my car just started recently acting up. the temp gauge is normal when im driving but at idle it goes all the way up whats the problem and everytime i turn off my car the fan goes on yes i know its supposed to do that but not all the time whats the problem

 

thermostat stuck closed? air in the cooling system? Faulty radiator cap? I heard they were recommended to be replaced like every 3 years or something.

 

My bro has the engine temp going up every time u stop. and when he drives it goes right back down.

In his case. it's not the engine overheating. It's the sensor that registers the temp to the gauge that's malfunctioning. Cause my bro just got the thermostat replaced 6 months b4 that to fix that same issue and it did nothing.

Have u popped the hood and noticed it's toasty under there?

Back when I had my probe I had a stuck closed thermostat and it made my engine bay SOOO HOT that the little rad resivour tank exploded. So something would seem off. Mind you the engine temp gauge didn't move at all. But that car is a POS, I had way too many problems with it.

So if ur noticing nothing different with regards to temp, drivability, or a lightly low idle, then it's most likely the sensor that sends the gauge cluster the engine temp.

Maybe the CL is more intricate than the prelude, but that's pretty much the only thing my bro hasn't tried so far, which is why he's not fixing it. LOL cheap ass

 

well the engine isnt that hot i dont think but the fan comes on everytime i turn the car off maybe its something wrong with my thermostat or the fan's setting where can i get this checked

 

fan comes on because it's being told the car is hot which it isn't. SO. if it's the sensor that actuates the guage in the gauge cluster it'll fool the car into thinking that the car is actually hot. (this is how my last car worked so I can only assume the same)

I think it's the sensor(s) located in the rad line

There is a way to test them using a voltmeter, using continuity but I have no clue what. Someone else plz chime in..

 

^ WRONG

the sensor and the fans use the same signal but they work independently.

if your temp guage goes up when you are not driving, it means you have cooling issues.

it goes down when you drive because the gas cools the cylinders

check your fluid levels and make sure the hose in your overflow tank is fastened

 

that makes sense because a few days ago i installed my hibeams and by accident i dropped the bottle but i put it back in how do u make sure it put back right

 

Not so. The temp goes up when sitting still because you are getting no air flow through the radiator. When you move you get air flow and the temp goes back down.

Sounds like the fan is not turning on when you sit and the temp goes up.

 

lemme ask this if as long as the temp gauge doesnt hit red im fine right because today i was driving to check on it again and it only went up like 5-7 notches from the halfway point so its not to close to red

 

I

 

I agree with zippee
And Phee

But the reason its getting hot in the first place could be anything. I would start with the easy problem it could be first low coolant level and even effectivness of the coolant in the engine (it should be flushed every 2 years) after that thermose stat and so on and so forth but I would rule those out first IMO

And as far as the temp gauge going up HEAT KILLS engines the hotter it gets the more wear your putting on the engine, sure if it gets a little hot I wont blow your engine today but it does do more damage then if you were running at a normal temp IMO

 

driving it tonight it only went up once and that was when i got home it went up a lil bit and then went down in a matter of seconds i bought the new thermostat today but im going to see how it runs first before i put it in

 

I would put the thermostat in just cause you have it and it wouldnt hurt to put a new one in ,its probably old

But it really sounds like your fan isnt working right weather it be the switch that turns it on or the signal for the switch to turn it on.

 

the fan is on when it needs to and it comes on all the time when the car is off for like 5 mins i think its really the thermo i hope

 

Just to make sure (rule it out as the problem) when it starts to get hot stop and pop the hood see if its on.

 

yea i do that and all that happens is the fan is on and its hot yea but no smoke

 

where is the thermostat located is it the upper hose or lower and what do i have to move to reach it

 

have you checked to see that the radiator is full and the coolant bottle is under the maximum line but over the minumum line?

too much coolant will overheat too