coolant recovery tank/fans

I have a 1999 acura tl, i flushed the radiator and made sure there arent any leaks. i filled the radiator full and put coolant in the resevoir tank as recommended in the manual. after driving five minutes, the coolant in the resevoir tank is boiling and the heat and smoke starts to come out from under the hood. The fuse for the cooling fan relay is good, but both fans are not turned on when they are suppose to. any suggestions on what might be the problem??

Reply to
DA1BRAT
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sounds to me like theres way to much "air in your cooling system" did you open the bleeder screw to bleed out the air? thats the first thing i would do and the fact that the cooling fans are not coming on. that could be an issue with a bad cooling fan switch or the fan motores themselves. even a thermostat cap or thermostat or something other looking into. also the fact that you see smoke could be just coolant that has spilled on to a "hot surface and has steamed-up" you wanna pray that it is. and not a head gasket! DA1BRAT i would try bleeding the system first

Reply to
johnin

There are two possibilities that come to mind. The first is a bad head gasket; the second is that the coolant isn't circulating.

Start with a basic head gasket check - with the engine cold, remove the radiator cap and start the engine. Pinch off the hose from the radiator to the coolant reservoir and place the palm of your hand over the radiator cap opening. If you feel a steady rise in pressure or (worse) pulsation, the cylinder head will almost certainly have to come off for repair. A test for hydrocarbons in the coolant can be done by a shop to confirm the diagnosis before taking such a big step, but this is a pretty reliable indicator.

If not that, the next step is to replace the thermostat with a genuine Honda/Acura thermostat. Others have had the same experience that I have: aftermarket thermostats are not to be trusted. Be sure to purge air from the system afterward... if you aren't familiar with that, check a service manual or check back.

Don't drive it this way. If the overheating hasn't done damage yet it certainly will before long.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

sounds to me like theres way to much "air in your cooling system" did you open the bleeder screw to bleed out the air? thats the first thing i would do and the fact that the cooling fans are not coming on. that could be an issue with a bad cooling fan switch or the fan motores themselves. even a thermostat cap or thermostat or something other looking into. also the fact that you see smoke could be just coolant that has spilled on to a "hot surface and has steamed-up" you wanna pray that it is. and not a head gasket! DA1BRAT i would try bleeding the system first WHERE WOULD THE BLEEDER SCREW BE LOCATED? AND ALSO DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE COOLING FAN SWITCH BE LOCATED ALSO?

Reply to
DA1BRAT

sounds to me like theres way to much "air in your cooling system" did you open the bleeder screw to bleed out the air? thats the first thing i would do and the fact that the cooling fans are not coming on. that could be an issue with a bad cooling fan switch or the fan motores themselves. even a thermostat cap or thermostat or something other looking into. also the fact that you see smoke could be just coolant that has spilled on to a "hot surface and has steamed-up" you wanna pray that it is. and not a head gasket! DA1BRAT i would try bleeding the system first WHERE WOULD THE BLEEDER SCREW BE LOCATED? AND ALSO DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE COOLING FAN SWITCH BE LOCATED ALSO? "not sure exact location. but it should be on side or top of engine try looking up teggers site

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Reply to
johnin

sounds to me like theres way to much "air in your cooling system" did you open the bleeder screw to bleed out the air? thats the first thing i would do and the fact that the cooling fans are not coming on. that could be an issue with a bad cooling fan switch or the fan motores themselves. even a thermostat cap or thermostat or something other looking into. also the fact that you see smoke could be just coolant that has spilled on to a "hot surface and has steamed-up" you wanna pray that it is. and not a head gasket! DA1BRAT i would try bleeding the system first WHERE WOULD THE BLEEDER SCREW BE LOCATED? AND ALSO DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE COOLING FAN SWITCH BE LOCATED ALSO? "not sure exact location. of the bleeder screw but it should be on side or top of engine. "cooling fan switch should be down by radiater" try looking up teggers site

formatting link
:/

Reply to
johnin

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