My 97 accord with an f22b2 engine overheats at stop lights, both cooling fans are working and I just changed out the radiator and bled the cooling system. It has done this before the radiator change. The car doesn't appear to be burning or losing coolant and the exhaust is normal and not white smoke, but the coolant in the reservoir is not completely going back into the radiator and when hot, the coolant level is over the MAX line. I have to pour the coolant from the reservoir back into the radiator when the engine is cold, and the radiator is full when I do that and the coolant in the reservoir goes back to the MIN line. I changed out the hoses to and from the radiator to the reservoir and it helped a bit to suck coolant back into the radiator, but when I've been driving on the highway for a while, after that when I come back to city at a stop light, it will start to overheat a bit. Thanks for any help.

 

A weak radiator cap spring would allow fluid to boil and escape to the reservoir. New cap may fix problem.

good luck

 

Also take a close look at the 2 different rims of the radiator neck. That's where the outermost & 2nd rubber seal of the cap press. Any gouges or large scratches might act like a weak radiator cap - except that a new cap won't fix that problem.

 

thats exactly what my 1994 honda accord lx 2.2 does. been doing it since i got it 5 years ago and 60,000 miles..

 

How are you determining it is overheating ?

 

by watching the temperature gauge rise. it runs below the 1/2 mark until climbing a steep grade or idling at a stop light, but once i get rolling again the gauge drops, maybe thats normal. today the overfill container filled 2 inches above the max line, and the gauge started to rise above the 1/2 mark. the coolant did return to the radiator by the time i got back to the car 1.5 hours.

 

when you say both cooling fans are working I am assuming you are checking that with a/c off correct?? what is the ambient temp , how far up the gauge does it go more than 5/8? if coolant is full, fans working , like someone mentioned I'd make sure cap is ok , when engine cold, remove that cap and pressure test it