Engine Overheating

I am talking the fins of the radiator not allowing air to pass through the radiator. Not coolant inside the radiator.

gotcha. so what would you suggest?

First thing I would do is see how much air is blowing out of the radiator fans with them on?

My Automatic 97 Accord LX with 122,000 miles overheated and now there is a huge crack across the top of my radiator. I think i may have blown my head gasket. Also, the car won't start now. What might be wrong with my car and what can i do to fix it?

Well you would need to find out if the head gasket is bad and then replace the radiator. Your radiator could have cracked from age or a jolt of some kind. The loss of fluid would have caused the car to overheat. If the head gasket is bad, have them check the head for warpage and cracking as well. There are a number of causes but you really won't know what happened until you figure out if the head gasket is bad..

You said your engine overheated and now it won't start. Go ahead and fill the radiator with water and try to start the engine. If it doesn't start then remove the spark plugs. If you see water/coolant in the cylinders then your head gasket is shot. The reason your car won't start is because the spark plugs are soaked with water and won't allow the plugs to spark. The defective head gasket allowed exhaust pressure into the cooling system and probably cracked your weak radiator.

I have driven my Honda around everywhere . But one day when I drove it a lot because I was moving it started to over heat . I noticed that because when I turned it off the fan was still on . So I immediately put coolant into the radiator. I haven't noticed anything leaking but I have put coolant in the radiator 3-4 times and have used about 1 container . Its only been 3 days this has been happening though . Within those 3 days It has started to smoke about 3 times and had to shut the whole car off . I'm not sure where to start on how to fix this issue . Please Help!

Where is it smoking from? Head to an Autozone or similar and pick up a leak detector dye kit and pour it into the radiator and run the car for awhile. Then pass the black light all over the radiator, coolant reservoir, water pump, and anything else that might be leaking.

I'm not sure where its smoking from . It looked like it was coming from around the radiator.

Ok. Get the leak detector dye kit. You can also see if one of the chain stores has a cooling system pressure tester they can loan out.

Thanks!

Not a problem. Thanks for choosing 2CarPros.

My Accord has been overheating. Both radiator fans were bad (didn't even run when jumped straight to battery), so I replaced them. Now they work fine, coming on when the temp goes up as well as when the AC's flipped on. I had the AC freon checked and the shop told me the pressure was good (no freon added or anything).

The problem is that now when I turn the AC on, it will slowly cause the car to overheat sometimes. Both the radiator fans are running, but temperature still climbs. As soon as I flip the AC off, temp returns to normal (at both highway and stop+go speeds). I've noticed that when the AC's on, particularly at idle, the engine will shudder a couple of times and act like it's going to stall, then it seems like either the AC shuts off (cool air stops coming out), or it stays on and the temp starts to climb.

Is my compressor shot? Or I heard something somewhere about the Compressor belt could be too tight, caused the engine to overheat trying to turn it? I do have a leaky head gasket, could that be playing into it? Possible water pump issues?

Thanks!

I do have a leaky head gasket, could that be playing into it? Possible water pump issues?

If the headgasket is leaking you're losing coolant therefore it gonna overheat-get it fix and go from there.

So some jerk put stop leak well over 8years ago in my car,IDK why,but it has made this clay like residue that has been cause dinginess issues for a bit.

So I replaced all the upper hoses, (they were cracking and spraying the brown clay like liquid) and both fans,it had been overheating only when I was at a stand still. So I replaced the fans and hoses, the radiator, water pump and thermostat,sensor was all done in 2007.

So I took it to the closest mechanic and they said cracked radiator water pump,ok, I could see where the issue was,and trimming and balance,they were in there and they were going be need to be done.

SO lots of money later and many times back they say its my distributor? WHAT? The timing is wrong because it iddles lower than 1000 like it will stall...
After all this work it still is overheating and the last time I picked it up they just unplugged the thermostat sensor, so obviously I will not be going back but what is the issue?

Replaced or done:

Fan motor
Both Fans
All hoses,top and bottom
Full flush
Water pump
Timing Belt
Balance Belt
Thermostat
Thermostat sensor
Radiator
Radiator Cap

What else is the issue? Other than the stopleak,but with flush,multiple times,why is it still over heating?

