum to see if others have dealt with that speedo problem or start another topic if you haven't found a solution