My wife's '95 Integra developed an overheating problem??? last evening. She was nearly home and while sitting at a light the temp guage went all the way up. She managed to get home and I tried to reproduce the problem by letting the car idle sitting in the driveway; it didn't happen. I turned on the A/C and the fans went on, turned A/C off and the fans stopped running. So I don't believe the problem to be related to the fans.

This morning I drove her car to work and after about 30 minutes of stop and go driving I was sitting at a light and the temp needle swang all the way to the right. Shortly after I starting to move, almost immediately, the needle went back to normal. This scenario repeated every time I sat for any time stationary; soon as the car moved the temp guage would return to a normal range.

Since I am mechanically challenged I ask that you share your collective expertise regarding what could be the problem? :bowdown: Any help is most appreciated.

Thanks.

 

thermostat could be on its way out and just sticking shut sometimes? either way dont drive it when it gets hot you will end up warping your head.

 

It sounds like something is going out. One of the cooling components I mean... I hope someone else knows more than I do. I know that on an older car of mine the thermostat kept going out and I would have almost the same experience with it, but with the newer cars.... .......... good luck bro. Peace.

 

It could be a few problems. Thermostat, fan(s), thermoswitch, radiator, etc.

Try flushing your coolant. Sediment in the radiator may be causing a blockage. You also may need to replace your thermostat. Your thermoswitch may also not be working. When you're sitting at idle and the car starts to overheat, is your A/C button pressed?

Lastly, driving the car in the shape that it is in is not recommended. With a lack of proper cooling, you're putting increased stress on the engine and internal components due to the increased temperature/friction. The reason why the temperature goes back down when you move is because you have airflow circulation. This is serving to cool the engine off. When you are stationary, there is no airflow.

My best recommendation is to park this car until you find the problem.

 

I failed to mention that the radiator and thermostat were both replaced last summer. It could be the thermoswitch, I don't recall if that was replaced at the time.

Just like to mention that I'm not completely lost, I understand the concept of the air moving over the engine and cooling it when the car is moving again. What I find baffling is that usually when a car overheats and you move and the engine begins to cool the guage descends gradually. In my case the needle falls quickly after moving a short distance after sitting.

Regardless I won't be driving again until after it has bee repaired. I don't need any additional problems.

Thanks again for these and any other suggestions.

 

have you had to top off the fluid lately?

Had a pinhole leak once, never lost any fluid until car was hot. When fluid got low it did the same thing your describing

 

i would have to say that you either have an air bubble in the system or a blown head gasket.

 

I've had that problem also in my 94 camry...i got home and let the car cool down and i check the radiator to see if it still had water in it only to find nothing left. After i put water and some antifreeze in there everything went back to normal.

 

I dropped the car at the mechanic's last evening; his initial feeling is that it may be a sensor. I will post again when I receive a definitive diagnosis.

 

cool. now I'm really curious. in fact i'm thinking about getting a new water temp gauge.