1. Home
  2. Automotive Technologies
  3. 91 Integra Sudden Overheating

91 Integra Sudden Overheating

This afternoon I happened to look at my temp gauge and see it approaching the red area. There was no noticable change in performance only the temp gauge nearing red line.

I immediately cranked up my heater and the needle dropped to around 3/4

range (1/2 being normal operating temp).

The the heater cranked up full, I noticed that at a stop sign, the higher than normal reading would drop nearly to normal. Highway, it is a little above 3/4 and going up a hill, the reading goes almost to red.

Also, at a cold start, the temp goes to normal, stays there for a few minutes then starts to climb quickly.

My coolant level is good both in the radiator as well as the overflow. I was thinking that the thermostat was sticking closed, but if it was sticking closed, hot coolant would not flow into the heater core and the heater would not be blasting hot air like it is.

Any ideas?

Reply to
machine_nine
Loading thread data ...

is your fan comming on ? to you have power to the fan motor? bad relay ? water pump?

Reply to
tudysmuck

also could be a fan not kicking on check your relays when it gets hot your fan should kick on if not check it or a water pump going out

Reply to
tudysmuck

machine snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes in article dated 14 Sep 2005

21:22:25 -0700:

I think you may be mistaken about that last part. The thermostat controls how much coolant flows to the radiator. The heater lever controls how much goes to the heater core.

Your problem is almost certainly a stuck thermostat or some other flow problem on the way to or from the radiator.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

Reply to
Spud Demon

The giveaway here is that "at a cold start, the temp goes to normal, stays there for a few minutes then starts to climb quickly." The engine warms up, the thermostat opens, the rest of the system gets hot, but the radiator can't get rid of the heat.

If the water pump fizzles (and, yes, I remember one ninny who couldn't recognize a broken fan belt...), the temp will simply keep rising. It won't stay "normal" for a few minutes. And, if the (presumably electric) fan doesn't run, it usually doesn't matter at highway speeds. Usually, the electric fan is needed only when driving slowly or when stopped.

The radiator is almost certainly partially plugged.

Run the car until the temp. starts to rise above normal. Shut it off and feel of the radiator. It should be uniformly hot all the way across. I'm betting it will be hot in a small area and the rest (the plugged section) will still be cold...

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Foster

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.