Hello all and thank you in advance for any information you can give me.

I have a 1999 Honda Accord EX coupe 5 speed 4 cyl. Recently it started overheating while I was stopped (idling at a red light or sitting in a parking spot) I live in Florida and it's pretty hot. Usually when I turn on the blower and start driving it normalized but, today when I was driving it shot up to the red zone so I pulled over on the highway and it shut off. I let it sit for about 30 minutes where the temp had lowered below 1/4 and drove it to the nearest off ramp (less than a mile) when I pulled into the gas station it once again shut off (not at the red zone this time a little below) so I let it sit for about another 30 minutes and refilled both the radiator and reserve tank with anti freeze. I went to drive it again to get it home (about 3/4 a mile) and it started gunning for that red line again, I shut it off before it shut off itself.


The fans are working and there is anti freeze in both the radiator and reserve tank (reserve tank it right below max) I looked for leaks in the hoses and havnt found anything. My only other thought would be the thermostat but I thought I would ask to see if anyone else had any opinions.

Once again thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

*edited for spelling

 

Check thermostat. It could be stuck

 

You said you refilled your radiator and reserve tank.. So are you losing coolant?

 

Not that I can see. Ive checked several times (the car has cooled completely now) there are no puddles on the ground nor is anything wet under the hood.

 

Is your reservoir Still at max? Or did the level drop?

 

Just checked the coolant after it sat there for the rest of the day and the reserve tank is completely empty.

 

Then you got a leak somewhere. Probably not a big one since you done see anything under the car so small enough to just leak out and burn up against the engine before it can make it to the ground. Is your check engine light on?

 

When you car overheats, turn on the heat inside the car and have the blower set to high. You will be miserable, but this helps cool the engine.

I would stop by a parts store and rent a radiator pressure tester. It is a simple setup where you attach an hand air pump to the radiator . Put about 15 psi on the radiator and look for leaks when the engine is cold. I would guess the radiator is the culprit, but test first.

 

Thank you, Ill try this sometime this afternoon. I also bought a new thermostat and will be replacing it today. Also, this morning I noticed a small pool of antifreeze by the hose that connects the radiator to the reserve tank. Also noticed there was no clamp on it and it was pretty loose (can just pull it off without any effort) So, Ill try to clamp that down as well.

I also wanted to add that the radiator is brand new (about two months old). I didnt replace it, the person I bought it from did. I actually have the receipt for it so if it is faulty, I should be able to just return it. Just wanted to throw that in there. I also read somewhere that the radiator cap itself could be faulty? From what I read there is a small part in the cap that regulates when it pulls from the reserve tank but, since the reserve tank is empty, I assume that part is at least working.

 

Yes, the check engine light went on sometime last week. I brought it to Autozone and asked them to run the codes. They said the machine came back saying there were no errors. Also brought it to Jiffy Lube (same day) and had them change everything (oil, antifreeze) as well as do a system check and they said the same thing, it came back with no errors.

Another thing I noticed is that when the temp does go all the way up and I shut off the car, if I turn the key back immediately the temp gauge is significantly lower than it was a half a second ago when I turned off the car (3/4 when shut off, right above 1/2 when turned back). I don't know if that means anything, just something I noticed.