Like to start off....sorry for the looong "biography."
For 2 days I've been smelling coolant. And yesterday I went and checked under the hood and heard the coolant reservoir bubbling. And on my way home from work...temperature was fluctuating normal temp to hot and CEL is on. So this morning...I took the radiator cap off and see it was damaged. The spring and all was sitting in the radiator fill hole and I was able to retrieve the pieces and also noticed the coolant in the radiator was low. But I went ahead and replace the cap to see if it fixed it...but apparently it didn't a got a bit worse. As for the CEL, took it to Advance Auto to what the code was. It threw a, if I remember, 0128. About a Temp sensor and/or thermostat. "Coolant temp sensor regulating therm." I'm in a bind if I should go ahead and replace the temp sensor and thermostat or what.................................

 

OH yeah! I got a 2000 Acura 3.2TL

 

Try to replace thermostat first.

 

Id replace the thermostat first.

 

new thermostat- get an acura one--worth paying for
replace engine coolant
read in owner manual how to burp air from the system after working on it
very important that is done fully and correctly

gurus-iirc, we can use a honda equivalent thermostat- got a number?

 

I had this problem a while ago too.
Replaced the radiator cap with an Autozone one and my acura didn't like it. Replaced it with an oem cap and the boiling reservoir stopped but my temp gauge would still fluctuate at high rpms. Replaced the thermostat with an oem one, didnt want any aftermarket crap after the cap issue, and everything was fine. No more overheating

 

I bought a aftermarket radiator cap from Advance Auto for a couple cents cheaper and a thermostat from Auto Zone. Fixed the problem. Drives like a champ again.


And thanks everyone for the help. Greatly appreciated.

 

keep an eye on the levels and temps
there have been issues with aftermarket cooling parts before--keep us advised if you found good stuff!

 

So far that radiator cap from Advance Auto and thermostat, I think it was a Duralast, from Auto Zone is holding up. I drive my car pretty hard once in awhile. But, overall, so far, so good.

 

as long as the temp stays steady at just under half--you are good
if it does anything else--there is a problem

 

It has been staying under half since the fix.

 

sounds like you caught it in time--congrats!! now you can order those new lights!!

 

This just in: Having similar problem, but it now, when I run the a/c it starts to overheat. It doesn't peg H, but it stay a 1/4 below the H. And when I go and let it my car cool down and drive without the a/c...it runs perfectly fine. Another thermostat prob and/or that sensor?

 

Make sure both cooling fans come on whenever the a/c comressor engages. If not, start your diagnosis there.

 

agree- the pass side fan is tied to the ac compressor coming on
If it doesnt, thats your first problem--ac adds more load and heat thru the engine radiator

OR
you may have a partially plugged radiator (or weak hoses)
If the cap was bad and the fluid old and wasted,,clogging comes next
What do you get from the radiator drain plug?
Did you change all the coolant fluid after the temp issue, or same old stuff thats been put thru the stresses is still in there

thinking back to other car with similar prob = rad plugged, got hot on hills

note: acura OE coolant might last the 7 years till the 105 service
BUT reality is- 5 years and the additives in coolant go bad, leading to acidic base in an aluminum environment

rcb2000 or other chemist, or those who didnt sleep thru science class: want to explain to the rest of the group what that means~
then everyone will rush out and buy new coolant for the summer!

 

I did changed the fluid when I replaced the rad cap and thermostat. Since then until now its running fine. Wierd. I'm also guessing it's a warning sign that my fan(s) is about to go bad too and/or something...maybe I guess.

 

I'm having cooling problems myself in my stock 03 acura tl with 82k miles. i had the coolant flushed checked the radiator cap and noticed that 1 of my fans was not turning on. It only gets hot when im sitting in traffic, redlights etc... any ideas of how to keep the temp in the normal range

 

where and when is your temp not running at just below half?
traffic with ac ON, driving slow, freeway etc,,each means somethign different to ck

ac controls passenger side fan ON
driver side fan runs on temp sensor in radiator and is the main cooling fan
Spin each fan by hand to ck for easy operation--not sticking or stuck
find out if both are working

Make sure there is no air trapped in the cooling system,,if they didnt open the heater core it can trap air and cause many problems

Is the rad overflow bottle at correct level? and the hose inside the res cap is attached firmly- it falls off and big problems occur

rad filled to top?

 

about this time of year we get a lot of reports of the fan temp sensor failure- located in lower corner of rad passenger side..simple DIY
(99s at thermostat iirc)

 

if your TL ever runs more than half on the temp--STOP driving immediatly!!!!
and solve the problem

In fact= if it ever moves around,,not steady temp at 1 or 2 lines below half--
STOP and fix the problem before expensive bad things happen

It should run the same exact temp regardless if 50 degrees at sea level and heater on, or 100 degrees and 5000 feet with the ac blasting in the mountains!

