Hello fellow Honda owners,
I recently bought a 1993 Honda Accord SE and I have an issue that I would like some feedback on. When I drive the car it almost immediately goes up to the H(on the dial). The car is spirting water/coolant through the radiator cap. Either fan does not turn on unless the car is not running. I believe it is the sensor or a blockage since it sat for 6 weeks without starting. Can someone help me. I live in Danvers,MA.
ThaNKS

 

Hello again,
I just took the car for a quick spin to see if I could get any were with my problem. When I go slow,it takes about 3-4min for the dial to go to the H,when I go on the highway and it takes less than a minute to start over-heating. I do not know much about cars at all and I am trying a new avenue(via comp,). Any insight on radiator sensors/coolant problems.
Feedback needed. Thanks

 

I would say the two most likely problems are either you have a flow problem ie thermostat not opening or a water pump impeller that is corroded or a bad head gasket. If you have driven the car a lot with it overheating the you may have caused the head gasket to go bad.

 

So far, it sounds like the thermostat isn't opening and needs to be replaced. If you drive it hot it will cause the head gasket to get damaged. Changing the thermostat is easy though. You can probably find a simple guide on youtube

 

If you have been driving this car with the temp gauge in the red for long periods, the first thing you should do before spending any more money on this car is to do a compression test. You can get a tester for $20 and take out the ECU fuse to disable spark and unplug the main relay connector to disable fuel. You can find videos on youtube. If you determine your head gasket is blown, then you can decide if you want to fix the overheating issue.

That's what I would do.

 

I would drain/flush then make sure the system is filled all the way and purged. Replace the thermostat with a honda OEM thermostat, replace rad cap too. If this doesnt fix it(Should be able to do this for around $60), suspect head gasket or water pump. Check for water in oil, and another quick test, is to start car when cold with radiator cap off, if coolant comes shooting out from rad, suspect combustion gas in coolant(Head gasket leak).

 

what are you doing driving the car with this condition? your begging for a headgasket failure even worse cracked/warped head or block.

 

shouldnt you diagnose first before throwing parts at it. an easy way to check if its your thermostat is to let it warm up not wait for it to reach the H, and check the hoses top and bottom. which feels hotter and which feels warmer/cold?