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Car Forum / Honda Cars / April 20061998 Hatch overheat.
After a flat out run from Kingston to Toronto (250km), I had the car idling in the driveway for several minuits to check things over (Can't be too careful with a beater that's got 280,000km and still running with all the original components under the hood). To my surprise, after idling in the driving for several minuets, the engine temperature gage starting rising. Which was very surprising, cause that was the first time I've ever seen the temp gage move from it's 1/3 mark. I checked under the hood and the reservoir was at the max level. The radiator and in/out house were all warm to the touch (warm enough for me to grab hold of them without burning...which is surprising since the car was going over 100mph back from Kingston). It only took me less then a min to do all the checking cause I was in a bit of panic. I went back into the car, the heater was turned off and all the way into the cold position. I moved the leaver all the way into the hot position and blasted the heat. Very hot air started coming out the heater and the temperature gage dropped back into its normal 1/3 position. It's been several days since that episode and I haven't encountered anymore weird problem with my cooling system. My guess is, after driving the vehicle hard it cooled off rapidly after exiting the highway and idling in the driveway, somehow air was introduced in the cooling system, there was some kind of blockage and when I turned on the heater, the blockage cleared up. If so, I won't worry about it. But, I'd like to here if you Guru's got any suggestion for preventative maintenance. Pars > After a flat out run from Kingston to Toronto (250km), I had the car > idling in the driveway for several minuits to check things over (Can't [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Pars have you changed the thermostat? and is the rad clogged with insects? The thermostat is still orginal. But I'm kinda leery about replacing it. I've had past situations where the new thermostat didn't work. I wouldn't want to throw out a perfectly good one (that's proven itself) for a defective one. The radiator has seen 280,000km and the fins are beatup to hell and almost flat across the board. Even thow, the engine bay is huge for such a small engine (very airy), so even a bad rad is probably still ok. But, I'll have to keep an eye on it when the weather starts to get realy hot. > The thermostat is still orginal. But I'm kinda leery about replacing > it. I've had past situations where the new thermostat didn't work. I > wouldn't want to throw out a perfectly good one (that's proven itself) > for a defective one. if you buy oem, there's really very little chance of that. > The radiator has seen 280,000km and the fins are > beatup to hell and almost flat across the board. that makes it a good candidate! especially in this situation where it's working ok whole driving, but overheating while stationary. > Even thow, the engine > bay is huge for such a small engine (very airy), so even a bad rad is > probably still ok. bay size has nothing to do with it. there's just no way the surface of the block can dissipate sufficient heat to keep the motor cool. think about how many times the surface area of a finned motorcycle cylinder compares to that of an unfinned cylinder. the ratio is something like 100:1. > But, I'll have to keep an eye on it when the weather > starts to get realy hot. sure, but an ounce of prevention [thermostat, clean rad, maybe rad cap] is a damned sight cheaper than a few thousand dollars of cure! The radiator is clean, but most of the fins are flatten from stone chip. Which will require a new rad core. That's a little too pricy at this time. I'm willing to wait it out a bit, especially if it seems as if the rad is doing it's part. > The radiator is clean, but most of the fins are flatten from stone > chip. Which will require a new rad core. That's a little > too pricy at this time. I'm willing to wait it out a bit, especially if > it seems as if the rad is doing it's part. understood. but if you have a little time on your hands, you can often do a reasonable job of straightening them up with a small nail or something similar. and it might be a good idea to look into the protective expanded metal grille mod! i need to do that this summer when i have a bit more time. fwiw, this: http://63.89.49.212/ipb/wizard.jsp?partner=ipb&clientid=alleurasianautoparts&bas eurl=http://www.alleurasianautoparts.com/&cookieid=1RP1AA1KG1RP1AA1KF&year=1998& make=HO&model=CVC-DX2-002&category=G&part=Radiator&appTransmissionType=Automatic unless it's a pricing error, is very affordable! > understood. but if you have a little time on your hands, you can often > do a reasonable job of straightening them up with a small nail or [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > http://snipurl.com/ojni > unless it's a pricing error, is very affordable! It isn't an error. Plastic ones are low-cost/undurable/unrepairable. Here are brass ones for less... http://stores.ebay.com/ABLEMARVS-STORE A popularity with a brass unit is that they can be repaired and hold up to higher temperatures. I've not bought from this ebay store so I don't know much about their product. >>understood. but if you have a little time on your hands, you can often >>do a reasonable job of straightening them up with a small nail or [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > higher temperatures. I've not bought from this ebay store so I don't > know much about their product. there was a time when i might have agreed with you on that, but not any more. yes, when the plastic cracks, and it does eventually [after about 10 years], the radiator's done and it's not repairable. BUT, brass/copper radiators are soldered, and solder creeps at operating