1983 Honda Accord Cooling

Tiny
BANJO941
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  • 1983 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 216,500 MILES
The coolant temperature never gets above 150 degrees. I have replaced the thermostat twice with no change.
Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 12:32 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
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Hi there,

I would be checking that the correct thermostat is being installed first. There may be a warmer range available,

Mark (mhpautos)
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 5:47 PM
Tiny
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Both thermostats say that they are 180 degree
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 6:48 PM
Tiny
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I would get a thermal temp gauge and see what the readings are at the top & bottom of the radiator,

Mark (mhpautos)
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 7:58 PM
Tiny
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I already did that with a digital thermometer and that is how I measured the 150 (actually 147) degrees
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 9:10 PM
Tiny
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HI there,

Bit strange this, are the thermo fans turning off? There not running all the time? Have you been the person replacing the thermostats? Some people drill a larger air bleed hole in the flange, this will cause a lower than normal temp reading. Radiator cap releasing at the correct pressure? What concentration of coolant are you using? Do you have an external engine oil cooler fitted, (engine oil accounts for a large proportion of engine cooling) Are the lower plastic engine splash covers still in place, this will increase air flow and add to cooling.

Still thinking so check these out.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008 AT 10:11 PM
Tiny
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I installed the thermostats both times and I did not drill a hole. I am using premixed 50-50 antifreeze. There are no extra coolers.
There is something else that is puzzling. Assuming that the thermostats are not defective, and that the coolant is not at 180 degrees, why is the thermostat opening? I know that it is opening because the radiator is hot (at 147 degrees) and I can see the antifreeze flowing in the tank.
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008 AT 12:21 AM
Tiny
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Hi there,

Try and get hold of a mechanics radiator thermometer, and see what the water temp actually is with the engine hot (thermostat open) I am struggling with an explanation just now.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008 AT 2:00 AM
Tiny
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That is the kind of thermometer that I used. I really appreciate your help with this but I hate to have you wasting so much time. Maybe I should just forget it and hope it doesn't cause a problem. The main reason I wanted to correct it was that I know that your gas mileage suffers if the engine is not up to correct operating temperature.
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008 AT 9:38 AM
Tiny
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Hi there

As professional mechanic for over 30 years now, I can just about count on one hand the number of jobs that have stump me. The trouble with doing this on line is that you really want to have the job in front of you so you can see things first hand. I solved a problem here the other day by getting the person to go back over what they said was ok, when I just knew there was something not right. So I will give you a list of things to check, as with the other job I asked them to re check things that they said were ok.

1 Pressure test cooling system, no leaks.
2. Check radiator cap.
3. Mixture setting not over rich.
4. Ignition timing set
5. Thermostat tested for opening temp in water brought up to a slow boil on a stove.
6. Coolant concentrate as per specs.
7. Cooling fans cycling not staying on.
8. Lower engine covers fitted.
9. Temp check with a probe type gauge engine hot.
10. Temp sender tested as per spec.
11. Radiator is standard and not a import tropical (heavy duty cooling capacity)
12 Standard Honda thermo fans fitted,

You could try blocking part of the core with a cover to restrict air flow and increasing the core temp. If you have any more questions I am happy to answer them, I am sorry that we have not found you a solution, it will be there, somewhere. That I am sure off.

Mark (mhpautos))
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008 AT 10:11 AM

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