I found a thread similar to this on a Honda Civic...

But anyway, My 96 LX Accords thermostat in the dash is going almost to the hottest degree and then when I rev the engine it goes back down to normal (in the middle).

Now, at first I thought this was a water pump issue, and it may still be.

Could this be a mech and electric fan problem? New thermostat? Fan switch fuse? Is there a way I can change the temp? Is it set to high?

I haven't owned the car that long, I just bought it. it has 160k Miles on it so I just was wondering if anyone had any guidance to this issue.

If you all know of a solution, what's the most efficient way into effectively replacing parts or doing the repairs? I know it's easy to say "CHECK FANS!" But what fans? and how would I go about doing this?

Thanks.

 

The temperature gauge on the dash is a gauge. Not a thermostat.

The thermostat is a kind of valve within the cooling system, that diverts water to the radiator or back into the engine to make the temperature stay constant.

This could be a thermostat problem.

When cold, squeeze the radiator hoses. Hondas don't like air in the cooling system, and you'll hear it sloshing around. You should only hear the little rattle-pin in the thermostat, & a water-filled hose feels different than an air-filled hose.

If you have air in there, follow the lower radiator hose back to the thermostat housing. Use the bleed screw back there to get any air out of the system, then make sure it's full at the radiator cap.

Then you can check the fans. On the thermostat housing is one of the fan switches, with a 2-wire plug. Disconnect it & jumper between the 2 wires with a paperclip. Key on, this should make both fans run. If so, you've just checked EVERYTHING in the fan circuit including relays & wiring. Everything except that one switch,..

When driving around (not stopped in traffic), the temperature gauge on the dashboard should read a bit under halfway. When stopped & idling, it should climb somewhat (maybe up to 2/3) before the fans start running. (Sometimes there's enough wind that it won't get hot enough to switch on the fans.)

Let us know how each of those things work.

 

You could be low on coolant. When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap. The coolant should be filled to the top of the radiator. If not, top off the radiator with coolant.

If the system is low on coolant, check coolant level daily. You may have a leak somewhere.

 

Ok thank you guys, I will let you know ASAP what the outcome is.

 

http://redirectingat.com/?id=42X203&...altroubleshoot

this should help you out

 

just to close this thread unofficially...

I purchased an aftermarket radiator and a new connection switch for the 2nd cooling fan.

Everything works great now.

Problem was the factory radiator--had a leak and I was pushing more and more coolant in and out resulting in the coolant leaking out as well.

$89 for the new radiator. Aftermarket, not HONDA parts. But the Honda one was around $400. So...We'll see.