1997 Honda Accord, 4 clyinder with no apparent leaks around the hoses or out the bottom of the car. Overheating when stopped at red lights? I have to put fluid in about every 3 months. Heater is not working which I think is linked to the overheating issue. I have replaced the thermostat and raidator cap. Both fans turn on the air conditioner is turned on. when Anyone have any ideas as to what is causing this issue?

 

Is this a 4 or 6 cylinder?

Start the car and turn on the a/c. Do both fans on the radiator turn on?

 

4 cylinder and both fans turn on when the AC is on.

 

Does the car always overheat when at idle, or just when the coolant is low? Also, do both of those fans turn on when the car overheats?

Does white smoke come out of the exhaust? When changing the oil, is there ever any coolant in the oil?

I would also rent a coolant pressure tester. If your radiator should be able to hold ~15 psi for around 30 min. If not, try to find where coolant is leaking.

 

The heat not working can be an air bubble or a heater core issue also.

 

When coolant is low. Not sure about if both fans turn on when it overheats.
There is a little white smoke coming out of the exhaust, but I have never found coolant in the oil.

 

jjgbls-Can you jump the switch/sensor to see if the fans come on? Green two pin switch on the t-stat housing. If the fans come on you've almost nailed the issue, last step would be to test the switch to get to 100%. If you jump it and the fans do not come on then there is more testing needed-relays, fuses, ect.

EDIT: Still need to find the leak...sorry, bad reading on my part. Try bleeding the system. Also as suggested by PA, rent the tester to be sure there is no leak or find the source.

 

When the car reaches that temp that the fan comes on are both fans supposed to come on?or just the passenger side fan?i had a lilttle overheat problem with my car after i bled it it started to stay stable but now the temp gauge is acting up again and i only get the passenger side turning on is this right or are both supposed to come on?the driver side turns on only when the ac is on.its a 97 lx 4cyl btw.Thanks.

 

Both are supposed to come on with the AC
Both are supposed to come on when it gets hot with engine running.

If it's hot, only one comes on after you turn off the engine.

Since they both run under some conditions (AC) that kinda rules out a bad fan motor. Look for relays that aren't working (or loose/corroded/dirty connections etc).

 

yea they both work but not when it gets really hot only under seperate conditions.i'll check for the relays and connections to see. i was under the impression one fan was radiator fan and the other was ac fan.