overheating at idle

My '91 accura integra had some water in it so I left the car idling with the
a/c running and the heat on full to dry it out. About 20 minutes later the
temp gauge was almost in the red and cold air was coming out of the vents. I
pressed the gas pedal a couple of times and the temp returned to normal and
hot air began to blow.

Shouldn't there have been enough flow of coolant at idle to prevent this
from happening on a day where the air temp was 40F.

Thanks,
--Art

 

Your coolant level was low and there was no circulation. Your head may have
warped from the heat of the overheating. Watch your coolant level
carefully.

1) With the engine cooled off, check the rad. The fluid should be right up
to the filler neck and should be touching the bottom of the rad cap.

2) If it is, you may have a bad water pump due to corrosion.

3) If it is not, start investigating why. Is there coolant in the reservoir
and is it higher than it should be? If so, that's a sign of a blown head
gasket.

4) If rad is low and reservoir is dry, you've either got a leak somewhere
or have let it go too long without maintenance.

 

Or it could be a sticking thermostat.

 

Not if the temp went down when he stepped on the gas. That's a clear sign
of poor circulation which is usually due to low coolant.

 

Correct--it was very low. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Now I have
to figure out where the leak is located. Something I'm not happy about as I
replaced the radiator myself two years ago. I don't think a cap came with
the new one. Could I be so lucky to find it as the culprit?

Thanks,
--Art

 

A cap is all of ten bucks or so, so replace it anyway. Use a dealer cap. If
it's not the cap, you'll find out soon enough as the coolant level in the
reservoir will rise within a day or so.

If the coolant in the reservoir was high, that means it was pushed into the
reservoir from the rad by gases blown into the coolant by a failed head
gasket.

If you have no coolant in the reservoir AND the rad was low, then you
likely have a leak somewhere.

If you want to pay $50 or so, you can get a "pressure test" (NOT a
compression test) done by a garage, which will confirm or discount head
gasket failure. I'd advise getting that done ASAP. Driving around with a
failed head gasket will eventually wreck the block beyond economic repair.

 

Well, coolant in the reservoir has risen above the full mark by an inch or
two. On more than one occasion I've had the temp in the red, though not for
very long. I may attempt this one myself. With the aid of the newsgroups and
my Haynes manual I almost look like I know what I'm doing. Any idea how many
hours it will take a peon like me to replace the head gasket. As I read the
instructions and the many "see Section..." and "see Chapter..." at every
step, I'm beginning to think in terms of days. Do I need a gasket set or can
I get by with just the head gasket. Anything else I should do while I'm in
there? (Probably the timing belt.) The car has ~160K miles.

Thanks,
--Art
BTW can someone tell me why a head gasket costs $35 to $70?

 

I've never personally done a head gasket, but when the one in my '91
Integra went earlier this year (exhibiting identical symptoms to yours), I
seriously considered it. After extensive discussion with a mechanic friend
of mine, I decided against it, mostly due to lack of time available to me.


Based on my talks with my mechanic, I would offer the following pieces of
advice:
1) Allow several days if it's your first time. Have a garage to do the work
in.
2) The head WILL need to be skimmed, so have transportation to and from the
machine shop.
3) Allow that at least one exhaust manifold stud will break off inside the
head and somebody will need to extract it or drill it out (the machine shop
or you)
4) Do NOT ever use sandpaper to remove traces of the old gaskets. Grit from
the sandpaper will get into the cylinder bores and kill the engine. Use a
proper razor-blade scraper.
5) Get a precision straight-edge and feeler gauges. Check the block face as
specified in the manual for straightness and true. If the block face is
warped, you may be wasting your time.
6) Check the leaky cylinder surface for gas cutting or rust. Depending on
how long you've been driving the car this way, damage may be too severe to
allow the new gasket to seal properly.
7) Don't skimp on parts here. Use an OEM gasket set, replacing all that you
undo. If you don't mind the threat of needing to tear back into the motor
again, then use aftermarket. Me, I won't trust aftermarket. I wanna do it
ONCE.
8) Replace the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and the crank and
camshaft oil seals while you've got everything pulled apart. If the timing
belt tensioner is wiggly on its bearing, replace that too. Use OEM. Don't
skimp. You will regret not spending an extra $100 or so when something
fails later on.

If you're a hobbyist who has the time and energy to keep ripping your car
apart, then you can save a few bucks and use aftermarket parts.

I forget what car you've got, but if it's an Accord, you will have the
added complication of the balancer shaft belt and seals to add to your
work.

I'm sure there's lots more info that would come in handy to you, but this
is all I can think of just now.

Good luck.

 

Thanks again for your advice. It's for a '91 Acura Integra. Good point about
the exhaust. I've never enjoyed dealing with any nut on an exhaust system.
The manual says I have the choice of dismantling at the head or leaving the
manifold on the head and instead disconnecting at the flange. Maybe I'll do
the latter for the exhaust.

Thanks,
--Art