My Accords always shown barely over the 1/4 gauge mark. Today we went to a festival and car show and traffic was bumper to bumper for 2-3 miles and it may have took us 10 mins at walking speeds. When I stopped I noticed my temp at the 3/4 gauge area. The fan turns on at times when the keys off but stops when it's on. I've never noticed the fan on when it's running but it surely is. For a couple months and like 1,000 miles it's never run hot until today. Now I noticed the water level low, maybe a quart or more at times but never saw water dripping. It ran hot because I'm sure it's low like it always is.

What's the normal water temp on the gauge?

How hot is 3/4 gauge? Anyway of really knowing? Anyone use a number gauge on these things?

My plans are a temp gauge with numbers so I'll now the temp and a oil pressure gauge so I know a number.

 

That is a little high. If the fans are running and the cooling system is not very low, check the radiator for clogging from bugs, dirt, etc. If youhave access to compressed air and a small nozzle, try blowing it out from behind.. The right way to do it , is to pull the radiator, The other possibility is a sticking thermostat, but it the temp is normal when driving, I doubt it. Sounds like the radiator is just not getting enough cooling air flow. Keep us posted.

 

I'd want to be sure BOTH fans are coming on when the temp gets high, you didn't sound real confident that they run when the engine is on....

Start it up in the driveway, or leave it running next time you get home from a trip, open the hood, turn the ac and blower off. Watch for BOTH fans to cycle on and off....keep an eye on the temp gauge, if it gets to the 3/4 mark and they don't come on shut it off (key off), does the one fan then kick on? If so it sounds like a bad coolant temp switch a (thermo a).

 

Well I drove it several miles home but it's cool outside. I left it running for 4-5 mins and it never got hot but also never kicked a fan on even when I turned it off and walked away. Now ac on and the big fan turns on, same one that turns on after I turn the car off at times. What sensor controls the fans?

 

First. AC on BOTH fans should run. So there is a problem here.

Check the motor, apply 12v from the battery to it (+ to BLU/BLK, - to BLK), does it run?

If so, then check the #21 20-amp fuse in the under hood fuse panel. Then check #8 7.5-amp fuse in the dash fuse panel. If they are good, try switching the window relay with the cooling fan relay and running the ac.

Then we can get back to checking the other.

 

As poorman212 asked, does both fans turn on when the A/C is on? The fan on the driver side is the A/C condenser fan and the passenger side one is the radiator fan.

If only one fan turns on when the A/C is on, then we move to the next test. On the thermostat housing (lower radiator hose), disconnect the green 2P connector from thermo-switch A. Then using a small paper clip or wire jump the the green electrical connector (not thermo-switch A). Turn the ignition to ON, does both fans run now? If they do, you may have a bad thermo-switch A.

Edit: I was not reading about the same fan being on (e.g. probably radiator fan on). Poorman212 sounds right, might need to check the A/C condenser motor and other things.

 

Well, when I first got the car it had a broken sensor I found, fixed it and got the CEL off. Now, this was a sensor on the head for "Coolant temp control" Now, with this nothing on the temp gauge was affected, it's always showed the same. It came from a car I got for parts that ran but was told overheats if sit idling. Now, I'm not sure this sensor would affect that but throwing it out there. Its not a bad problem but I don't want to have to study my temp gauge in this car like my old hot rods lol. I'm averaging 28mpg and want to keep it running and in decent mechanical shape. Thanks to this site it's all been fixed and all with fast replies. I'll go outside later and check the fan like you all said.

 

Ok I hooked the fan (drivers side) to a battery and it does nothing. So, with the AC being off means I don't ever have a fan running at all? I have a parts car so maybe the fans good, if so I'll swap them tomorrow night.

 

Normally, when the car is on even if the A/C is off, when the coolant temperature reaches ~ 194 degrees at thermo-switch A, both fans should turn on. In your case, if everything else is working properly except for the A/C condenser fan, then only the radiator fan would be on. If both fans do not turn on at ~194 degrees, in addition to the A/C condenser fan being bad, then something else is not working properly. -- Replace the A/C condenser fan motor first.

If A/C is on; both fan should be on whether the temp. is at ~194 degrees or not at thermo-switch A.

 

Check the fan from the "parts car", same as you did with the other. If it works install, then try the test again...both fans should run....if the old fan had an issue, possible a fuse or something else went....hope not.