Overheating at idle
 

this is an odd one. I've never had an overheating issue with my 94, except about a year ago when I replaced the radiator and forgot to plug the fan back in. Lately, though (despite the below-freezing temps in Washington right now) I've started to see my temp gauge rise above normal when at idle or in heavy traffic. Turning the heater on fixes the problem in about ten seconds, so at this point it isn't too much of a worry for me. However, it started happening after I high centered on a logging road, and I fear that I may have damaged something in the cooling system. There are no leaks, though, so I'm hoping its electrical. Any pointers?

When heat goes above normal, check that both cooling fans are running. If not both running, either bad fan motor or bad fan relay.

If both fans are off, check fan function by shorting thermoswitch A connector w/ wire jumper and turning keyswitch to On. Both fans should come on and run. If not, then both fans are bad or both fan relays are bad.

good luck

I should have mentioned: I removed my A/C, so I only have one fan. I was under the impression that the fan on the passenger side was the only one triggered by coolant temps in that situation.

Check whether your single fan is running in overtemp condition.

good luck

Thanks, will post with a diagnosis after work today.

Honda calls em "radiator" fan & "condenser" fan but that's kind of a historical throwback. They both should run when the coolant temperature gets too hot.

Anyway, how about any wiring down low that might have been damaged?

Low coolant, fans not running, water pump laying down.

Check those and it should point you a direction

Could be restricted air flow through the radiator when you have overheating at low speeds or stopped. It would be on the side of the radiator facing the condenser usually.

dumped almost a third of a gallon of premix in. Looks like I'm burning coolant. Motor is at around 250k if I had to guess. Should I be worried about this?
Also, I'm running DC stainless headers and no heat shield, might that be related?

Leak is either internal (head gasket) or external (hose, fitting, water pump, etc).

An external leak has potential to leave you stranded on the road. I would suggest at a minimum performing a cold pressurized leak test to determine location of leak/s. External leaks should be repaired.

Check oil for white/yellow foamy material on inside of oil filler cap and rust/foam on dipstick. Either or both would suggest head gasket is allowing water to enter oil. Driving long term w/ this condition can damage the engine.

good luck