Honda Car Forum

>
> The connector to the thermo switch has "lock" that must be raised about
> 1/16 of an inch before it can be unpluged. You may have to back the
> thermo
> switch a quarter turn or so to get to this "lock". The thermostat is a
> couple
> of inches to the right of the thermo switch an a bit higher. Be aware
> that
> there is still antifreeze in this part of the engine even after you
> drain
> the radiator. See Tegger's FAQ under radiator does not come on by
> REMCO
> for a lot of good data.
> Ernie
>

Thanks, Ernie. I lifted the tab with a screwdriver and it popped right off.

I ended up running a wire from the thermo switch connector to ground, so the
radiator fan stays on when the car is running. I've already purchased the
replacement thermo switch, but need to go back and get a wrench big enough
to put it on.

One other thing I noticed was that the radiator was under pressure even
after 2-3 hours of sitting. Attempting to remove the rad cap cause coolant
to squirt out. I would have though any pressure would have dissipated during
that time.

Nightdude wrote:
> Incorrect,
>
> my Acura Vigor price for the thermostat was 86$ sale price, 110$ regular
> price. Plus 11$ for gasket!

damn. ida taken it out, got a part number off it then cross-referenced
online. its almost gotta be shared with something else.

then again, thats the wacky 5 cyl, huh?

DesignGuy wrote:
> >
> > The connector to the thermo switch has "lock" that must be raised
about
> > 1/16 of an inch before it can be unpluged. You may have to back the
> > thermo
> > switch a quarter turn or so to get to this "lock". The thermostat
is a
> > couple
> > of inches to the right of the thermo switch an a bit higher. Be
aware
> > that
> > there is still antifreeze in this part of the engine even after you
> > drain
> > the radiator. See Tegger's FAQ under radiator does not come on by
> > REMCO
> > for a lot of good data.
> > Ernie
> >
>
> Thanks, Ernie. I lifted the tab with a screwdriver and it popped
right off.
>
> I ended up running a wire from the thermo switch connector to ground,
so the
> radiator fan stays on when the car is running. I've already purchased
the
> replacement thermo switch, but need to go back and get a wrench big
enough
> to put it on.
>
> One other thing I noticed was that the radiator was under pressure
even
> after 2-3 hours of sitting. Attempting to remove the rad cap cause
coolant
> to squirt out. I would have though any pressure would have dissipated
during
> that time.
Yeah, 2 or 3 hours does seem to be a long time for the radiator to
cool.
When I was having trouble with mine It would cool in an hour or less.
There could be a problem with the radiator cap or the line to the over
flow tank. When the coolant gets hot it should expand and flow into the

overflow tank and then be drawn back into the radiator as the engine
cools. I see a lot of talk about having air in the hoses or the engine
on this news group, but I don't know if that could be your problem.
I think the rad cap should allow coolant to flow to the overflow tank
at about 16 lbs pressure.
Ernie

DesignGuy wrote:
> >
> > The connector to the thermo switch has "lock" that must be raised
about
> > 1/16 of an inch before it can be unpluged. You may have to back the
> > thermo
> > switch a quarter turn or so to get to this "lock". The thermostat
is a
> > couple
> > of inches to the right of the thermo switch an a bit higher. Be
aware
> > that
> > there is still antifreeze in this part of the engine even after you
> > drain
> > the radiator. See Tegger's FAQ under radiator does not come on by
> > REMCO
> > for a lot of good data.
> > Ernie
> >
>
> Thanks, Ernie. I lifted the tab with a screwdriver and it popped
right off.
>
> I ended up running a wire from the thermo switch connector to ground,
so the
> radiator fan stays on when the car is running. I've already purchased
the
> replacement thermo switch, but need to go back and get a wrench big
enough
> to put it on.
>
> One other thing I noticed was that the radiator was under pressure
even
> after 2-3 hours of sitting. Attempting to remove the rad cap cause
coolant
> to squirt out. I would have though any pressure would have dissipated
during
> that time.
Yeah, 2 or 3 hours does seem to be a long time for the radiator to
cool.
When I was having trouble with mine It would cool in an hour or less.
There could be a problem with the radiator cap or the line to the over
flow tank. When the coolant gets hot it should expand and flow into the

overflow tank and then be drawn back into the radiator as the engine
cools. I see a lot of talk about having air in the hoses or the engine
on this news group, but I don't know if that could be your problem.
I think the rad cap should allow coolant to flow to the overflow tank
at about 16 lbs pressure.
Ernie

I just replaced the thermo switch, and the radiator fan *still* doesn't come
on, even with the AC switched on (the AC compressor fan on driver's side
does come on).

I measured the new thermo switch by putting an ohmmeter across the terminals
and lowering it into a pan of boiling water. After the switch closed I got 1
ohm of resistance. The old thermo switch read 8 ohms. So I guess it was bad?

I'm not sure what else it could be.... shorted one side of the thermo switch
connector to ground does make the fan come on while the engine is running.
There's nothing else in the circuit as far as I know.

The temp guage never rises above 1/3 level (so far). Tegger, you had asked
about the heat output in the passanger compartment. At times, it seems to be
normal. Other times, it seems to be cool, even when the temp setting is over
at max. Could this be due to a bad thermostat or something else?

