Cooling System / Timing Belt Questions - 1995 Honda Passport

I just recently flushed my cooling system in conjunction with other work
being performed on my 1995 Honda Passport. After flushing the system, I
added a Radiator Anti-Rust bottle to my system. It's white in color. The
coolant is green in color.

Originally, and before I added the Anti-Rust, the car would overheat after
about 2 minutes of running. This ended up being a mis-installation of the
thermostat and, therefore, the system was re-drained, the thermostat
installed correctly, and now the overheating problem has disappeared.

However, it seems that the coolant in the system isn't flowing through the
radiator.

Question: When the car is running and the radiator cap is removed,
shouldn't the coolant in the radiator be flowing THROUGH the radiator rather
than remaining still?

The color of the fluid in the radiator is still a milky white. There was
enough fluid in the rest of the cooling system to offset the white color of
the Anti-Rust and all fluid should be green, or at least a very light green.
The fluid is white.

It would seem that the fluid beyond the radiator is not moving through the
system. Yet the car is not overheating.

Does this cooling system have an air pocket in it which is preventing flow
along the system lines? If so, how does one remove the air or, in other
words, "burp" the system on this vehicle?

Forgive me being long-winded, but my wife just brought up another idea:

Also re-did the timing belt during the work process. It now turns out my
idea of re-using the hydraulic tensioner for the timing belt was a bad idea.
When I first start up my car in the mornings or at various parts of the day
where the car has been sitting, there is a very nasty squealing sound which
is heard until the car idles up. I believe this to be the timing belt being
either too tight or too loose because of the faulty tensioner unit (a new
one is on order).

At some times in the mornings, the squealing is so bad that the car shuts
itself off. I would tend to think the car is shutting off because the
tensioner is causing the belt to be too tight. Any thoughts?

On the other hand, is the tensioner too loose and, therefore, the water pump
isn't functioning properly because of this? Yet, the car is not
overheating. Or is it overheating, just not at the point where a
temperature sensor picks up this fact?

Final question, it seems at some point during my work the idler pulley was
discovered to be pretty loose. I do not remember loosening it. My mechanic
friend re-tightened the bolt to it. Did THIS get tightended too tightly and
is this causing the car to squeal and shut off (I doubt this)? What is the
correct torque for the idler pulley on this vehicle?

After reaching a good idle, the car runs great. Been driving it for about
250 miles post work being done. The squeal's got to go, though. It's pretty
annoying.

Thanks for any advice/input.

AJPDLA

 

Only if the engine is hot enough to cause the thermostat to open. It
would have to sit at idle a quite some time to get it hot enough and if
its cold outside it may never open. Take the cap off and hold the
throttle partly open for a few minutes.

If a gasket is blown you may have oil mixed in producing a discoloration.

See above. If its not overheating then water is flowing through but
only when the engine is hot enough. No reason for the water to flow
through the radiator if the water in the engine block isn't hot.

No. If water were not flowing when the engine was hot then the engine
would overheat....period!!

If this were the case you'd hear the belt squeal badly.

 

Only if the engine is hot enough to cause the thermostat to open. It
would have to sit at idle a quite some time to get it hot enough and if
its cold outside it may never open. Take the cap off and hold the
throttle partly open for a few minutes.

If a gasket is blown you may have oil mixed in producing a discoloration.

See above. If its not overheating then water is flowing through but
only when the engine is hot enough. No reason for the water to flow
through the radiator if the water in the engine block isn't hot.

No. If water were not flowing when the engine was hot then the engine
would overheat....period!!

If this were the case you'd hear the belt squeal badly.

 

3 strikes and you're out. You messed up 3 out of 3 jobs. Take it to a
mechanic. I may end up costing you dearly.

Try draining the coolant and flushing the sytem with water alone and then
putting in new coolant.

 

3 strikes and you're out. You messed up 3 out of 3 jobs. Take it to a
mechanic. I may end up costing you dearly.

Try draining the coolant and flushing the sytem with water alone and then
putting in new coolant.

 

No way!!! I'm way ahead of the mechanic game at this point. Besides, where
I live I wouldn't trust ANY of the mechanics in town with my car. This is
just a simple problem which needs a little more attention than it got in the
first go-around. The car runs great, except for the squeal when it starts,
which goes away. Gas mileage is way up already. Power is increased at
least by half of what it was before. Installed a new air intake which has
produced this result as well as the work I did in the heads themselves.

The work is not easy, but very straightforward. It doesn't take a mechanic
to get it done, either. But a friend who is one helps.

I'm still on base.

AJPDLA

 

No way!!! I'm way ahead of the mechanic game at this point. Besides, where
I live I wouldn't trust ANY of the mechanics in town with my car. This is
just a simple problem which needs a little more attention than it got in the
first go-around. The car runs great, except for the squeal when it starts,
which goes away. Gas mileage is way up already. Power is increased at
least by half of what it was before. Installed a new air intake which has
produced this result as well as the work I did in the heads themselves.

The work is not easy, but very straightforward. It doesn't take a mechanic
to get it done, either. But a friend who is one helps.

I'm still on base.

AJPDLA

 

What do you mean by this statement:

Shuts itself off? I've never heard of a car that shuts itself off
because the timing belt tension is too tight. How or why would it do
that?

 

What do you mean by this statement:

Shuts itself off? I've never heard of a car that shuts itself off
because the timing belt tension is too tight. How or why would it do
that?

 

Are you sure the timing belt is the one making the noise?
Maybe an accessory belt is not tight enough and it's slipping causing the
squeal.

 

Are you sure the timing belt is the one making the noise?
Maybe an accessory belt is not tight enough and it's slipping causing the
squeal.

 

yes you are supposed to "burp" the coolant. on the couple hondas i've worked
on theirs a bleeder screw near the throttle body. crack it open and then
fill till it starts squirting out.

also the squeal is probably from the other belts that loosen when new. their
is a "new" tension and a "used" tension when installing the accessorie
belts.

even if ur timing belt was too tight/ too loose i'm sure as heck it would be
spinning the water pump.

no idea on the car shutting off. any engine codes?

good luck,

jay

 

yes you are supposed to "burp" the coolant. on the couple hondas i've worked
on theirs a bleeder screw near the throttle body. crack it open and then
fill till it starts squirting out.

also the squeal is probably from the other belts that loosen when new. their
is a "new" tension and a "used" tension when installing the accessorie
belts.

even if ur timing belt was too tight/ too loose i'm sure as heck it would be
spinning the water pump.

no idea on the car shutting off. any engine codes?

good luck,

jay