I went out driving today, i just left my complex, and i noticed on the left temperature gauge the needle was above the H, so I was definently running hot. I turn back around, shut the car off, and i can hear the fan going, trying to cool it down. This has never happened before. Am I just out of coolant? I noticed the white reservoir container (attached to radiator) is empty. I dont know squat about the workings of an engine, so I turn to you guys.

I'm guessing I need coolant. Any certain kind? Do I pour it in the white container or the radiator itself?

thanks for the help
eric

 

uh. yea. fill that thing with coolant asap.. and check for any leaks. When was the last time you had the car serviced?

 

Yes, with the car warm, fill the resivoure to the full line. You may need to have your thermostat replaced. If it is stuck or not functioning, the car will not cool properly.

Good luck.

 

fill the reservoir or the white container? or both? I just had it serviced not too long ago, and no one mentioned any problems.

 

when the car is cool, open up the radiator and put some coolant in ther and als ofill up the white bottle a little but not all the way. and if that doesn't work and your temps are up the ncheck the thermostat, it may be bad.

 

exactly where is the thermostat and how do you know if its bad cuz i have the same problem and my temp gauge dosent mark anymore.

 

Follow the thick black hose coming out of the radiator going to the engine block...You will see a housing with 2 bolts in it, that is connected to the thick black hose. You need to drain your coolent out of your radiator buy the valve on the bottom of the radiator. Once all the coolant is out, unbolt those two bolts. You will find the thermostat, it just sits in there. There will be a gasket as well. When you get the new thrmostat it should come with a new gasket. Put the new thermostat in and tighted the two bolts, then fill your coolant back up...Turn on your car and top off the coolant as it sucks into the engine.

 

The way you can tell if the thermostat is working:

1. With the car cold, open the radiator cap.
2. Start the engine and let it idle.
3. Observe the fluid in the open radiator.
Normally:
At first the coolent will be still. As the engine temporature rises, the thermostat will open allowing the fluid to circulate. You will see this circulation clearly. If this is the case, turn off the engine, recap the radiator and make sure the resivoir is filled to the propper level. Check for leaks. Your thermostat is fine.

Failures:
If after five minutes of idle the engine temporature begins to rise and the fluid fails to circulate, turn off the engine. This failure denotes that the thermostat is stuck in the closed position requiring replacement. A thermostat stuck closed does not allow propper circulation of the coolent leading to engine over heating, and over time, potential engine damage. Damage can include leaking coolent system fittings, hose failures, water pump failures, head gasket and piston ring damge.

If the fluid is circulating from first start while the engine is cold, this indicates the thermostat is stuck open, requiring replacement. This type of failure leads to improper warming of the negine and poor fuel efficiency during cold operation. Generally this failure will not damage the engine though it can cause other problems related to the emissions and fuel delivery systems. Symptoms in these situations might include but be not limited to poor fuel economy, poor engine performance, impropper idle, and hard starts after short runs.

Hope this helps.

 

Ok I'm going nuts here. I filled it up with coolant last night, and after 5 minutes of driving, the temp shot up from normal to way hot. I have no idea what the problem is.

 

When you open your hood, right in the front where the grille is, is there dried up coolant? Can you see any where it shouldnt be? Your radiator may be cracked. Bring it to a shop and check it out.

 

i bought all the things i need and i'm going to replace it today no wonder i noticed my cooling fans have been turning on a bit too much lately and my temp gauge isnt working everything cost me close to 20 bucks hope it works.

 

thermostat failure???

 

Go get the Honda premixed coolant for best results...I tried prestone on other cars and it gives this nasty smell.

 

err..i have been having over heating problems too! just dropped off my car at the shop to check the radiator, and It looks like I have a crack in it. Kinda knew it since i saw fulid around it and on the ground.

 

if its the thermostat.. his needle should go back down to normal if he's moving.. its when he's idle it should shoot up to 'H'

did u make sure the radiator is full? fill both the radiator and the container..

then leave the cap to the radiator off.. and start your car.. the level should go down.. and pour more in (to the radiator.. not the container thingy)

after the radiator is full.. turn the car off and put the radiator cap back on

 

usually the car will overhet all the time when the thermostat is stuck. moving or not. if your fortunate enough then youll only overheat when its stitting still.