"DesignGuy" <dontbother@nowhere.com> wrote in
news:yUvQd.978$zH6.947@attbi_s53:


> The temp guage never rises above 1/3 level (so far). Tegger, you had
> asked about the heat output in the passanger compartment. At times, it
> seems to be normal. Other times, it seems to be cool, even when the
> temp setting is over at max. Could this be due to a bad thermostat or
> something else?



Personally, I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. 1 ohm or 8 ohms
means nothing. If the temp gauge never gets past 1/3, the rad fan WILL NOT
START NO MATTER WHAT.

If you simulated the heavy stop-and-go traffic like I said for AT LEAST 5
MINUTES, and the temp gauge DID NOT RISE, then your engine IS NOT HEATING
UP ENOUGH to make the fan come on.

I do believe you have a bad thermostat. Replace with new **OEM** for $20,
then report back, BEFORE you spend bigger bucks on the thermoswitch.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

DesignGuy wrote:
>
> I just replaced the thermo switch, and the radiator fan *still* doesn't come
> on, even with the AC switched on (the AC compressor fan on driver's side
> does come on).

I don't believe the rad fan is supposed to come on when you turn on the
A/C. I have seen cars where the rad fan DOES come on with the A/C (e.g.
some model years of the Accord), but I don't think the '95 Civic is one
of them. The '94 wiring diagram does not show a direct connection
between the A/C system and the radiator fan. The only conceivable link
would be that the ECU could turn on the rad fan when using the A/C
(calls for A/C to turn on go through the ECU and the rad fan relay coil
is connected to the ECU in addition to being connected to the thermo
switch). I just checked the behavior of my '94 Civic, turning on the A/C
causes the condenser fan to turn on, but not the radiator fan.

> I measured the new thermo switch by putting an ohmmeter across the terminals
> and lowering it into a pan of boiling water. After the switch closed I got 1
> ohm of resistance. The old thermo switch read 8 ohms. So I guess it was bad?
>
> I'm not sure what else it could be.... shorted one side of the thermo switch
> connector to ground does make the fan come on while the engine is running.
> There's nothing else in the circuit as far as I know.
>
> The temp guage never rises above 1/3 level (so far). Tegger, you had asked
> about the heat output in the passanger compartment. At times, it seems to be
> normal. Other times, it seems to be cool, even when the temp setting is over
> at max. Could this be due to a bad thermostat or something else?

It could be that you don't have a problem at all. This time of year, the
radiator fan on my '94 hardly ever comes on (Northern California, so not
very cold at all). Caroline (who now uses a different name in this NG)
once mentioned that when she did a coolant system bleed, it took a very
long time idling before the rad fan came on on her Honda.

--
================================================== =====
A modest collection of Honda tech info can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/ng_randolph

In article <PH8Qd.70$tl3.28@attbi_s02>, "DesignGuy"
<dontbother@nowhere.com> wrote:

> I believe I've got a bad thermo switch/sensor in my 1995 Honda Civic LX. The
> radiator fan does not come on when the AC is switched on (though the
> compressor fan works okay).

If you've come to the conclusion of a faulty radiator fan circuit based on
activating the A/C, listen up. The radiator and condenser fan circuits are
isolated from each other. Not all Hondas run both fans simultaneously when
using the A/C system. Your year Civic does *not*. They occasionally
overlap in operation when normal engine fan cooling is needed with the A/C
running. So unless you're having other real issues with the cooling
system, save your money...

--
Mike
95 Civic

"Mike" <mike-r@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:mike-r-1602050310480001@dialup-4.249.168.112.dial1.washington2.level3.n
et...
> In article <PH8Qd.70$tl3.28@attbi_s02>, "DesignGuy"
> <dontbother@nowhere.com> wrote:
>
> > I believe I've got a bad thermo switch/sensor in my 1995 Honda Civic LX.
The
> > radiator fan does not come on when the AC is switched on (though the
> > compressor fan works okay).
>
> If you've come to the conclusion of a faulty radiator fan circuit based on
> activating the A/C, listen up. The radiator and condenser fan circuits are
> isolated from each other. Not all Hondas run both fans simultaneously when
> using the A/C system. Your year Civic does *not*. They occasionally
> overlap in operation when normal engine fan cooling is needed with the A/C
> running. So unless you're having other real issues with the cooling
> system, save your money...

Actually, I didn't know that. I read otherwise at
http://tegger.com/hondafaq/overheati...ndex/index.htm :
"Start the car and turn on the AC (if so equipped). Both fans (AC radiator
and regular radiator) should turn on.
If the radiator fan is not turning on, the relay, wiring or fan motor is bad
or power is not getting to the fan relay."

Anyway, I did have to replace the radiator since it cracked. The only money
I (possibly) wasted was installing a new thermo switch ($22) and I learned a
little in the process.

Good to know that another '95 Civic owner's fan doesn't come on with the AC
either. I'll just sit tight and monitor the situation before havnig any more
work done.

Thanks everyone for your help!

"DesignGuy" <dontbother@nowhere.com> wrote in
news:AiJQd.7373$tl3.1561@attbi_s02:


> Actually, I didn't know that. I read otherwise at
> http://tegger.com/hondafaq/overheati...ndex/index.htm :
> "Start the car and turn on the AC (if so equipped). Both fans (AC
> radiator and regular radiator) should turn on.
> If the radiator fan is not turning on, the relay, wiring or fan motor
> is bad or power is not getting to the fan relay."


Hey Remco, is a revision necessary there?


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/