Im having the problem with me 92 accord lx overheating at red lights and alot of stop and go traffic. It does fine on highways and short trips. i check the rad. every morn and have to add a little bit. if any tips or suggestions pls let me know.

thanks

 

Sounds like your electric fans aren't running...pop the hood and watch your fans at idle. May be a blown fuse.

 

Are you checking the overflow bottle or checking the actual radiator?

 

i check the radiator itself the overflow box would still be at it full line.

 

I did that that they came on. Is there a way that they may not come on every time there needed.

 

How old is your thermostat?

We're having you check some of the easy stuff to rule it out.

A bad radiator cap can result in a full reservoir while the radiator itself has some air. Air in the cooling system can explain the lack of interior heat.

A bad thermostat can also mess up the flow distribution, for example not sending anything to the heater.

Fans that don't run can be caused by a bad fan switch (in the thermostat housing); that'll cause it to overheat while stopped like at a red light.

Now... since you have to add to the coolant, you need to find the leak. If you can't find it, try to get/borrow/rent a tester. It's kinda like a tire pump that hooks to the radiator (in place of the radiator cap). Pressurize the system cold, so the coolant doesn't evaporate as soon as it leaks.

 

ok thanks im going to try these things out. the thermostat is about a year old i got it from the honda dealer and sat the car down shortly after because of this problem. I had my heater core flushed today the guy said it was clean but does not mean its any good i hope thats not it so ill try the simple things first and let you guys know what happens. this is all really apprecaited.

thanks again

 

How about the positioning of the thermostat? Did you install it yourself?

There's a little rattle-pin in the T-stat. The gasket that fits over the edge of the T-stat, has a notch cut out for that rattle-pin. And there's a little recess in the T-stat housing where that fits (at the top). That rattle-pin has to be able to move.

I've only done this on newer Hondas, but I'm assuming that's about the same. It would have been difficult to put the T-stat in backwards or upside-down, but maybe that was different in earlier engines...?

 

I believe I have found the problem i started some of the trouble shooting idea you guys gave and i found antifreeze in the passenger floor board. I was told by a local mechanic that is the heater core and that can also make the car run hot. Thanks for all yo inputs i really learned alot. I will update this once i have the heater core install and let u know if that solved my problem

thanks again

 

Oh, have fun with that. I bet you have to dismantle half the dash...