Accord Cooling

When my 92 accord is up to operating temperature, should the hoses that go
to and from the radiator have pressure in them? I can squeeze them together
with just 2 fingers, doesn't feel like water is flowing through them at all.
I never overheat though.

 

Coolant will not be flowing through your hoses all the time, only when
the thermostat opens to circulate the cooled radiator fluid with the
engine fluid, assuming you have a thermostat installed. However you
should not be able to squeeze the hoses all the way together with your
fingers but they should be flexible. Are the hoses hot to the touch?
You might have low pressure caused by an old radiator cap.

 

Next time your car is cold, remove the rad cap and turn it upside down.
Wiggle the stem that holds all the gaskets. Is the stem really wiggly? If
so then what you are seeing is perfectly normal.

This type of rad cap only pressurizes the system if the coolant begins to
boil, at which time pressure will build very rapidly. If the coolant is not
boiling, the hoses will feel like there is no pressure, or very little
pressure.

If you have this type of rad cap you have to catch the system at just the
right moment for the hoses to be rigid when squeezed.

I believe makers changed to this type of cap because hoses and other
components last longer when not under continual pressure.

If the rad cap stem is rigidly mounted (the gaskets may wiggle a bit), then
your lack of pressure is NOT normal and you should replace the cap ASAP.