I got a 95 Integra that overheats when I'm idling. When I start driving or rev over 3000 rpm, the temp. goes back to normal. I did a flush, changed the thermostat twice but those only seemed to work for a few months. I'm guessing I need a new rad. Any suggestions?

 

Are your Fans working?

if the fan's temp senser gets scale build up on it they wont come on when they need to

I'd start your car up when its cold and wait with it to see when the fans come on?

 

When you changed your termostat, it it work perfectly after that?
Have you ever changed your water pump?
drtacura is 100% right on the info of the sensor.
do the fans come on when the car is over heating?

 

Yea, the temp. was normal after I changed the thermostat. Then after a few months it started to overheat again. I did a flush and put new coolant in and that solved the problem until now. The fans do come on when it is overheating, but something sounds a little rough from the engine when the fans come on when the car overheats. As for the water pump, I think it was changed at 120 km. I'm the second owner and it's at 208 km now.

 

change the thermostat again...maybe the old rad fluid was screwing up the last 2

 

did u remember the old 50/50 rule????

 

Did you put in the recommended temp rating thermostat? I am not sure what it is...but they do range from 10 - 120 deg C...or something like that.
Would look into buying a failsafe thermostat too.

 

Yes, I mixed 50/50. I also went to acura to get the right temp rating for the thermostat. I've also noticed that the heat doesn't work when the car overheats, but when it goes back to normal temp, the heat works. That should indicate a blocked system right?? Also, I haven't checked the fan temp sensor yet.. where is it located?

 

Factory thermostat for b18 is 170 degrees farenheit but its possible there is a 192 in there as this is offered from most parts stores. Ensure you have a 170. Still this shouldn't create the overheat issue. I had this issue as well with my 89 teg. I figure there was an internal crack in the head beacause each time it got hot i was able to bleed air of the system. I tried a new head gasket everything. This shouldn't happen if everything is normal. I swapped motors.

Have the system pressure checked by a mechanic and this will rule out any leak issues.

Then change your water pump and get a timing belt. With 200 + km on your car you need one anyhow. Shop around to have this done. Get an Acura belt or a brandname such as Goodyear Dayco or Gates. Nothing else! This is the most critical part on your car. Also ask for a NEW water pump. They are available in the aftermarket. Canadian Tire sells the ASC Brand which is decent and most mechanics insist on using new only. Its only $95 and well worth it.

Good luck!

 

I think its ur water pump....the impeller might be gonzo!

 

Your mileage is hitting a point you should start considering changing the waterpump and timing belt anyway. But before that I'd burp your system. I had the same problem - turned out to be air in the coolant lines. If possible, there should be no air in your system. Usually takes me about a week of constant attention to get all the air out - which is even more important in race applications where temps run higher than on street applications.

There are a number of ways to do it. One I've done it in the past is put a funnel on the rad with the engine off. Find a funnel that fits on the rad deep into the rad and forms a seal prenventing coolant to leak when the funnel is filled half way up with coolant. Then squeeze the hoses until you stop getting air bubbling up. Do that a couple times a week until you stop finding air. Be gentle on the hoses, especially if they're old. If you see or feel any cracking, just replace them.

D-series motors it's easy because they have purge valve, so you get the car up to operating temperature and you open the purge valve just a little. You let it idle until you don't see any bubbles coming out of the system. The way to do it without the purge valve is to run the car with the rad cap off - start with a cold/cool/unpressurized engine! Leave your heat on and wait for the car to get to operating temperature and the thermostat to kick in. You'll see the movement in the coolant when that happens and the fans should come on. The air in the system will bubble up as it passes the open radiator - keep an eye on it and top it up as the air comes up. Also, make sure you don't overheat it since that can damage your head and keep your reservoir filled up properly too.

Hope that helps.

 

I let the air out by opening the rad cap and topping the coolant. It took a lot of coolant! It fixed the overheating prob, but now it takes a loooong time to heat up... I guess i put too much in? Also when I took the rad cap off and let the engine run, it took almost 1/2 hour for the fans to come on. I was reving the engine too. Maybe the prob was the rad cap? Too much pressure?

 

Did your turn the heater to full hot?

 

Yep

 

I wouldn't worry about putting too much in - you can't actually. It overflows into the reservoir. It's cold out side and it takes a long time to warm up. Half hour sounds about right. Repeat the process a couple more times - you'll find more air in there. You might want to replace the cap just to be safe. There's a way to test it but caps are cheap so just toss yours and pop on another one. Glad you solved your problem.