24 replies to this topic

[evilGearhead]

i have had a temp proble that has steadily got worse, and i have run out of options,
i have recently put in:
2-row radiator
water pump
good fans , new fan swich, fan works fine
oem thermostat
many flushes, etc.
i have also changed the temp sensor, and even the temp guage guts.

the damn thing runs at 3/4 at night, and pegs the guage during the day, neither highway, or city driving makes any difference.

it is not a head gasket , either, i have no bubbles, foam, funny smell or compression leaks.

so what the hell?
theres nothing left to fix, i dont know what to do.

im car shopping this week, im getting rather tired of shitty old hondas.

[EuphoricBlue]

Is it carbed or FI? What grade fuel are you running? Is it at all possible you are having a progresive fuel suply problem that is causing you to run lean? Do you know when the last time the fuel filter was changed?

Reason I asked is my car is carbed... and I've noticed that if I run it with a little choke it runs considerably cooler. This leads me to suspect it is set lean or somethings restricting fuel delivery a bit.

By no means do I really know what I'm talking abbout, but to my understanding running lean will result in hotter combustion. And since you sound like you've tried everything else I thoght I'd throw my half baked theory out there.

Cheers!

[evilGearhead]

SI, with a recent fuel filter and oxygen sensor.

can a plugged cat do this? , because my exhaust is stock...

[rexsk8er]

hey dude, its a leaking headgasket. Ill tell you that right now. youve allready checked/replaced anything that could go wrong. I did all that stuff and was 100% sure it wasnt a h/g, but come to find out it was. I didnt have the usual signs, well i did but they were very easily missed because the h/g wasnt seriously blown just slightly leaking.

a compression test doesnt allways show the truth. you need to do a leakdown test, you can probly borrow the tool from your local auto-zone or advance auto for nothing. a leakdown is the best way to determine if its a blown h/g. Do that and you will not regret it.


sean

Edited by rexsk8er, 18 July 2005 - 06:22 AM.

[crxls]

can a plugged cat do this? , because my exhaust is stock...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i believe so but you would also be losing a lot of power. i would diagnose the cat, A/F ratio (make sure you arent running lean) and also check timing. also, check that the thermostat wasnt put in backwards (is this even possible?), bleed the system completely and maybe even try running with no thermostat at all. have you checked the hoses to make sure they arent collapsing and stopping the flow because its too soft? are you blowing the coolant out of the overflow....if so maybe the radiator cap is bad. good luck with the search, cooling systems can be a bitch sometimes.

[evilGearhead]

i have already done a new cap, twice,
i am going to look into a/f ratio, and check the timing with a light,
i was wondering, what can lean out the pgmfi ? air leaks? pressure regulator? or map sensor?

i am positive that it is not a head gasket , however. no bubbles, no excess pressure in the cooling system (checked with a tester) no overflowing , or coolant loss.
(i fix a lot of headgaskets at work, i can diagnose one pretty well)

so i am still not sure what to do.

[kamikaze_fish]

Starting with timing would be where I would. Also check your plugs and wires. I had a mustang that was overheating on me and it turned out the coil wire was barely on.

[petersterncan]

Are you absolutely sure that the engine is overheating? Could it be that it's just a defective temperature guage? I've heard of that happening on some cars.

To give you an example... my mom has a Ford Escort and I used to own a Ford Escort. Same engine/model, but her's, the temp guage only would go up to 1/3 whereas on mine it would go up to half... consistantly in both cases.

I remember reading somewhere that the dashboard temp guages (and other guages) are not always accurate for a variety of reasons.

Peter

i have had a temp proble that has steadily got worse, and i have run out of options,
i have recently put in:
2-row radiator
water pump
good fans , new fan swich, fan works fine
oem thermostat
many flushes, etc.
i have also changed the temp sensor, and even the temp guage guts.

the damn thing runs at 3/4 at night, and pegs the guage during the day, neither highway, or city driving makes any difference.

it is not a head gasket , either, i have no bubbles, foam, funny smell or compression leaks.

so what the hell?
theres nothing left to fix, i dont know what to do.

im car shopping this week, im getting rather tired of shitty old hondas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Zephyr]

I would have to go with the headgasket being the root of your problem. I encountered the same problem this weekend on my racecar and that's what it ended up being. I put the new gasket in after trying everything else, timing, thermostate, plugs but nothing worked. Changed the head gasket and it ran like a champ. I came home with a second place finish on Saturday and a third on Sunday.

Z

[rexsk8er]

Yeah, you would really be suprised how easily a head-gasket leak can be overlooked. I belive you know the symptoms and have done it many a time before, but trust me so have i and thats the first thing i look to whenever a engine overheats.

my car wouldnt loose coolant, there was no sign of oil in the coolant or vise virsa. It would just overheat, replaced rad/thermostat checked the temp gauge, and sending unit, gutted thermostat, ect but i replaced the h/g and volia.

and if even if thats not it, its probly a blocked coolant passage or something. also are you 100% sure all the parts you used are working? sometimes you can get brand new parts that are dud's



Sean

[evilGearhead]

because there was nothing else to try, i replaced the head gasket yesterday, planed the block, checked the head for cracks , and guess what, same problem, it did NOTHING to help. just as i said , the problem was NOT the headgasket.

today , checking my temps with a laser, my thermostat housing was 180, the outlet from the head 200, and the block 220, i have seen the block get as hot as 240.

today i flushed and clr-ed the heater core, its clean , and it flows very well.

same problem still.

it acts like theres still air in the system, i bled it running for over 20 minutes.

i just dont understand it.

i am just going unplug the temp sender, and drive the piss out of it , until it blows up, and take it to the crusher. i really hate this car that much.

[rexsk8er]

did you try running with a gutted thermostat? i bought one and it would run hot.





Sean

[EuphoricBlue]

Is it at all possible for you to check the continuity of the wire for the O2 sensor? It seems like a pritty far stretch... but you sure sound like you've tried everything else.

Thogh, I suppose if you did an AF test and it wasn't lean than the wire would be fine. But you haven't meantioned running that AF test yet, so...

*grasp to straws*

It really sucks, problems like this... at this rate you may as well have done a swap and complete rewire...

[73hp]

i feel yu pain..i did everything under the sun to fix my overheated beast, and one day, it jst stopped.. that really pissed me off.....btw..dont buy frompepboys/autozone/advance..only use honda or napa...

[smashfascism]

take out the thermostat and see if that helps. altleast you have a new head gasket now! one thing you wont have to replace down the road.