Hi kellyInAz,

Overheating only at standstill are caused by :

1. Inefficient cooling. Are the cooling fans turning on? Are the cooling fans wired corretly?

2. Air trapped in system. When engine is cold, did you check the coolant level in the radiator?

Do you have coolant losses issues?

I am having trouble with my 1997 Honda Accord SE overheating only when I am sitting in traffic with the A/C on. If I keep on moving then the car and A/C runs fine (no overheating). I am now having trouble with the blower. When I turn on the fan inside it doesn't work. I checked the fuses at one point and then started the car and it started working again, while I drove to the store. I then jumped in the car later on that day and it didn't and is not working again. Does anyone have an answer on what I need to check or do?

Hi jtaylor09,

Check if the cooling fans are working when A/C is turned on.
Check the coolant level in radiator.

The blower motor fan could be wearing off resulting in it not working. Give the blower motor housing some banging with your hands and if the blower starts working again, replace the fan motor.

i have a honda accord se it has high mileage and i have replaced the radiator about a year ago, the thermostat about six months ago, it is overheating , extremely, like less than 5 miles it is boiling out 2 or 3 gallons of water, as soon as i add more water, it cools right down, what could be the problem now?

Boiling means the cooling system cannot maintain the 16psi as required. There is pressure escaping from somewhere. If the coolant reservoir is boiling, the easiest fix is to replace the radiator cap. If it is still boiling AFTER the new radiator cap, then you need to get the engine leak down and compression tested, to make sure that pressure is not escaping from the head gasket or the block.

The fans don't come on when the car is running without A/C, even while overheating. When the A/C is on, both fans come on but the car still overheats. When the car is turned off, one of the fans turns on. I changed the thermostat before noticing the odd fan behavior. Please help!

Check the relay and the coolant temp switch, if fans are running at full speed with AC, it is most likely the fan switch. There are two, right rear of engine and right side of engine.

Everytime!!!!!!! I get out of my car it smells hot. My gauge says it's not hot and my coolant level seems to be cool. Am I missing something? I've had it for 5mo. and it's been doing it for that long.

Check if you have an oil leak that may given you that odor
engine cool open radiator cap and check coolant in it

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need manual CHECK IT @
https://www.2carpros.com/kpages/auto_repair_manuals.htm

so here is my problem, soon after driving just for a few minutes, i can not stop my car for more than thirty seconds with out the temperature going up. I just watch the needle slowly rise. Then I drive and it returns down to normal. So I refill the radiator with some coolant when its cooled down. It will work fine for a few weeks then it happens again. I do not see any leaks and the coolant reservoir is full. Could it be the thermostat that needs replacing?

my other problem is occasionally when i am driving and i release from the gas, my speedometer will quickly drop and come back up, in that second, sometimes the radio blinks as if the power had been shut off and back on, but the car does not shut off or anything. what could be the issue?

Hi there, i would change the thermostat first and have the radiator cleaned & flow tested. Your other problem may be a bad chassis earth I would be checking the earth connections first,

Mark (mhpautos)

Hi daly24,

One more thing to add to what mhpautos has recommended. Check radiator cap for worn seals or pressure leak since the reservoir is running full. Any loose connection or leakage of the reserve tank hose to the radiator cap housing would also cause the problem.

If however all the above does not help, you most probably have some problem with the head gasket.

Hi there,

Yes i agree, pressure caps are often over looked so that is a good idea as well. also just make sure when you fit the thermostat, make sure any bleed valve is upper most as this will assist in expelling air when bleeding.

Mark (mhpautos)

Not sure what Wheel Drive Type my car has, so my answer may be incorrect.

For several years now when I turn off my '97 Honda Accord, the fan runs for a very long time, sometimes up to 10 minutes or longer. I have asked mechanics about this and they all say it's normal; however, I haven't seen or heard other Accords that do the same thing.

Anyway, yesterday, while stopped at a fast food drive through, I noticed billows of steam coming out of the front of my car, and, when I glanced at the gauge, saw that the heat was in the red zone. I sat for awhile, then started up again. When I got on the road, the needle went down into the normal zone, but as soon as I slowed down, it climbed again.

Today it doesn't matter if I'm stopped or driving, the needle climbs--although not to the red zone.

