75 replies to this topic

[ballade]

I'm following this Thread !

[Old School REX]

I'm following this Thread !

+1^

I have just decided that my car will never stay cool. My problem is nothing like yours, but today in the 104 degree heat, the car climbed right up to 210 and just sat there. Too hot for me... I am paying very close attention to everything you post, so please do continue to keep us updated. I'll end up trying everything you do probably.

[1985 CRX SI]

Head is 190ish. Top of rad is 180ish. Bottom of rad is 180ish.

"Top of rad is 180ish. Bottom of rad is 180ish"

This seems like a problem to me. (the radiator)

I would be expecting a deliverance of temp here.

Jeff

[Condor]

I plan to use the fiberglass fish tape (I found this at harbor freight and have found it to be one
of the most handy tools I have) to push around in that back metal pipe.
I am SO frustrated.

I was not expecting so much of a difference between the top and bottom. It's not like it is a freightliner or
the space shuttle. The water in theory is going through it rather quickly. The (again in theory) difference
should be difference between the radiator and the head.

The thing that is bugging me with all I have done I should have gobs of excess cooling capacity.
Even now, which is hot hot outside.

And I have been replaying in my mind the events that happened. I spent quite some time in the broken
really only taking it to home depot and back mode. Then I got the suspension, brakes, axles, fixed.
It started to be a semi drivable albeit POS car again. POS maybe too strong, but simply every thing worn out.
We fixed the rust and leaking seals and clutch. I was SO excited, took it to the beach with the inlaws.
This is when it started overheating. But it was cold outside. But it was also the first time in a while that
I had really started driving it again.
Half way there it boils over. It was a hot day. That is when I started replacing things.
So really it IS boiling over I am just not driving it far enough.
Something IS broken.
I AM going to figure it out (with some help from you all I should think).

[Condor]

The level of the water tends to settle in at the bottom (but covering) the filler neck.
This is where it is supposed to be. It does take a little of the going back and forth
from the resevoir to self adjust to what it thinks is the perfect level.

I have been very careful to make sure that the resevoir has not become full, and thus
potentially creating some type of over pressure situation.

I do wonder if I should fill it low though, and have it siphon in. Maybe some how
it is over pressuring.

I intend to find my OEM honda cap (old) today.

[Condor]

OK. Granted today is 100F.
I snaked out the metal pipe. Then same to my parts car.
No obstructions, felt the same. I got a tight seal with the hose
on the front of the head and backflushed. Water came out clean
(expected) and under pressure (expected). Did the same for the
(new) radiator.

Installed "no" thermostat, meaning I cut out an old (new) thermostat to just
enough of an edge to hold the gasket. It was more difficult to bleed presumably
because of lower pressure. It also had difficulty holding an idle, as if it were cold,
but it was not cold.

In fact, I went straight to boil over (cut it off before then). Head was over 200.
Radiator at 180s. I did not want to keep it running.

It's not the gauge. I watched it stay low 10 minutes. Then ramp up all the way.
It actually did much better with the OEM thermostat.

I have absolutely no idea how to proceed.

[Old School REX]

I wonder if its your water pump? I have OEM Honda, and even I have considered replacing it before....

[Condor]

I have a new aftermarket with the fan blades not installed I could swap this weekend.

Thing is, my original OEM one I took out when this all started 15 months ago appeared perfect.

I don't even know if I can get the Honda one at this point.

Many times the OEM and the aftermarket look a lot different. Cheaper, not as good, slightly different design.
I have made an effort to not get the low bid aftermarket stuff (when rockauto was better I would sit and wait
for warehouse closeouts). I did not notice any difference between the OEM and the one I had (meaning the
fan type, not the spiral one I have in).

If available I can not even get the OEM one for two weeks due to being low right now.

I just thought of something. What if the spiral one is binding somehow?
Or would that really mess up because it is on teeth?

This has held me up finishing my car. I mean, REALLY held me up.

It originally overheated, in the cold (not freezing but call it 50s and 60s) on the long trip
home from Kaymo's house. We had not even begun any engine work at that point.
I had this engine working with AC in it, in summer, in 2002.

So SOMETHING happened. I just didn't know rebuilding your suspension and changing the clutch
causes your car to overheat lol

[Condor]

Actually that first overheat was in 2010 I think. Two years I have been chasing on this.

[Condor]

OMFG it is hot outside.
The OEM pump the impeller sits lower on the shaft than
the bosch one. It could sit lower but they did not take the time
to push harder.

I noticed a small defect in my OEM oring which will cause trouble down the road.

But I wonder if sitting up higher causes some type of cavitation effect.

I could put my OEM one on. At least I think it is OEM I got the engine used.

[Condor]

OK not as expensive as I thought. $60 online plus shipping or $80 local unless they
give me best friend price which they usually do not.

[Condor]

Anybody on how to proceed?

If I don't hear back I will probably put the aftermarket new fan style pump on.

[Bubba]

Remove the rad cap and squeeze the lower hose completely closed a few times to get a feel for how much resistance there is. Now start the engine (cap removed), Squeeze the lower hose again. Does it feel like there is more resistance this time (like you are stopping a flow)? Does the rad start to overflow when you have it squeezed shut?

Are you getting plenty of hot air out of the heater (if not, you must still have an air bubble in there)?

Now that you have no thermostat, if you get really hot air out of the heater core for a few minutes, then the water pump has to be moving some coolant.

Did your fan come on when it started to overheat? Assuming the water pump is working, when the fan came on, the upper and lower rad hoses should have had temperatures that were at least 20 degrees apart. If the fan is not on, the temps will be about the same.

Edited by Bubba, 30 June 2012 - 07:04 AM.

[Condor]

I have previously squeezed the hoses but they are so new I honestly did not tell.

I ran the heat bleeding it but did not check to see how much heat I had in the car.

[Condor]

I started to change out the waterpump and just quit. I'm tired, and I'm at the point
I have done all I can do and going around and around is starting to come out of Baby Time.

I put the thermostat in and bled it. Same thing. Looks like it will do good for quite a while,
then up to a solid half. I was able to keep it at half with the heat on. The heat out of the
vent was 130F.

As soon as I turned the heat off it started to creep up. Much slower than with the thermostat out.
But still the same story. I agree it is 99F outside and 1/3 would be possible only when it was new.
BUT IT IS NEW. At least I need 1/3 plus maybe a little or I can not drive it to work.

I'm going to gradually start putting the body back together over the next couple of weeks.
Then when I get paid I will drop it off at Tao Honda in Raleigh.
Not because they know more than you folks here, but because I just do not have the time
to continue chasing the same thing. Over the past year I have sequentially replaced every single
piece of the cooling system and at this point I just need to be finished.

I will post back what they find for future reference.