All,

My 96 3.2TL tends to overheat at idle after about 45 minutes of driving and if I have speed, the gauge drops down to normal. At one time, it was overheating do I turned on the heat at full blast and the temp drops down. I have replaced two thermostat. one from Napa and the one on it now from Acura. I also took it the an alternative Honda and Acura shop to have it check, but they couldn't duplicate the overheat and told me everything worked fine and suggest another thermostat. What should I do next?

Thanks in advance for your feedbacks.

 

1. Pop the Hood.
2. Open the underhood fuse box.
3. Check your radiator fan fuse. It's most likely blown. Thats why, at low speeds and during idle, the radiator fan is not engaging and thus the coolant is overheating.

Happened to me once. I had driven through some deep water a few weeks prior to the event and had apparently shorted out the radiator and a/c fans. Replacing both those fuses cured the problem.

 

I wouldn't be surprised by a blown head gasket. Kind of sounds like the common symptoms for the Legends.

 

On the Legends yes. On the 1st gen TL's and RL's the cooling fans are on far more often to PREVENT such an occurance. Of course, this is only useful if the owner has bothered with coolant changes.

 

vishnus11:

Thanks. I will check the fuse. I know the fans worked because sometimes(before long drive) at idle, the fan would kick in. Also, when it is overheating, I can hear the fans coming on. I have opened the hood once and I checked the fans, one is cool air and the other is hot air.

Yes, I am concern that it might be the head gasket as well. The place that I took my TL to, could not do a chemical test because it was not overheating at the time.

Also, when overheat and for about 15mins, I open the radiator cap, I notice pressure from the resevoir.

Thanks for your inputs.

 

If the car only overheat when it stop then its morethan likely then fan not commin on....This happen to me in a couple weeks ago i had blown radiator fan fuse....check the fuse, then relay, and the fan

 

honda_inspire99:

My car was at the shop and they run it at idle for about an hour and it did not overheat. Like I said, the fans would come on when necessary.

It only overheat when the engine has been running hard. So at this state, even if the fans come on, it will overheat.

So at this point, I'm thinking it might be the head gasket. But my car is acting normal (aside from overheat), it idles fine, no loss in power, no coolant on dipstick, no white smoke. I'm confused.

Any feedback are appreciated.

 

do a radiator flush before you have to spend around 400 bucks for a new one.

 

Yeah...from reading the forum the past couple of years, a radiator flush can cure this problem. If that doesn't cure it, then try getting a new t-stat and see.

 

Turn you AC on and confirm that both fans are engaging and running. They should both engage immediately when AC compressor turns ON.

You could have a faulty thermoswitch, which is supposed to engage the fans at about 195F. Only way to know for sure is to check when the coolant temp is on the high side to see if fans are engaged. If not, the thermoswitch should be replaced.

If fans are working, then head gasket (plural for a 3.2L) becomes a real possibility. If it is the head gasket, it's worth a try to use some Bar's (et al) Stop Leak to seal the head gasket leak. Stop leak will work on some head gasket leaks. Check to make sure no coolant is getting into the oil. Coolant in oil will cause bearing damage quickly.

Otherwise, a new head gasket is necessary. I just did this job on a 94 Accord EX 2.2L 4-cyl. engine and it's wasn't much fun. Head gasket failed at the cylinder ring seals around one cylinder tube. You could see where the gasket sealing surface had been scrubbed due to heating/cooling cycles. I used Feldpro head gasket on the refurbished head and it's working fine.

good luck

 

man this is great info! a little too late for me but its still great info

 

Just did a radiator flush, and I didn't see anything unsual (just coolant) coming out. I hope I bled the system correctly. We'll see if this helps.

Yes, the fans does come on when the AC is on and that leaves me to think that it might be a head gasket leak. If this flush does not help then I will use the stop leak to see if its any help. At this point, I doubt if anything will help except for a new head gasket.

Thanks all for your inputs.

 

change the thermostat too man its cheap that migh solve you problem

 

Make sure there is no air bubble in the radiator system.

 

I am tempted to try another thermostat if it still overheats.

So I removed the bleeder screw while filling the radiator with coollant (of course with the engine running). I put the screw back on once all the bubbles disappear and coolant starts dripping out, right? If not correct way of doing it, pls let me know.

Thanks.

 

There is a good chemiical test that is performed on the coolant to detect combustion gases in the coolant. This is considered the definitive test for bad head gasket.

Other symptoms of leaking head gasket:
1) missing particularly at startup, but clearing after a few seconds of operation. Coolant accumulates in the cylinder and shorts the spark until it's sucked dry by exhaust and heat from other cylinders firing.
2) Coolant in oil - bad news don't drive w/ this problem.
3) Coolant forced into the overflow reservoir. Combustion pressure forces the radiator cap to open pushing coolant to reservoir. May not happen till fully warm.
4) Gasoline smell to coolant. Unburnt gasoline mix gets into coolant and you can smell the gasoline.

Because of the cost/effort, you want to be as certain as possilble of bad head gasket. Thermostat replacement is a good idea; cheap and it is possible, but less likely based on your description. However, sometimes a thermostat will stick intermittently.

good lucik

 

how many hours of labor are required to replace a head gasket on a 3.2TL? What are the cost of parts?