I am driving to Chicago a week from today, so must have it fixed, but I feel like every repair I have done to this car runs into the $600 range and I do not have that kind of money. What do you think it could be, and what do you think is a reasonable repair cost?

Thank you.

Hi mcm97,

You seem to be having insufficient coolant in the radiator. Check for leakages of the cooling system, unless the radiator or head gaskets are faulty, otherwise the repair should not be vey costl.


Check the radiator coolant level.

Engine Cooling problem
1997 Honda Accord 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 198k miles

I have a 1997 Honda Accord LX with 198,000 miles on it. One day I heard a pop noise on the driver's side under the hood and noticed the temp. gauge shot up like a bottle rocket. The car ran fine then kinda started to lose power and finally stalled out. I let it cool for a few hours then drove it up my driveway. The next day I changed the thermostat and the temp gauge stayed in normal range but the water in the radiator was still boiling. Finally, a few days later it went hot again. I filled the radiator up and watched the water while the engine ran. I noticed the water wasn't circulating very well with the outlet pipe was cold and the inlet pipe to radiator was very hot just idling.I also noticed a small amount of water coming out of the tailpipe. Could this be a water pump,radiator,or worse case a head gasket or cracked block problem? Thank you!!

Hi dewaynedixon,

The water would not circulate if the thermostat is not opened and that would require the engine to be running for at least 10 minutes. When temp increases, does the cooling fan comes on?

Condensation can occur in exhaust and you need to run the engine for some time before it dries out.

Before jumping to the conclusion that the head or other things are bad, it would be good to monitor the situation.

Does the cooling fans comes on when AC is turned on?
Do you have coolant losses in radiator?
Is the reservoir overflowing or depleting?

Hey my accord has a lot of miles. I live in south Dakota and we drive about a thousand miles every month to go across the state. When we got back on the last trip I noticed there was oil leaking pretty bad out the bottom. Thor was not much oil let in the vehicle. So I thought maybe a bad gasket so I bought this stuff called a&w head gasket repair treatment, I followed it to a t and got everything back together and now its running hot within a half mile of the house. What does it sound like and what should I do. Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to getting a response soon. Later.

if the head gasket repair went to the coolant it won't help the oil probably your head gasket is shot and needs to be replaced.

Can some help me with my car overheating issue ,I have trouble with fans not kicking in .
At times they do at times they do not but right now they do not kick for sure .
Fans are good coz when my engine overheats and the heat guage goes all the way over half or red .
I turn off the engine all the time once the ignition is turned off the fans kick in and runs for about 4 to 7 mins at times .
I have fixed hose there was a leak but now no leaks changed the relay in the electric fuse box .
car over heats when I am stuck in traffic or if I am in parking lot for more than 5 t0 8 mins .
So I have to keep my heater on so that car doesnt over heat .
I guess its the ecu or the temp sensor switch at the hose below the distributor green color one .

Please help me fix this its quite frustrating when I am in Traffic
Thanks ,
Max

Max:
It could be a few things. Have you checked the temp sending unit? Have you tried a different fan relay?

Yes I tried the relay no its not it next thing on my mind is temp sensor at the trermo stat hose what do u say cuz fans r Gud .

Max

hi
I am looking for some kind advise on my issue with my car. I have had it off the road for a about 3years now and recenlty took it back on the road. it starts up extremly well and showz no issues. but i had it services where all oils and coolants were changes due to the length of time it was off road. now i have the issue of the car over heating. it heats up nearly 80% on the gauge. i have kept it away and didnt push it too much . but since a few runs it has calm down a bit but still heats when revved for a while. it realeases water when accellerated from the back and looks a bit steamy when running . have checked the radiator has no oil and oil and cap showing no signs of water either. could you please advise based on my explanation as to what the problem can be.
Thanks

Is your coolant level going down? if so, do a coolant pressure test. This will check for coolant leaks.

If not, while it is overheating, feel both radiator hoses, both should be around the same temperature, if one is a lot hotter than the other you have a thermostat issue.

Also, does the cooling fan come on?

thanks for your quick reply.
there is no loss of coolant but it did have issue of the thermo stat which i replaced.. but still the problem is there but now both hoses are same temp.plus fan does come on to try and cool it,

thank you