I need some prelude experts to answer this question! - Honda Prelude Forum

OutlawLude · 01-07-2002, 05:55 PM

Why is my car overheating??

Everything but the water pump is new. It has 108,000 miles on it. Here is the question though: Sometimes when I let my car sit in traffic it will start to overheat but then if I turn the car off and then back on really quick, it says it is at normal operating temperature; but sometimes I can sit in traffic for like 10-15 minutes without even a hint of overheating

Now here is the weird part: It tends to overheat more at night than during the day, and also if it is not overheating and I turn on the heater or even just the rear defroster it will start to overheat

plus if I turn on the A/C it overheats really fast. Can someone figure out why my car is doing this?? Please help, I am totally lost!! By the way it is a 96 OBD2 VTEC.

jc836 · 01-07-2002, 06:16 PM

Considering where you live <G> it is quite possible that the fans and or switches for them are bad. Check to see if the radiator fans are actually coming on. With the air running they should.

OutlawLude · 01-07-2002, 08:07 PM

the fans come on so I think it might be the computer? What do you guys think?

SweetGurlRacer · 01-07-2002, 08:34 PM

I have a feeling its the water pump cause you are due to have it changed...

apocalypse · 01-07-2002, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SweetGurlRacer
I have a feeling its the water pump cause you are due to have it changed...

if the waterpump went the whole engine would go..
but like everyone said check your fans
thermostat maybe even change your radiator fluid

OutlawLude · 01-07-2002, 09:22 PM

thermostat and fluid is new as I said earlier, and if it was the water pump, why wouldn't it overheat all of the time?? I still think it is the computer unless I can be proven wrong.

marcucci · 01-08-2002, 06:03 AM

If it was the water pump you would either overheat all the time and have other symptoms (bearing noise, water leak, etc.).

When was the fluid changed? If you didn't properly bleed or "burp" the system, and have air in it, you can overheat. How much coolant came out, and how much was put in?

If you are sure the coolant is good and the thermostat is good, look at the fan relays (and the fans). Check fan operation while idling with the hood up and watch the gauge- make sure the rad fan cycles appropriately as does the AC fan.

What gen do you have? The computer has nothing to do with the fans from what I recall (4g and 5g), and almost NEVER fails.

prelude2005 · 01-08-2002, 06:14 AM

i have a feeling its the...thermostat...even tho its new and all
but id listen to todd..

Outlawgirl · 01-08-2002, 02:59 PM

the fans are working perfectly and I bled the system correctly and put the correct amount of coolant in it. it is a 4th gen by the way. The reason why I think it is the computer is because sometimes it overheats immediately and sometimes it won't overheat at all! I can't figure it out!

OutlawLude · 01-08-2002, 03:00 PM

that last reply was from me, i forgot to login as myself! DUH!!

OOHLAH · 01-08-2002, 03:03 PM

Thermostat

OutlawLude · 01-08-2002, 04:00 PM

can't be the thermostat because I used a new one and i used the old one, it does the same thing with both thermostats. and yes the breather hole is positioned at the top.

ThePreludeKilla · 01-08-2002, 05:11 PM

Thermostat is probably stuck closed, cant hurt try it is only a 3 dollar part

OutlawLude · 01-08-2002, 05:49 PM

Can you people please read all of the symptoms before you reply!

apocalypse · 01-08-2002, 08:10 PM

why dont u just take it to mechanic

OOHLAH · 01-08-2002, 08:14 PM

It may be new but there on this one time where my Thermo was new and it turned out to be the thermo again. Thats a once in a million thing though. If not that then probally the cpu and make sure the fans are plugged in all the way, then the fuses. Have you messed with the radiator at all?

brendon2k · 01-08-2002, 10:14 PM

I thought turning on the heater is supposed to help cool the car.

Quaalude · 01-08-2002, 10:21 PM

did u have the correct mixture of 50/50 for your coolant?....what kind of coolant is it?

H23Lude · 01-09-2002, 02:26 AM

but are you sure its overheating? how do you know? are you just looking at the temp guage? The temp guage might be bad.

the reason why i ask is because it sounds more like an electrical problem. Because you said it happens when you turn on your heater, defroster,AC, etc. And you said it happens especially at night and thats probably b/c you have your headlights on with other accesories. This might be causing the temp guage to go crazy. Thats just my guess....

btw: did u flush out the radiator?? Try flushing it out with good radiator flush. And make sure there is NO air in the system when you refill it.

OutlawLude · 01-09-2002, 05:20 AM

I think it is electrical too.