 

my temp is "normal" while driving (mixed city and highway mostly city) but if i am stopped in in slow moving traffic or red light it raises and i just turn the heater on and it drops back down, also how do u check for air trapped in the cooling system? this is my first acura and i love it and want to keep it in the best condition as possible it came with a full set of maintenance records and want to keep them up thanks for all of the help and suggestions

 

I'd suggest changing all the small heater hoses too. I too had the same problems last year. First it was the radiator cap, then a main radiator hose sprung a leak, then the radiator started to leak. Once I fixed all those it ran fine then several weeks later one of the small hoses that connect to the TB started to leak. So I swapped it out then a week later another small heater hose busted, when I swapped that one another small hose busted. Do yourself a favor and swap them out they're only like a buck each for the small heater hoses at autozone, just make sure to measure the diameter of the hose before you go there with a string.

 

ok ill try that and if i had a bad temp sensor or fan control switch would it throw a CEL??

 

no the sensors wont throw a code

have to know if fan is spinning freely, test for 12volt at the sensor, replace as needed
If it spins freely its likely the sensor,, you can jumper 12v to the fan to test for sure

a fan that drags or wont spin is bad

 

i really appreciate all the information, and i have another question about what side of the fan is connected with a/c compressor and if the compressor is on the fan is too no matter the temp of the engine right?

 

both fans spin but the fan on the drivers side spins more freely,could that be a bad fan motor and can i change just the fan motor or do i have to change the whole fan assembly with both fans

 

passenger side fan is on with ac regardless of engine temp
It uses that extra airflow to cool the fluid running thru it

the fans should spin freely
you can buy just 1 fan,,iirc it comes with the blades attached or their held with a nut/clip
try a parts store or auto recyler (junkyard) easy install, basic item

the driver side fan is controlled by the temp sensor- if its not going on, or if the fan runs for 15 minutes after engine shutoff- its the sensor,,also very common prob
but with one fan not as free spinning- I would delve into that first

if you have to use the coolant thats stored-isolated- in the heater core-
which is a small radiator---to drop the temp- stop driving it now until its diagnosed and fixed
every time its above half you are putting the hurt on parts-head gaskets

When you say temp normal- is it rock steady 1 or 2 lines below half? thats normal -
no movement- perfect temp regardless of load or outside temp

to get air out of cooling system- turn heater on full hot with fan on high (open car doors)
remove rad cap, top off level, start car and let run
the book has special procedure with idle several minutes, then 2000 rpm until fan comes on and off, then idle until fan cycles again, then 2000 until it cycles twice etc.
keep an eye on the level and watch the flow rate thru the rad with rpm
to see if its clogged

top off with engine running and install cap fully
add coolant to res as needed -to middle of it
turn off engine, recheck levels in the morning when engine cold
done

ck owner book for your years exact details
register as owner with acura and get online version free
http://owners.acura.com/registration...istration.aspx

 

are you losing coolant?- how much-
is res bottle hose attached inside its cap?
caps on tight?
res bottle get low or empty?

 

no im not loosing any coolant anywhere and yes "normal" is 1 or 2 lines below half ive got a new thermostat,and fan temp sensor and im getting a new fan i figured it wont hurt to replace these items anyways since they arent very expensive and ive always shut the car down if it gets higher than halfway because I know it could hurt the head /gasket etc... and im just goin to start there any suggestions on coolant to use or additives in the coolant like water wetter they say its supposed to drop running temps by 20 degrees F.

 

Despite acura's way of labeling the fans, they BOTH come on with the a/c compressor.

 

i just checked my fans and the passenger side came on with the a/c and that is the fan that didnt spin as freely as the driver side. I had the car running and up to normal and i checked the driver side fan and it didnt come on, so i left it running and the temp got to 1 or so lines above normal and still nothing on the driver side so i turned it off and im goin to let it cool off and change the thermostat and the fan temp sensor and see what happens since the driver side fan isnt stuck or sticky thanks for every ones help and suggestions i know i can be a pain with all these noobie questions

 

Gotta learn somewhere.

 

sounds like bad fan sensor for driver side, it should cycle on and off at idle and run a few minutes after shutdown

and possible bad fan on passenger side
ck the fan operation with jumper wire to 12volt power,,but poor spinning is good sign of seizing up

not as likely thermostat- stuck usually jumps up temp when stopped and rather quickly~