Overheating!

Sorry for the extensive explanations, but I need to explain everything so you guys know what's going on and what happened.

A couple months ago, my Accord started overheating (what I mean by overheating is that when I'm driving, the temp gauge goes above the halfway mark and fluctuates to the hottest temperature before it just stays at the hottest temp. Also, after I shut the car off, the radiator fans stay on). I own a '99 Accord v6 coupe. So initially, I checked the antifreeze to see if it was low and it turned out that it was. I filled it back to its normal level and the car drove fine.

About a month ago, my car started overheating again. Again, I checked the antifreeze level to see if it was low in case of a leaking radiator hose. Indeed the antifreeze was low so I filled it but I also took it to my auto shop just to make sure if anything was wrong because of the short period between these instances. The mechanic told me that both radiator hoses were leaking so I replaced both of them for a fairly cheap price, thinking that it would solve me problem.

The car drove fine for about a week with no overheating whatsoever and then you guessed it...the car overheated. I took it back to the shop hoping it wasn't anything too serious. Initially, he couldn't find anything wrong with it so he kept it for another couple days and then told me that one of the sides of the radiator and my thermostat weren't functioning correctly. He replaced the radiator and I was on my way.

It's been about 2 weeks since I replaced the radiator and it started to overheat YET AGAIN. I'm seriously concerned with blowing a gasket (something I've heard that is a possibility) or that it's my water pump.


Please help.

Check your oil to see if any of the coolant has leaked into there and started mixing with it.

Uh, he mentioned the thermostat didn't he? You didn't mention that he changed it. Check to make sure 100% if the thermostat is good or bad. You've spent enough money with these guys on ONE problem...also bring it to another shop for a second or third opinion.

Seems like you're paying for what they tell you. Maybe another shop will find the problem right away, who knows? Did they show you the worn hoses? Did they put it in the passenger side floor? My shop leaves hoses, brake pads, rotors, etc all at the customers request.

Anyway, my opinion...hmm...first, check the head gasket. See if there's any leaks, not too hard to just look at it. Second, thermostat.

My bet would be head gasket if there are no visual leaks. Fluids just doesn't disappear. It either gets leaked or burned. Your coolant may be leaking into your cylinders. Check that out.

EDIT: Also check your exhaust smoke. If it's a sizable leak you can check by the color of the smoke. If it's really white you're burning coolant. If it's very light and faint then that's normal. Remember when you burn coolant it's white, oil is blue.

sounds like u need to go to a new mechanic.. this guy sounds like a rip off imo... how can part of a radiator go bad? tht makes no sense at all...

did he bleed the system after replacing the hoses?

when do u overheat? on the freeway or local only? sounds to be either:
a. air in the system
b. stuck thermostat
c. water pump failing (esp if you overheat on both local and freeway)

The car mostly overheats locally on the streets at lower speeds. My exhaust smoke seems to be normal. During the winter, it's always been a bit whiter/thicker than when I'm driving in the summer and warmer days.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to check out another mechanic for sure. I've been going to this guy because he's been working on my family's cars for a while now and we haven't had problems until my car to be honest

Take the thermostat out of the car and leave it like that for a while.

DarkSideAccord said:

sounds like u need to go to a new mechanic.. this guy sounds like a rip off imo... how can part of a radiator go bad? tht makes no sense at all...

did he bleed the system after replacing the hoses?

when do u overheat? on the freeway or local only? sounds to be either:
a. air in the system
b. stuck thermostat
c. water pump failing (esp if you overheat on both local and freeway)

Click to expand...

my failed at a certain location because when i got into the accident, i got hit on the front end passenger side but the twisting force of one side under tension caused the drivers side part of the radiator to split between the plastic tubing and the aluminum fins.

sikjdm said:

my failed at a certain location because when i got into the accident, i got hit on the front end passenger side but the twisting force of one side under tension caused the drivers side part of the radiator to split between the plastic tubing and the aluminum fins.

Click to expand...

if u were in an accident, then it makes sense.... the OP never stated that he was in an accident

radiator blockage could be caused by debris in the cooling system. the passages inside the radiator arent that hard to block.

-make sure your coolant is clean and fresh
-replace your thermostat ( its like 12 bucks and 10 mins to change)
-check for oil in your coolant reservior.
-jack your car up and look for a white chalky substance on surfaces. if you see any, clean the surface and check back in a few days to see if it returned.
-shouldnt be your water pump. if it was, you would hear a grinding noise from the bearing inside it going bad.

it is most likely caused by air in your cooling system. have you actually had it flushed or did they just top it off after changing the hoses?

Thanks a lot everyone!! I'll update after I find another shop to take it to.