Hi I have tried to resolve this problem now for about two weeks. I checked everything and apparently my car starts to overflow from the coolant resevoir bottle, when I turn the car off. I have changed the thermostat, and I have changed the radiator cap, and also the temperature gauge works, any insight might help... p.s. the fans work also.....


-Show Maxima

 

I"m having the same problem. Have you change your hoses? Radiator?

 

bump. Ok this problem has gotten worse, now my car has overheated 2x, today, and the engine made funny sounds like valves were crashing, (they passed the tapping stage) but i am really ****ed now, as my car will be useless if i cant drive it, and i dont want to drive it anymore and cause anymore damage. again any insight?

 

ok i bought some coolant and hopefully that has solved the problem, i changed the oil, and didnt see any water in it. i made the coolant water ratio 70/30, so i should probably reduce the occurance of boilover's. i will let you know how it went.... btw, last weekend i raced 3 90-93 accords and they started pulling on me on the hwy. i am an auto btw, on 19's, poormans intake. lol. cut springs >3" drop, barely tucking the tire in the back pipcs coming soon, i saw the same guys again last nite, and he said he had a h22 swap(prelude engine about 190HP 2dr accord 5spd) any hope for me??? let me know.

 

No, there is no hope for anyone with 3in cut stock springs.

 

ok what i meant is do I have any hope beating a Honda Accord 90-99, with a H22(Prelude Swap). by the way, i am an auto, soon to do 5spd swap. please speak intelligently.

 

why are u racing if ur car is over heating?????/

 

Let me get this straight. You drive an overheating 4th gen auto max, chrome 19s i'm guessing, cut stock springs, and you want us to speak intelligently?

I don't even know where to begin.

First: Stop racing until you get your overheating problems fixed.

Second: If you want to beat anything, get rid of the heavy a$$ wheels.

Third: If you really did cut 3inches off your stock springs, you're driving a dangerous car. Did you know that you have no suspension travel at all?


When you get all that stuff taken car of, come back and we'll talk about beating H22A Accords.

 

3 inch drop? My 2 inch sprints bottoms out at any bump or dip I hate to imagine how bad a ride your is. And try putting your stock front wheels and you might have a chance. But then if you blow your freaking engine then you will have chance at all.

 

lol Yea same reply here. Do not race your car if You are not going to maintain it. Every car needs regular maintenance. Racing it will reduce the life of your car. It seems you want to beat the accords more then fixing your overheating problems.

 

I bet you have a blown head gasket. The bubbles your seeing is combustion gas (exhaust) blowing past your head gasket into the coolant channels.

That would explain your overheating.

 

He might have even warped a head or something like that during all those overheating episodes

 

I won't comment right now on the racing with an engine overheating problem....
Your overheating can be caused by many things, like blown head gasket, failed water pump, stuck thermostat, etc... The underlying problem must be fixed, or you'll keep overheating. But when you changed your coolant to a 70/30 mix, you got it backwards which doesn't help things in the meantime. Antifreeze should be 30%, with water being 70%. The reasoning is very simple. Antifreeze blows when it comes to dissipating heat. Water is much more efficient. The reason you have the antifreeze in there at a minimum of 30% is for protection against freezing (not a factor right now), corrosion resistance, and to marginally increase the boiling point. Remember that we have a pressurized system, so the boiling point is already higher than that of straight water not pressurized (you know, 212* F). Your problem is with getting rid of the heat. And a 70/30 Antifreeze/water isn't going to do it nearly as well as the other way around.
Check your oil often for coolant contamination (blown head gasket), and be sure it's at the proper level. You said you changed the radiator cap. Make sure you got the right one with the recommended opening pressure for our system (can't remember off the top of my head what it is). Don't get one that looks pretty and will fit if it is the wrong pressure rating. Clean the debris from the front of your radiator fins. When is the last time your cooling system was flushed? You may have some blocked water passages from corrosion if using too much or too little antifreeze (pure antifreeze is very corrosive; more so than water. But properly mixed, it actually aids in preventing it). Make sure the thermostat is correct rating for our cars, and is installed correctly.
These should start you in the right direction. Good luck.
And no, with your car overheating, you don't stand a very good chance against a Honda. You have to finish the race in order to win.

Dave

 

Good info Dave. Overheating problems can be confusing. One thing you may want to consider is a plugged exhaust system as well. An increased back pressure of hot gasses may cause the head gasket to blow). I changed my g/f's head gasket (after checking all that you've suggested, as well as timing), and the overheating has stopped. I have yet to check the catalytic converter, which requires me using a torch. Do you know of a way to check for a plugged cat, than removing the cat and seeing if it's plugged? Any suggestions Dave?

In the mean time, I have a 1/4" relief on my g/f's exhaust (hehe) between the exhaust manifold and tubing. I suspect it may be a clogged exhaust due to the decrease in pollutants i've seen before. The engine is old, (170K), so it blows some smoke.

Thanks,

Isaac