EG Overheating?

General engine questions/issues that aren't specific to the other categories
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EG Overheating?

By vince72310
- Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:48 am #350512 ive had my EG for about 3 years now for 2 years it was my dad's car because i wasn't 18 yet, but when we first got it sometimes we would be driving and the Temp gauge will just shoot up past the H and past the red we were worried about it for awhile but everything ran fine no problems, then i got the car and it didnt do that at all for along time until recently i installed my HIDs and the cars temp shot straight up again so sometimes at night when i turn my HIDs the temp shoots straight up and doesnt go back down and if it does it goes to the halfway margin. Even sometimes without my hids ill turn my car on and the temp gauge goes up past the H but my car runs fine, i dont smell nothing, my heater works fine, i always put antifreeze in my car every week so idk what the problem is. Maybe my water pump or thermostat is broken :?
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By TrailerTrash
- Sat Dec 20, 2014 12:07 pm #350513 as soon as you start the car the gauge jumps up to hot even when the car is cold?

youll be driving along and it will jump up to hot?

or youll be driving and it will start rising and continue to rise steady till it gets up to hot?

if its the first two, it could be an electrical problem. if its the third, then you have a problem of some other kind. and if you have to put coolant in every week then its loosing it and thats part of the problem
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Re: EG Overheating?

By suspendedHatch
- Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:35 pm #350542
vince72310 wrote:i always put antifreeze in my car every week so idk what the problem is.


Well having to add antifreeze every week is one problem for starters :lol:

If your car needs coolant that frequently, just add water until you get it figured out.

Don't drive a car when it's overheating just because it seems to run fine. What indication are you looking for, the engine to explode? With overheating the head will warp and blow the head gasket, which could lead to the engine burning coolant.

Water pump is one likely culprit for the original problem. Everything related to the cooling system should be investigated.
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By vince72310
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:48 am #351579 ok i found out my problem was my water pump broke soooo i replaced the water pump and timing belt, i also replaced the thermostat and "burped" the cooling system which didn't have a lot of air bubbles so after allll of this and some $250 later when i drive my car still says its overheating itll go up to the H and stay there for a bit then drop back down it mostly goes to H when im either stuck in traffic or driving slow idk what else there is to fix!? :cry: :?

i want to get a pressure test on my radiator to check maybe my radiator is messed up
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By teal_dx
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:27 am #351580 Are you 100% sure it was completely bled? Sometimes the throttle has to be held at 2000 or so RPM for a while to get the thermostat to open completely.

Most importantly, are you still having to add antifreeze?

By JohnRM
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:03 am #351581 So you replaced the water pump and also bled the cooling system. What about the cooling fan, does it work? You said that you mostly get it when in traffic and it rises
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By TrailerTrash
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:18 am #351582 sounds to me like the cooling fan isnt coming on as said above.

explain EXACTLY how you bled the coolant system
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By vince72310
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 5:57 am #351586 I probably have to bleed it again I didn't hold the throttle for a long time maybe Minute but in intervals. No I do not have to add any antifreeze and when I took my water pump to get fixed another problem was that the fan was never turning on so they had to bypassed it so whenever I turn the car on the fan turns on and stays on till I turn the car off
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By EconoBox
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:40 pm #351592 Bleeding/burping the coolant system doesnt require using the bleed screw which is why Honda stopped installing bleed screws on the cars. Removing the air from your coolant system doesn't require any special tools however I've linked two tools that both work great and help make sure you do it right the first time.

Here is the step by step of how to get all of the air out. ***Keep an eye on your coolant gauge while doing this***
1. Slide the heater temperature setting to maximum heat (You have to open this valve to get coolant flowing through the whole system
2. Fill the radiator all the way to the top of the fill neck
3. With the cap off of the radiator start your car and let it idle until it reaches normal operating temperature and the fan comes on (If it is cold out or the car is taking awhile to warm up you can fold a business card up and place it under the throttle stop to hold the RPMs higher, also if your fan is constant on now is the time to unhook it)
4. If you have a bleed screw you can use it. You will open it until coolant comes out in a steady stream with no bubbles. I find the easiest way without tools is to just keep an eye on the top of the radiator and watch the bubbles coming out. When the thermostat opens it will suddenly drop in coolant level and a lot of air will burp out. If your fan is bypassed you will want to turn it back on once the thermostat opens. It is recommended to let the thermostat cycle 3 times to be sure its clear of all air. Each time the coolant level drops top it off the radiator again.
5. Fill the coolant resevoir up to the max line
6. Put the cap back on the radiaotr and resevoir and test drive the car.
You're all done! Pat yourself on the back and drink a beer (Not while driving!)