temperatures. consequently, in my experience, those things end up leaking much more frequently, /and/ those leaks are harder to track down. so, /i/ am a plastic and aluminum guy these days. they work, they work well, and they last pretty much as long as the road debris damage you're experiencing allows. plus they're lighter. I would expect plastic and aluminum to be more brittle then the other medals. If so, it wouldn't be a good replacement for my rad,simply because mine tends to attrack a lot of stone chip and perhaps more likely to crack and leak from the impact. It already happened to me once when the car was brand new (less then 5000km on it). I hated the fact that Honda classified it as road-hazzard and didn't help pay for the replacement. Pars > >>understood. but if you have a little time on your hands, you can often > >>do a reasonable job of straightening them up with a small nail or [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > they work well, and they last pretty much as long as the road debris > damage you're experiencing allows. plus they're lighter. "pars" <sdaro@hotmail.com> wrote > I would expect plastic and aluminum to be more brittle then the other > medals. If so, it wouldn't be a good replacement for my rad,simply [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > fact that Honda classified it as road-hazzard and didn't help pay for > the replacement. Plastic radiators are reliable if they're engineered right. My original 280K-miles plastic radiator is one heck of a monster. But as soon as someone complains about a leak on a plastic radiator the game is over. There are no tools in the shop than can repair the nylon reliably. We'd smash the engine block on a hoist that penetrated the Civic's brass radiator and ripped open a 3" gaping hole ...it was no problem with a propane torch. Try welding an aluminum tank with a TIG welder and you're liable to blast a hole right thru it. Solder creeps occur once every six years or so and the torch will fix 'em for another decade. Usually, if you can't find the creep, you'd just pop open the top with a torch and clean out the coolant tubes with a long dipstick. The reassembly will fix two problems. > The radiator is clean, but most of the fins are flatten from stone > chip. Which will require a new rad core. you can buy a "comb" to straighten the fins out. ive seen em at autozone/pep boys/ etc. > The thermostat is still orginal. Thermostat is a prime culprit. Replace it with OEM. They ought to be changed every 5 years or so anyway. > But I'm kinda leery about replacing > it. I've had past situations where the new thermostat didn't work. I > wouldn't want to throw out a perfectly good one (that's proven itself) > for a defective one. It costs all of $20. > The radiator has seen 280,000km and the fins are > beatup to hell and almost flat across the board. But not rotten? That's odd. Up here they corrode into dust.  SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ OK. I can handle $20 dollars. I'll get my mechanic to change the thermostat the next time I take the car in for an oil change. It only took me 7.5 years to accumilate 280K and no noticeable corrosion on the rad. > After a flat out run from Kingston to Toronto (250km), I had the car > idling in the driveway for several minuits to check things over (Can't [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Pars ------------------------------- I don't see you saying that the rad fan(s) were running. They should have been. When it cools there should be NO AIR under the rad cap. I think you'll find some. Rad cap not pressurizing properly / air in system. 'Curly' Sounds like good advice. The fan was working well and turned off on cue when engine went back to normal temperture. I'll have to check inside the radiator in the morning to make sure it's topped up all the way. Considering that the resevoir is at the min level when the engine is cool, it'll probably be ok. I guess the next thing to do would be to replace the radiator cap. I also suspected the rad cap as the culprit. > I don't see you saying that the rad fan(s) were running. They should > have been. When it cools there should be NO AIR under the rad cap. I > think you'll find some. Rad cap not pressurizing properly / air in > system. It's gotta be the rad fans. Or the relays that turn them on. No no.. The fan (only one) was working properly. It came on when the engine started to over heat and only turned off when the engine temperature went back to normal. But even though the fan was working properly, the engine was still overheating. It was when I turned on the interior heater that caused the engine's overheating to stop. > No no.. The fan (only one) was working properly. It came on when > the engine started to over heat and only turned off when the engine [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > caused the engine's overheating > to stop. It sounds like either a bad thermostate. Or the radiator itself is all gummed up on the inside making it not so effective. How many months and miles old is the radiator fluid? Old fluid can cause an overheat. Also a gummed up radiator can cause an overheat. Did you ever use tap water to top off the radiator? If so how much? The calcium deposits build up from tap water, that's why I always use bottled water. East- The radiator's coolant was suppose have been changed with the last timing belt replacement which was 40,000km ago. I've got a bottle of de-ionizined coolant for top-ups. If I were to use bottled water, it would probably be Aquafina instead of mineralized water. I would never put tap water into a Honda rad. I'm going to get a price for a rad replacement from my Mechanic and go from there. Even if it does appear to work well, it's still got 280,000km on it, which can't be good. |
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