i was driving on a back road and started to loose power ( steering and brakes ) and pulled over to figure out what was going on. my temp gauge never went above half way. Smoke started pouring out of the hood and coolant was draining onto the road. I couldnt see were the coolant was leaking from were should I start looking?
The first thing to look for is obvious leaks. They usually come from either the hoses or the radiator. Touch all the coolant hoses and make sure none are hardened or soft, if they are then replace them. Then I would verify that the cooling fans come on. I highly reccomend testing the thermostat by removing it and placing it in a pot of boiling water. Its located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine and is held in by 10MM bolts. It should spring open immediately when you put it in boiling water, if not then its bad. Don’t buy a Stant brand t-stat (personal opinion) use either a OEM Honda one from a dealer or a Gates brand one. Gates is the OEM manufacturer for that part. From my experience once an old thermostat overheats its a good idea to replace it no matter what, be sure to use a new rubber gasket.
Assuming you have no leaks, or have fixed them, and once you either verify the thermostat is good or replace it then its time to refill the system. Keep your heater in the On position in the car so the heater core doesn’t trap air. Once its full you will need to bleed the air out of the system, search this board for how to bleed it properly, its been covered numerous times.
I would be wary of your fan switch and ECT sensor. Let us know what you find out so far and if the sensors are questionable then I can post info on how to test them. You will need access to a multimeter to test them. I wish you the best of luck and please post back if you need any more assistance.
your reply helped me lol i seem to over heat if i don’t have my temp knob to the hot position even with out the heat on it seems that the flow through the heater box relieves some heat pretty sure my thermostat is bad but not 100% sure and haven’t had time or money to really dig into it. hasn’t over heated but was leaking slightly from one of the intake manifolds small coolant lines. damn these old hoses.
same thing happened to me the small hoses from the intake manifold and heater hose. I recommend change all your hoses too to avoid future problems. :salute:
I noticed that the hoses are really soft so I will replace them. Just changed thermostate and temp sensior andect switch. Do you think since the car has over heated that I should replace the thermo again?!?
I’d recommend the boiling water test for piece of mind. Understanding how the thermostat operates is good knowledge to possess. Instead of trying to explain it I will defer to this article: What Does a Thermostat Do in a Car? | HowStuffWorks
Thanks for the advice I will test it first and see if it is still working properly.
speakin of hoses,had one rupture on me yesterday,looked like a by pass cool hose,temp guage went towards the red,pulled over to let it cool and took it home.i replaced the hose,re filled the coolant and took it for a drive but now my check engine light lite up,does any one know why that would be:hmm:
You know I have a book on codes how many flashes do you get? I can tell you what the source of the code is. I had a tiny vaccum line that disconnected on me I reconnected it bought new radiator hoses and I have not been able to duplicate the running issue. So thanks to everyone who posted advice.
Overheating problem & coolant spitting out of the reservoir hose
same this is happening to my Da. DA is overheating. i see the temp gauge going sky rocket from normal temp (below half way on the gauge) to close to the red line. and i see the water shooting out of the reservoir. Do you think is my radiator cap or has air inside that i need to bleed?
I’m sorry but i’m new here especially on posting threads and asking help. first let me tell you about my car, its a 90 Integra LS, everything is Stock. recently change took down the head because of spark plug stuck in the engine. So we took the head down. checked the water pump and timing belt and looks like the water pump and the timing belt were still recently change because they looks so new, i left the water pump in there but change the timing belt, just wanted to make sure. Then we put everything back in place. this was 2 months ago. i remember, when we put everything back in place, i didn’t bleed the radiator lines, so hopefully this is the problem, but i wanted to get your inputs about it since you guys are the experts =)
i also checked my radiator cap and it needs to be replace, rubber gasket are worn out, has some chips on the sides of the gastek, hopefully this will also solve the problem of over heating.
i also keep losing coolant to the point that i have to put like 1/4 of a gallon of coolant every morning. but there is no leaks, but like i said, once after i drive the car for 15-20 mns, i see the coolant rushing out of the reservoir hose. but the temperatur is normal at this time.
I turn on the heater all the way, when the car is stop, there is no heat coming out of my heater, but once the car starts to move pass 15 miles, heat comes out of it. Fans are working, both fans cuz i just checked them and they were working… i check the coolant and i don’t see any oil in it, and vice versa. No coolant mixture in the oil, so i’m hoping to head cracks. No white smoke also…
so what do you think?
also, just a reminder, i bought a replacement radiator cap from Kragen when they told me is the correct cap (cuz i gave them the info of my car, all that procedure), but when i put it on, it doesn’t hold the pressure cuz after driving for 10mns, coolant is leaking out of the cap… No BUENO on those cap, so i’m picking up an OEM one from an Acura Parts Dealer for $19. the kragen cap looks cheap also…
any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much