97 honda accord over heating

[cookbayou]

I've just acquired a 1997 honda accord from my sister. It overheated the other day and she had it towed to the honda dealer and they said the radiators shot $400 to fix plus $1600 for the a/c condenser. Anyway she didnt want to dump $2000 into the old car so they offered $500 for trade in on another car. Well I got a honda for $500. Looked at it tonight and the radiators full of antifreeze. I dont think its the radiator maybe the thermostat or the electric fan. How would I test the thermostat? Anyway Ill take a better look at it in the day light maybe its some thing simple like a fuse? Any suggestions would be apperciated. Thanks

 

[rogerwa]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Check thermostat. Just pull it out and stick in a pot of water on the stove and take note of if and when it opens.

Also look at the waterpump. Ensure the belt isn't broken.

Also, does the AC get cold?? if so I don't think you have a condenser prob. The Cooling fan is a possibility. If it has two fans, one of them should come on with the AC.

You can check the fan(s) by letting it heat up and then seeing if the fan comes on. If it doesn't it could be the fan or the temp switch.

 

[generator12]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

I agree. My grandson's Toyota Corolla was overheating. Disconnected the temp switch, which caused the fan to run constantly and the overheating stopped.

(Of course, he sees the "check engine" light every time he drives it, but he'll ignore that until he decides that the cost of a new switch is worth not running the fan constantly.)

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

I agree. My grandson's Toyota Corolla was overheating. Disconnected the temp switch, which caused the fan to run constantly and the overheating stopped.

(Of course, he sees the "check engine" light every time he drives it, but he'll ignore that until he decides that the cost of a new switch is worth not running the fan constantly.)

I thought the fans NOT running would cause it to overheat. The temp switch turns them on to COOL the engine does it not? If he wants to keep the car I would find out for sure what was causing the CEL i by scanning for the codes..The fans I dont think are part of the OBD11 system which causes the check engine light to come on.

 

[royal0014]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

If the 'stat is in doubt, replace it. Simple. Check the water pump. Check the fans for proper operation at temperature.

Depending on how hot and for how long, you could have a blown head gasket in your near future..... which will cause a warped head....


<<)))(((>>

 

[cookbayou]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Started the car this morning it was 30 degrees out. Car warmed up fine but wouldn't overheat. The radiator fan never came on. Guess I need to hook it up straight to 12v and see what happens. Or wait on some warmer weather. My dad said the condenser fan was not working before. So that explains why the a/c wasn't working. I don't think she warped the head or blew a gasket says she pulled over soon as she seen it was overheating.

 

[cookbayou]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Maybe the radiator has a pinhole leak I need to pressurize it

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Check the oil make sure there is no water in it.

Check the water make sure there is no oil in it.

Next I would flush and fill the radiator all new antifreeze.

Then I would Change the thermostat all of this can be done for less than $40.00

and if that doesn't work I would go to Pull a part and buy a radiator for $20

 

[generator12]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Fairlaneman, what I probably didn't do a good job of explaining is that the Corolla was overheating due to failure of the fan to operate. Some troubleshooting disclosed that the fan switch had failed and was at the root of this.

While going through it, I found that disconnecting the switch caused two things to happen:

1. The fan operates any time the engine is running, regardless of temperature.
2. The "check engine" light also operates any time the engine is running.

Apparently they designed it so that the switch DISABLES the fan when cool, rather than ENABLING it when hot, and interlocked it so that a warning would ensue if the circuit fails.

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

I wouldnt dump a penny into useless repairs, is the radiator resivour full or have you noticed it go down? <--indicates leak.(doubtfull since you state you have a full radiator) Whe nthe car gets normal operating temp the thermostat will open and upper radiator hose will get hot. if it never gets hot then its a bad thermostat. I use to have a 96(same style) accord good ole f22 motor. Fyi people turbo boost those motors ya know
also: if i remember right you have to bleed the air out if you intend to drain and refill coolant.
also #2- hondatech.com is a very good honda forum

 

[jeeperman]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

I hope your sister did not buy a different car from THAT dealer.

 

[cookbayou]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

No they didn't get a car frome that dealer. But they've been have bad luck with cars lately. The same day her car over heated my BIL got a flat on his car and the tires ain't but a month or two old. So they got the tire fixed under warrenty then Thursdaynight they were car shopping the salesman did want to barrgin with them so they go to leave and his two year old accura wouldn't start (battery). Anyway I'll hopefully be able to tow the honda overhere by this next weekend. Then I'll tear into it.

 

[jlinder]

Re: 97 honda accord over heating

Just some general thoughts
1. If it is a problem with the fan not coming on then the overheating would happen when the car is stopped but not when it is moving. If the car is moving the air flow from driving will keep it cool.
2. If you take the time to remove the thermostat I would not even bother to check it. It is about $15-$20. Just replace it.
3. If coolant level is not dropping (check the overflow tank also) then you don't have a leak. (BTW - check the oil for a milky look)
4. Check for the possibility of air in the system. Air can get trapped and cause all sorts of problems. You need to make sure there is no air trapped in the system. (Not sure how to do that on your car. My mechanic will vacuum the system until the hoses collapse then let the system suck the antifreeze in)