 

TexasHonda:
Thanks. I do have one symptom where the coolant overflows to the resevoir when I add more to the radiator after overheat. Aside from that everything seem normal.

vishnus11

I'm not sure how much it will cost but if its the head gasket I am going to do an engine swap. My TL has 180K already so I don't think it's worth the cost of a new head gasket.

Already priced for a used engine at 750 and labor 550 which I believe is equal or close to a head gasket job.

 

Infiniti, yes, definitely go for an engine swap. Best of luck to you.

 

OK. I did a flush and bled the system and the car has not overheat in 3 days of continuous driving. But today, the weather is about 40 degree and after 45 mins of driving, it overheated while I''m at the bank drive thru. So I rushed home and noticed the coolant was overfilled. After about 10 minutes of cool down, I put the overflow coolant back into the radiator and started the engine. The temp is at normal while the engine is on for about 20 minutes then I stopped the engine.

What could be happening here? Any feedback are appreicated.

 

Sorry to hear about the unexpected expense. I guess its best to think of it as "regular" maintanence, that will ensure your vehicle will serve u well for at least another 180k!

Oh, another thing I forgot to mention was that when my car overheated as I described above, I also found that the radiator cap was fouled (i.e. spring had become faulty). Look into your radiator cap, since it you say that coolant is abnormally overflowing intot he reservoir. Maybe the cap is old and can't hold pressure. Just a thought!

 

I agree w/ Vishnus on replacing the radiator cap.

Also I would recommend the chemical coolant test for combustion gases in the coolant, before replacing the engine.

good luck

 

Thanks for the reply.

Last week I put a new 16lb pressure cap.

I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it every once in a while and fill up the radiator from the resevoir.

Thanks again for your inputs.

 

Hello,

I would like to know if your problem has been fixed, if so please advise me. I face a similar problem. This does not happen if I heat the car before hitting the roads. It only happens otherwise.

Thank you

 

I have the overheating problems, but the radiator and the a/c fans seems to be working. Is there any other cause for the problem.
Thank you
Vamsee

 

Check to see that the radiator is not clogged with bugs, leaves, etc.

 

For best response, it's usually better to start your own thread rather than tag on to an existing thread.

Thermostat is worth changing to see if this will fix the problem. Thermostats can stick in closed position intermittently and cause overheating.

Also describe in detail your problem and history of car.

good luck

 

I have the exact same problem. I replaced the thermostat, radiator cap and flushed the system, but my TL still overheats! It is a most annoying problem!! So, guess what I did?

I replaced the "coolant temperature sensor" from AutoZone. Cost = $26.99, Part# 574855 V782, Labor = 10mins, tool = wrench, and location = in the housing of the large coolant tube that leads to the TOP of the radiator. The top part of the sensor is "white". The problem is now gone! GL.

 

hi, can anyone please give me step by step instructions on how to change the coolant temp sensor? Thanks a lot

 

DONT DO THE ENG SWAP.

Everyone,

I face the same symptoms that you ALL have described here in this forum.

I did replace the thermostat, ECP Sensor, flushed and reserviced the radiator and nothing.

Please bear with me the following steps is what cured the problem yesterday.

I was thinking about repolacing head gasket and went for one more try at the airpocket solution.

This is what I did:


If you have cold air in you heater at idle I am positively sure you have an air pocket in your system.

Place your car on a 3deg or more incline(jackstands will work well)


Fill up the system and leave the reservoir empty.

Remove the upper hose from the firewall( the hose that returns the flow of heater core)

Start the car and place the heater on high and highest fan setting. Ensure it says AC OFF.

Rev up the car to 2K RPM and keep it there until the process is complete.

Keep adding water until you see a steady stream of water come out of the tube on the firewall. Once you get the steady stream you can install the hose and clamp it good.(maintain 2K RPM)

Keep filling with water and loosen the bleed plug located just before the gauge sensor(on the housing past the upper radiaor hose.) 12MM wrench is needed for this.

Once you see no bubbles come out of the bleed plug your good. Close it and pour some more water into the radiator.

Have the person inside the car check for hot air(it should be really hot)

Cap the system and go for a ride. Keep the heater on and make a traffic stop or traffic light. You should have no loss of heat.



All of these steps is what fixed my car yesterday.

GL and I hope this helped you.

 

thats one issue
for others- the fan sensor is often the cure
There should not be any air pockets unless you just worked on the cooling system.
The owner manual has a detailed process on making sure the air is out.
Each year may be different location on the sensor
DIY- buy sendor unit- look on bottem of radiator and thermostat for matching part- install- check autozone.com for instructions and part location- kragen has it too
Done

 

I had the same problem, sorry, but it is the headgasket. I used to work for Fel-Pro (largest aftermarket gasket company in the U.S.). Neither Fel-Pro nor Dana Victor (their competition) makes aftermarket headgaskets (at least not three years ago when I needed them). The gasket set is expensive (over $500 from the dealer). I had the headgaskets replaced at 105k miles & no problems since (155k now). Good luck.

 

Don't know if you will get this - but how is your car doing? Did it truly fix it, or was it temporary? I have the same sypmptom.

I'm thinking head gasket, but then I see your post...