If the car is still overheating after that its time to start troubleshooting your coolant system for issues like a bad fan switch, bad fan, thermostat stuck, coolant leaks all that good stuff.

Use this tool to bleed/burp the air out of your coolant system. This is what I use and it works every time.http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24610-Spill-Free-Funnel/dp/B001A4EAV0

Or this if you have $$$ like that. This is great for K swaps and S2000 coolant systems.
http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com/Airlift-Coolant-Refill-Kit-P39625.aspx?gclid=CKCq4YmyyMMCFe_m7AodTFIA2g
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By vince72310
- Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:59 pm #351609 Ok thanks bro!! I'll try that today. I was driving and my car does sound a little different so there might be air still. I'll try to fix it myself but if it keeps doing it I'll take it to a shop
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By vince72310
- Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:03 am #351621 Ok can the car think its overheating if header bolts are missing? 1 fell out and has open hole and the other hole is not the right size but fits still
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By teal_dx
- Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:33 am #351623
vince72310 wrote:Ok can the car think its overheating if header bolts are missing? 1 fell out and has open hole and the other hole is not the right size but fits still


No, but that's something I'd fix.
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By vince72310
- Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:41 am #351624 Hahah I am gonna fix that tomorrow but I did what EconoBox and it still says its overheating even tho I believe my engine really isn't. Tomorrow I'm gonna take it to the shop and find what the problem is. Hopefully something not to expensive and to top it off my gas gauge doesn't work! Stays at full tank and I've been driving for 5 days straight. :cry: the Honda life, so great and so sad
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By EconoBox
- Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:01 pm #351640 I'm going to guess that you have an electrical issue (possibly a bad ground) effecting the gauge cluster.

Your coolant temperature is actually measured twice in your Honda :shock: once by a single wire sending unit which controls the needle in your cluster and again by an ECT sensor which tells the ECU your coolant temp.

This is from the gigantic Honda Service Manual... I work at Honda so I thought I'd post these to get you headed in the right direction troubleshooting your problem.

Here is the step-by-step on troubleshooting the coolant gauge.
1. Check the No. 15 (10a) fuse in the under-dash fuse/relay box
2. make sure the ignition switch is OFF, then disconnect the YEL/GRN wire from the ECT gauge sending unit (This is the single wire connector on the side of the head under the dizzy). Stick a piece of wire into the connector and attach it directly to a ground.
3. With the wire grounded turn the ignition switch to ON the pointer should start moving towards "H" on the gauge.
-If the pointer doesn't move check for an open on the wire
-If the gauge works test the sending unit

Here is the step-by-step for testing the ECT sending unit
1. disconnect the YEL/GRN wire from the ECT sending unit
2. with the engine cold use an ohmmeter to measure resistance between the terminal of the ECT sending unit (Where the wire pushes on to) and the engine (ground)
3. Check the temperature of the coolant with a thermometer
4. Run the engine and measure the change in resistance once the engine is at operating temperature (Once the fan comes on)
Honda says that at engine cold (133F(56C)) resistance should be 142Ohms
at operating temp (185F(85C)-212F(100C)) resistance should be 49-32Ohms
5. If the readings are susbstatially different replace the ECT sending unit

The fuel sending unit works in a very similar way but it is a lot more involve to pull it and check the resistance. Here is the simple test for the gauge to see if it is malfunctioning to atleast help you narrow down your issue. I doubt this will be much help since the gauge is stuck on full. The sending unit does show your fuel level even when the car is off so if you unhook the sending unit and the level on the gauge goes down you'll know the sending unit took a crap on you. This will just help you make sure the wiring is all good.

1.Again check the No.15 fuse in the under-dash fuse box
2. Remove the fuel pump access panel under the rear seat
3. Disconnect the 3 pin connector from the fuel gauge sending unit.
4. Connect a voltmeter positive probe to the YEL/WHT terminal and the negative to the BLK.WHT terminal. Once this is done turn the ignition to ON. There should be between 5 and 8 Volts.
-If voltage is correct go to step 5
-If voltage is not as specified check for:
-An open in the YEL, YEL/WHT, or BLK wire
-Poor ground
5. Turn the ignition switch OFF. Attach a jumper wire between the YEL/WHT wire and the BLK/WHT wire. Turn the ignition to ON the fuel gauge should move towards "F"
***TURN THE CAR OFF BEFORE THE GAUGE REACHES "F" FAILURE TO DO THIS MAY DAMAGE THE FUEL GAUGE***
-If the pointer doesnt move replace the gauge
-If the gauge is ok check the sending unit


:thumb: Hope this helps!
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