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'88 Accord overheating issue – how long should fans stay on for?

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  • #912951
    A SA S
    Participant

      Hi all, new poster here.

      I am fixing up an ’88 Accord (2lt, injected) that had been sitting a long time. I am having an issue with it overheating. When testing while idling stationary, the thermofans kick on when the temp gauge reaches about half way but they only stay on for short bursts of 20 secs or so. They will come on again after about 2 or so mins. Meanwhile the temperature creeps up and up.

      It feels (to my uneducated self) that the fans should stay on longer, but I’ve never worked on many cars like this so don’t really know.

      I have:

      – flushed the cooling system (there was a lot of gunk in there) and bled the air from it
      – replaced the thermostat
      – replaced the water pump (old one had bad bearing)
      – replaced radiator cap

      Other things to note that might mean something to someone:

      – I had the dreaded bouncing idle issue, though this has all but disappeared since I bled air from the cooling system. However, during a 20 min idling test it did drop and resume 4 isolated times.
      – The cooling system was absolutely filthy. It took about 12 flushes to get the water coming out clean.
      – Radiator appears fine visually – no damage or rust from the outside.
      – Idle is high. Starts at about 1000rpm and increases to about 1300 – 1500rpm when warmed up.

      Is my radiator toast? IAC valve? Anything else I should look for?

      Many thanks in advance!

      • This topic was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by A SA S. Reason: added info on idle
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    • #913768
      Nightflyr *Richard Kirshy
      Participant

        My first suggestion would be, do not trust what the dash gauge is reporting until you can confirm the coolant temp.
        You can use special cap with a built in thermometer.
        Something like this …

        Now considering how bad the cooling system was by your description.
        It is possible you have a possible blockage in the radiator, heater core or both.
        You could try to power flush the system.
        https://www.amazon.com/OTC-6043-Blast-Vac-Multipurpose-Cleaning/dp/B000F5ECRW
        Also make certain that there is no airflow blockage.

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