Weird overheatin problem.. needs help!!

4cc0rd

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so i bought this 99 accord coupe couple months ago.
car was hit before i bought it, mechanic said problem was blown head gasket. it already got repair and everything but the shop that fixed it didnt fix it right, but the car runs fine and it over heats quick. the weird thing is that if i drive my car continuously on the free way. the heat meter would not rise, it would stay below middle. if i leave my car idle and not driving it anywhere. the meter would rise.. so sometimes when i stop at a red light for long time, i would have to park my car and step on the gas in order for the meter to not rise up.
has any1 ever experience this problem?
also it has a check engine light on

and last week my friend helped me install a cold air intake, after installation was done. my check engine was gone.
later that night i took the car n drove around, i was suprise that my meter did not rise as quickly, it felt like the over heatin problem just literally stop because i drove it aorund for a long time and with stops but the meter has never went pass above middle.

i was so happy and thought i solved the problem.. but couple days later my car sounded weird. so i pop the hood and my intake pipe was like only half way in( my friend did not tighten the tube all the way in and do it right so it fell out i guess) so i had to take it apart and redo it and have it all the way in completely.

later that night i drove it around and all sudden my check engine light went on.. then the over heating problem starts all over again.

anybody experience this problem?! please help.
 

HondaLuver83

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With salvaged titles u can never be sure what happened unless u were the one to salvage ur car or u saw the car before it was repaired. It can be kinda iffy when buying these cars as a lot of people are not honest about their work and they dont tell you how it was wrecked.

Start by taking it back to that dead beat mechanic who serviced ur car.

You can get the code checked at a local autoparts store for free. But its probably coming on because ur car is overheating.

You can make yourself usefull by checking ur radiator fluid when ur car is cold. u should see fluid right below the cap. Healthy fluid looks like a bright green, probably dark green when ur looking down into the hole. But it should not look brown or like its mostly water. If its low, fill it up with a 50% coolant and 50% water ratio. Also look for leaks.

If that looks good, your thermostat could be the problem. Sometimes they get stuck wide open allowing the car to run cold or taking a long time for the car to warm up. Sometimes they dont open at all and the car will overheat while it warms up. Sometimes they are stuck halfway open and closed, or they start working again and then stop, giving similar symptoms your having.

You also have a water pump. When they start to go out, they are designed to leak a little bit of radiator fluid through a small hole. That way u know it needs to be replaced. I am not sure about honda water pumps, but this is what I know from other vehicles. *Water pumps and timing belts should be done together at manufacture recommended intervals, to avoid serious engine damage* I wish I could help u more, but I am a noob when it comes to cars.
 
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Mojeans69

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Sounds like the water pump to me....the WP isn't pumping enough coolant through at idle that's why ur temp gauge goes up wen u stop but then when you rev it it makes the WP spin faster thus circulating more coolant through....95% chance that the CEL is from the temp sensor
 

98ExAccordwv

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Mine was doing this, and it was actually some bad hoses, so check all the hoses from the radiator to the block, and then check your thermostat
 

DarkSideAccord

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does the fan kick it? tht's my first guess..

2nd guess is the water pump, but tht's less likely as u dun overheat on the freeway
 

DrocCa89

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im with darkside maybe your fan doesnt kick in. When you're on the freeway theres no need for it to turn on due to the air thats rushing in. When youre at idle it overheats because your fan doesn't turn on. Thats my opinion.
 

4cc0rd

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its a clean title, guy i bought it from told me it was hit and this and that but he got it fix, cause when i bought the car it was all fixed, new paint, clean and no scratches. but yeah its a clean title. my mechanic cut the thermostat so it kinda helped the car not over heat. it doesnt leak at all. when the car start gettin hot after like 10 minutes i turn on the fan but switch it over to the hot area and i can smell coolant blowin out.. what was weird to me is that when i changed my intake.. my car did not overheat.. and now the check engline light is back on again and its back to the normal problem. but ill try checki out the waterpump.
 

4cc0rd

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okay so woke up this morning. went outside and open my hood and check the coolant. i opened the cap and it was like. empty.. so i refill in the water. then start my car. i just realize this. everytime i refill water in my coolant. my engine doesnt make weird noise when i start it or even when i rev it it doesnt make this weird noise how it use to make when i first turn on my car n try to rev it makes this weird noise but it goes away after awhile..
and my 2 radiator fans dont spin at all.. but i remember seeing it spins awhile back when i took it to the mechanic but it spins like randomly i dont know.. not really sure but yeah.

oh and also mechanic told me when u open ur engine cap, the cap where the 4cylinder is at.. (black cap) and look under the cap and if u see like white pus (looks like coffee) that means ur car is overheatin? and today i opened it and look at it and i was like wtf? theres nothing there. usually after i use my car for a couple days that thing will start cloggin under my cap but today i open it up and it was clean.. and ive been drivin about 200 miles+ already. so does that mean my car doesnt overheat? and somethin else is wrong? but the meter gauge still rises?
 

HondaLuver83

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okay so woke up this morning. went outside and open my hood and check the coolant. i opened the cap and it was like. empty.. so i refill in the water. then start my car. i just realize this. everytime i refill water in my coolant. my engine doesnt make weird noise when i start it or even when i rev it it doesnt make this weird noise how it use to make when i first turn on my car n try to rev it makes this weird noise but it goes away after awhile..
and my 2 radiator fans dont spin at all.. but i remember seeing it spins awhile back when i took it to the mechanic but it spins like randomly i dont know.. not really sure but yeah.

oh and also mechanic told me when u open ur engine cap, the cap where the 4cylinder is at.. (black cap) and look under the cap and if u see like white pus (looks like coffee) that means ur car is overheatin? and today i opened it and look at it and i was like wtf? theres nothing there. usually after i use my car for a couple days that thing will start cloggin under my cap but today i open it up and it was clean.. and ive been drivin about 200 miles+ already. so does that mean my car doesnt overheat? and somethin else is wrong? but the meter gauge still rises?

LOL Dude, go to a local autoparts store. And buy some already mixed 50/50 water/coolant and use that to fill ur radiator. Since it seems hard for you to mix coolant, they have a pre-mixed one there. Coolant will not boil or freeze in ur car, water will....and do you really need to ask a mechanic if ur car is overheating when ur temp guage is all the way to H? :lolhitting: BTW, if u keep adding that water, ur car will keep going dry. Eventually your radiator will rust and other parts of your car because u kept adding only water.

I suggest buying a haynes manual or reading through this forum to learn how to fix ur car and not rely on anyone else.
 
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