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Ok, so I used the online video to replace the timing belt on my 2007 Honda Ridgeline that has a J series motor. I used the same video several months ago to do the timing belt in my wife’s 2007 Odyssey.
In this job I also replaced the radiator because of a known issue where the transmission cooling line connectors corrode, which mine had started to do.
After I got everything back together I went through the Ridgeline factory shop manual to burp the air out of the cooling system. I thought I got it all out and took it for a ride. Within a 1/4 mile it started to overheat. I pulled over and let it cool for a few minutes. Turned the key and the temp was at the normal level. Went to drive it home and it overheated again so I pulled over. It took me a few times of doing this to get it home.
Once home I looked on the internet and found Eric’s instructions for bleeding the air out. I did not have the fancy spill free funnel nor could I find one locally so I tried to do this with with a big funnel that fit into opening.
After several hours trying to get the air out it is still over heating. I can let it idle for 5 minutes and it will go up to 3/4 hot where normal is 1/2. If I give it any gas per Eric’s instructions it overheats. I do see burps every once in a while doing this.
So my question is, do I keep doing what I was doing or is there some other trick with these J series cooling systems. It did not have the bleed valve, or at least I could not find one. Any help would be appreciated.
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It is in a local shop now. It is not losing coolant at all, but I also know that a leaking head gasket does not mean it always loses coolant depending on where the leak is. I really think there is still air in it.
When the engine is cold if I unscrew the EGR temp sensor I can see coolant but it does not come out. Even if I fill the radiator up with a large funnel attached to the radiator neck there is not enough pressure to push coolant out which make me think there is still an air pocket as well. Another part to the mystery is that when it gets hot I can hear, yes I can actually hear it, the thermostat opening and closing as it makes loud clunking noises. It pops open and closes almost immediately, like a bit of the cooler coolant flows down and closes it but since it is not flowing it does not get the radiator coolant hot enough to keep the thermostat open.
If it is a head gasket, I would be really surprised. The engine only has 105k on it and the dealership had flushed the coolant at 50k miles so if it was something like what Raistian77 said I would think that would have caused it.
Anyway, I will keep everyone in the know. Thanks everyone again for the input and suggestions. Keeping my fingers crossed it is not a head gasket.
That sounds weird to me, not that I don’t believe you, but I’ve never heard a thermostat make any sound at all. In some engines I was able to tell when the thermostat opened and closed by load on the engine and the sound of the water pump working but no actual thermostat noise.
I know, I thought the same thing. But when it clicks coolant gushes down for a second or two. So you a clunk around where the thermostat is and second or two later you hear another one. Between the two clunks the coolant drops fast. I am guessing it has something to do with the cool coolant hitting the supper hot thermostat. If I rev the engine the coolant up top gets hot and it stops doing it as much.
The shop put a new thermostat in and same thing. They said they would continue to try and get it to burp and to call them back in an hour.
Problem solved. It turned out it was all my fault. Additional to the black plastic end caps, there was an additional shipping plug inside the radiator pushed back about an inch. It was black and I did not notice it. Also, it was not mentioned in the paperwork that came with the Spectra radiator.
Uggghhh!
I guess that explains the no coolant flow/overheat.
Glad you got it and thanks for the update and the fix. 🙂Yea, that will do it. Good find. That would have left a professional scratching his head that’s for sure. You should be proud of being able to find that mistake. Thanks very much for the updates, and for using the ETCG forum.
I used to work in a lab where I purchased this device with a bunch of heaters on it. Well, I would turn one on and one would come on but not the one adjacent to the knob. So, I called the factory and asked how they tested before shipment. “We turn on all the heaters to see if they work.” Then I explained the problem.
Anyway, if you notify the supplier it might save someone else the grief.
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