ok so IM going to try my best to describe this strangeness
I bought the car about 2 months ago it is ALL stock and has 200K miles on it
drives very smooth and is unmolested

so Im driving the car home from buying it and I notice the temperature gauge (which is usually around half way) I notice it rise up to 3/4 way for 10-15 secs then slowly fall back to normal
it did this 2-3 times on the way home never got red and never stayed hot just went up for 30 secs then back to normal slowly

I got on here and everyone says headgasket
ok that sucks Ill bite the bullet I started researching how to do it and what the best parts to use

meanwhile still driving the car( I work 10 miles away)
I put some water in the overlow res about twice in 2 weeks
and suddenly it quit overheating altogether
I did have an occasional skip that would clear up
a few days pass and the skip goes constant
I changed plug wires and instantly fixed it
never overheated again

until 2 days ago
out of the blue it did it AGAIN
I drive it home because its not in the red just occasional spike
pop the hood and I hear hissing
I see steam and some coolant coming from "somewhere" under the distributor
I feel the heater hose and it feels weak went and bought a replacement swapped it
inspected the old one and it didnt look like it was leaking
drove down the road and it still got hot
so Im back to ok the headgasket is crap again mode
start to order some parts

drove it last night and I noticed something
when it starts to get hot I could accelerate and it would instantly go back to normal
when I drive it easy it would get hot ( makes me think water pump) but no leaking fluid form there

then today I drive to work and it does not overheat one time to work or on the way home
not even a spike. If its a headgasket this makes no sense to me at all how it leaks then dont

I also noticed the skip is back
not while driving but first thing after its totally cooled off Ill crank it
and it will skip (sound like wrx) for 10 secs then clear up right away

IM just not sure how to diagnose this problem

any ideas?

Im getting ready to go pick up a paycheck - about a 25 -30 mile trip nonstop
so Imma find out if its still doing it or not
will report back in an hour

 

When was the thermostat last replaced? Let the car cool down, then lift the hood and start the car. When the temperature needle gets just below halfway, the fan should turn on. Does it?

 

You should probably pressure test the cooling system to double check for leaks.

that it randomly says overheating for a very short time seems to me like there is air in the cooling system

 

My first thought was an old sticky thermostat or a cheap after market non oem thermostat.

I would start there.

Also, you said you heard hissing, that would mean a seal broke free. Under the distributor sounds pretty close to where the thermostat is housed and maybe that seal is what gave way. If water can come out, air can be sucked in on cool down.

Air pockets will give erratic over heating. Running harder pushes more water which can move that air pocket around causing temporary relief until that pocket gets back into a problem area.

Sounds like you need to find the leak, repair and burp the system properly.

 

I recommend that you should replace the thermostat after double checking for leaks and fixing any that exist. They're like 20$ from online dealerships, this is one of those things you shouldn't pick up from a parts store unless you're sure its a good brand.

you should probably also change the water pump timing belt and tensioner, unless you have documents proving it was done within 50,000 miles

 

Been dealing with this for 2 months and forgot to list all the info.
I replaced the thermostat couple days after I bought it
I also did a comp test 150 across the board
I drove 50 miles after I posted this and it barely got warmer than it should run
Maybe 4-5 times I watched the gauge rise to the almost halfway mark the quickly return to normal
It's as if air is being worked out of the system

 

Where did you buy the replacement thermostat? If it wasn't OEM (from the dealership, not the "OEM equivalent" **** parts stores sell), it isn't worth a damn.

150 is painfully low for the D16Y8 that should be in the car.

All that tells you is that the problem is intermittent. It doesn't rule anything out, it just makes it harder to diagnose.

That points to a sticking thermostat.

It's a closed system - air doesn't "get worked out" unless you work it out. Air is lighter than water, so it settles at the highest point in the cooling system.

 

^---- x2

And if you are loosing coolant (heard a hiss and topping up the reservoir regularly) then air will get in during cool down (same concept the reservoir uses).

Until you get all leaks fixed, you will continue to have problems. A pressure test of the system will give you an indication if you are leak free.

 

Thermostat came from O'reillys
And the problem was there before I changed it although they both coulda been crap I guess .

I need to research how to perform a pressure check on the cooling system and rent the equip it sounds like

 

that, and rent or buy a block tester to help eliminate the head gasket as your potential problem.

 

So why not bleed the cooling system?

 

Going to bleed the cooling system today,
The writeup I read basically says to run the engine warm with the cap off and keep adding water as it bubbles for 30 mins.

Correct?

 

Use coolant not water.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...1#post39830585

 

Got all the bubbles out
Took about 20 mins
Drove it for 45 mins after that with no issues at all
Now the question of how they got in suddenly after driving for 2 months

 

On my D15B7,the hose going to the head,below the distributor leaked. You could have that smaller hose getting ready to fail,and it leaks when under pressure. This may account for some of your coolant loss.The pressure test would be the best test, you may see various hose connections leaking,while under pressure.