So I have a 1995 Honda accord ex, and I can't seem to figure out the over heating issue.
I've replaced the radiator, the cap, both hoses, sensors, thermostat and the water pump.
Everything involving the cooling system pretty much.
I was told that if it was a bad head gasket that my car would run like hell,
and it doesn't. It actually runs really good considering my 2.2l vtec has 290xxx+
miles on it. Not sure if that's the original engine though.
And I've also replaced both of the fans. They come on when they should, too.
after a long drive, ill put it in park and my engine will start to rev and I don't know why.
the temp goes up while I'm stopped, but goes down slowly once I Starr accelerating.
I have no idea, my boyfriend and I are both at a loss for words.
HELP!

 

Has the cooling system being purged of air pockets?

Does the coolant level drop?

When overheating, turn the heater on to help disperse engine heat.

 

It can run fine with a leaky head gasket. Sounds like you have just the beginning of one. If so, a leak down test will show coolant being pushed back through the radiator opening on the affected cylinders.

 

The thing is, I've had this car since Feb of last year, and replacing the radiator about 10 months back fixed it, but then it started again and progressively got worse. But the power that I get from the car has stayed the same for the most part. If it was the start of a bad head gasket...and its lasted for months and months, wouldn't it compromise the performance? I'm just so at my wits end with my car, I want to sell it but being as old as it is no one wants it with an overheating problem, which is me as well!
There's no water in my oil or vise versa, compression isn't bad, but its not horrible.
I think that could be just because its an old engine.

 

Oh and yes I have made sure there's no air pockets. My coolant level doesn't drop that much, but it'll overheat and almost redline at a stop, depending on how long I'm sitting, even after filling my radiator.

 

Sounds like you have a leak somewhere....you have to add coolant.

My advise, find the leak. You can rent pressure testers? You can buy a kit for ~$35 that will check for a bad head gasket.

Also know, that if coolant os going out.....air is coming in. Air pockets in these cars can cause all kinds of stange things....hence, find and fix the leak.

 

Delores, I can only speak from a similar experience. My 230K, '96 LX ran great, had excellent compression with all cylinders within 5%, no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil. Yet it would consume a quart of coolant every 200 miles with no external leaks.

If I let it go to ~250 miles without adding coolant, the gauge would shoot up to near the red zone when idling after a highway drive, or making a fast, sweeping left turn on the interstate. Pull over to the side of the road, let it cool, fill up the radiator and overflow tank, and it would be fine for another 200 or so miles.

The fact that there were no other common bad-head-gasket symptoms threw me for a loop. So I rigged up a way to pressurize the cylinders using a compression tester and a compressor, pressurized each cylinder at top dead center, and saw coolant being slowly pushed out of the radiator on cylinders one and two.

Pulled the head, noticed that it had a Fel-Pro gasket, took the head to a machine shop who told me it was flat and needed no machining, checked the block with a straightedge and feeler gauges and found that it was flat within spec, and decided to do a quick and dirty head gasket replacement i.e., didn't loosen the timing belt tensioner - just flipped the camshaft in and out, and replaced just the head and manifold gaskets. Reused the old head bolts but wire wheeled the threads, oiled them up, and chased out the bolt holes.

$115 for the top end gaskets put an end to losing coolant. The engine never overheated again. My guess is that whoever replaced the head gasket before did something wrong; didn't torque at the correct values or correct pattern or increments, didn't clean the head bolts or block holes, whatever.

 

Hey guys, sorry it's taken me so long to respond. Been kind of busy.
I was just told of something called Liquid Copper, has anyone here ever used
it? and what were the results? the big problem with my car is that its
very temperamental. sometimes the temperature will be fine, others it'll red line.
I'm trying to avoid completely blowing my head gasket, if I'm not near
there already. I drive out to riverside a couple times a week, sometimes it'll be fine, like this morning. I let the car sit once I got out there for a good 5 minutes, and the temp didn't move, but it had gotten up to half way on the drive there. normal operating temperature for my car is about 1/4. and when it sat, that's where it was. I'm completely baffled. I just can't afford to fix the head gasket, if that is the case, seeing as how I'm unemployed at the moment.

 

No personal experience with leak stoppers but I've heard that they tend to clog up the radiator and reduce cooling.

Keep a couple of gallons of water in the car. Check the radiator and overflow levels each morning while the car is cold, refill as necessary, and get a leakdown test when you can afford it.

 

hmm, I know some guys at a shop that swear by this stuff. ill have to go to autozone and check it out myself. what exactly is a leak down test and where can I find one?