blue2.5

I drove less than 2 miles yesterday (to go to the store) and the temp needle popped up into the red. The car really hadn't had a chance to warm up, so I thought it was kinda odd. Oil pressure was good and levels was fine. Reserve tank for the radiator was a little low, right at minimum. Does this sound like the thermostat sticking, and if so, has anyone changed one out?

blue2.5

After checking around on the internet, I decided it was either the thermostat or the waterpump. I decided to go the cheap route first and picked up a thermostat at Advance autoparts. Took me 16.00 about 2 hours to change it out (since I've never worked on a car before). It's a relatively easy job. You gotta drain the radiator to swap the parts out, then refill, but its worth it. Its Sunday so I couldn't call a garage to find out what it would cost me to have the work done, but I will guess I saved about 150.00 by doing it myself(probably 300.00 if I were to call the dealership for a quote).

Mikes96TL03CLS

Cool, that's good to know. Good job.

penguinflies

for a thermostat, my mechanics charged me $45 with parts/labor. Hope it worked, next check to make sure all your hoses have a good connection. I found out that I was overheating cause of a loose hose.

blue2.5

Thanks, will double check all the hoses. No problems with the temp yesterday, so I think changing the thermostat took care of the problem. Will keep a close eye on the gauge though...don't want partake in any major engine work anytime soon.

wilp99_RENAMED

try checkin ur catlatic converter. if it gets backed up, ur car will overheat also. alltho it will run like ass when it gets hot.

Acurasnake

blue2.5, I had the EXACT same problem as yours and I also changed my thermostat but when I let my car iddle for 5 to 10 minutes the temperature gauge starts climbing again!! But that's only when my car is at iddle. Does your temperature gauge climb when your at iddle for like 5 to 10 minutes??

joes723

If it is not the themostat then it can be as severe as a crack in the engine headers and oil is leaking into the seals where the water runs (therefore cooling down the engine) this is a VERY expensive fix because to repleace the headers you have to take the egine apart. Or, it can be relatively less expensive such aas a water pump, or even just a new radiator cap. Add distilled water to your resevior tank so that when the engine is hot the water is up to the HOT line. If the level doesnt change, or if it changes durastically then you know that its either a pump, or a leak. I have gone through this problem not with my Acura but with 2 fords that I have had. Hopefully you get to the bottom of the problem. Goog Luck.

Cornflake

I think you mean the HEADS joe, not the HEADERS, headers only expel exhaust from the engine, there is on connection between the oil and the coolant there. IF it is a cracked head though, (although I'm HIGHLY doubtful of that, doesn't happen often if at all on these motors, but anything is possible), you'd have major issues. If it's not the thermostat it could be water pump, rad, cracked/broken hose or even a head GASKET. That is most likely the problem. Check to see if coolant is leaking anywhere on the engine. Also, to check the coolant level, the reserve bottle will not tell you. You have to open the RAD up when the engine is COOL and check that it is full up. If not, top with coolant and water (50/50 mix), run the car a bit to settle it and top it off again. I had a problem with no heat in my car, and it was just an air pocket in the system, topped it off a few times and I get great heat now!

mt25

I too had the overheating problem when idling(slowing down to red light) last November. Took the car to dealer for inspection, they couldn't find any problem, since then the car had never overheated again.

After a couple of months, I had a minor problem with the heater. It seemed not blowing hot enough air when the engine is cold and not accelerating. As soon as I stepped on the gas, hot air started to blow out. I suspect this have somthing to do with engine cooling. Anyhow, the problem seemed to cured itself as the weather got warmer.

Cornflake

MT that's the same problem I had with the heat. Check the coolant level at the rad, top it up, then chak again and do the same. DO that a few times and you should be fine for next winter.

mt25

Thanks Cornflake, that is a very good explaination to my problem. It could be that when the dealer do all kind of tests, they eventually got rid of the air pocket, then cure the problem.

Cornflake

No prob MT, hope it's worked for ya and you'll be warm come Christmas!!!

blue2.5

I've never had a problem with it overheating just sitting still. In fact, until I had to replace the thermostat, I was amazed how the temp gauge virtually stays in one place once the engine is warm. I've had my 2.5 for 3 years and this is the first time I've had to replace anything due to malfunction, so it kind of freaked me out when it started overheating. I've checked the oil for water on the dip stick, water coming out of the tail pipe, and a friend was telling me that you can usually tell if the pump is going bad, or on the verge of quitting (though I don't know how). I've read several posts on this site and it sounds like good preventative maint. to go ahead and replace the water pump whether it needs it or not after a car gets a certain age.

I will continue to monitor and top off the radiator if need be for the next few days. Thanks for all the posts, I've learned more about my car in the last few days than in years just by coming here. I have 124000 miles so far and it still runs incredible. It's the best car I've ever owned.

ShopLifter

1996 3.2 TL

Today I was driving to get a SMOG check done. While driving 35mph (speed limit) I noticed my temp needle jump up to the RED H (Never happened before). Right when the needle hit the the RED H, smoke came out of the AC vents. When the needle hit as high as it could, it dropped right back down to the middle of the gauge. It scared the crap out of me since I was still driving and smoke was coming out of AC vents. (the AC wasn't on, the air was being recirculated/had windows down)
When the smoke came out, I tried to smell what kind of odor it was, if it was oil, coolant, fire. Couldn't smell anything (stuffy nose)

Anyway, after the scare, I finally made it to the SMOG check place. The mechanic was setting everything up and I asked what could possibly be the problem. He showed me by putting my hand near the radiator fans. The right fan was blowing out cold air and the left fan was blowing out hot air. I don't know if he knew what he was talking about but he said that they're both suppose to blow cold air, and that it might be a screwed up thermostat. While the mechanic was doing the smog check, on idle the temp slowly started to go to the high area. The mechanic jumped in the car to finish the smog and he was stepping on the gas and the temp slowly started to come down. (weird)

I asked him specifically what could possibly be bad and he told me that he can't really diagnose the problem without me paying for an inspection. So, I came home, looked under the car for any leaks (none) and tried to see if anything's out of the ordinary (nothing seems wrong). When I couldn't find anything wrong I came here to look for the answers. And I think I'll need to change the thermostat.


Cliff Notes: Went to get SMOG check 3 miles away at 35mph. Temp needle shot up to the maximum. Smoke came out of the AC vents. Got the crap scared out of me. Car seems to be fine sitting on driveway. Came here for answers.

mt25

I(96 2.5TL) had some kind of overheating problem last week but my needle raised slowly, so I had some time to respond. My car had overheated 4 times for the past year, everytime when I stepped on the gas the needle would come down to the middle. My guess is that when the engine goes faster, it increases coolant circulation because the water pump would go faster.

For the fans, I know the one on driver's side is the condensor fan (for AC), the other one on passenger's side is radiator fan (for engine cooling). For the cold air/hot air, I don't get it either.

Now, for how I seemed to solve my problem. It was because I didn't have enough coolant in the "radiator", although there was plenty in the coolant reservoir (over max). I check the coolant reservior quite often, thought that the coolant in there would flow back to the radiator when the radiator is low on coolant, guess I was wrong. So I took off the radiator cap, ended up pouring about 2 liter of coolant in, that was about 45% of the radiator capacity(4.5 liter). Since then the needle hasn't moved a bit after the engine warms up.

I wonder why doesn't the manual tell us to check the coolant level in the radiator, only the reservoir? Why doesn't the car overheat more often if I only have 55% coolant in the radiator? And where does all these coolant go?

ShopLifter

hey thanks for your advice and experience.

Ken1997TL

You need to CHANGE the coolant periodically not just maintain the level. I had a full level of coolant yet the needle was acting up in the middle of winter. A coolant flush fixed it completely.

Cornflake

Sounds like ther might also be a problem with your heater core. tyhat would explain the smoke coming from the vents. I would take the car to a proper mechanic that you TRUST or the dealer, and have them look at it. As for the Rad fans, they should both be blowing HOT air, as they are what cools the hot water in the rad down, they only come on when the temp warrants it, so they should be pulling cold air through the rad which would turn it warm on the inside of the engine compartment where you would feel the hot air. If one is blowing cold, then that side of the rad is not getting proper flow through it meaning you have an air pocket, or bad coolant or a plugged/otherwise damaged rad.

get it checked out. get a coolant fluch to start with in the least.

bTL

I just recently experienced the needle jump into the red and checked my coolant levels. Turns out my reserve tank was running low so I just added a little and that seemed to cure the problem. Now, I have a leak in my radiator. Or at least, that's what I think based upon a little droplets settling on the foam pad that separates the radiator from the grill. The hoses appear fine, but occasionally get a blast of steam shooting out of the front grill.

To remedy the problem I just purchased a new radiator and will have it installed tomorrow. I'll have the hoses done as well to make sure I get rid of the leak. I'll let you know what happens.