Honda Car Forum

I had the radiator, temp.sensor and hoseclamp replaced about 6 months back and had an oil change 1 month back. Also had a tranny hose clamp replaced. I did a few checks and observed the following:Before starting observed:- coolant reserve was empty...coolant in radiator was a little low...very slightly milky.- engine oil not milkyAdditional details after starting car given below:I started from a cold start and let it idle (revved it a few times in the middle) for 30 mins.-Temp gauge climbed up after a while to 1/3(which is the normal reading) and stayed there. Revving engine didnt change temp gauge.-No white smoke was observed from exhaust and no steam coming from radiator.-A few water droplets were observed at exhaust.-Very slowly temp.gauge went up to 1/2 and stayed there.-Both Fans were not turning.-Turned AC on full blast, AC was giving cold air as usual but none of the fans turned on.And I kept hearing 'click-clunk' noise after every 5 minutes. Temp gauge did not change.- Changed temp. slider to maximum to turn heater on full blast. Heater worked fine and gave hot air as usual and temp. gauge came down a bit.-When heater on, radiator fan started up and continued running till heater switched off. AC fan still not running but no clicking sound now. When heater turned off fan stopped after a while & Temp. gauge climbed up very slowly after that

Have the thermostat checked.You can check it yourself by removing it and putting it into boiling water to see if it opens, however it could be opening partially, causing the symptoms you describe.A thermostat costs only a few dollars to replace, however be sure to replace the gasket also (a few cents) to avoid possible coolant leaks.

do you have air conditioning? the air conditioning radiator is in front of the engine radiator, if its blocking air flow because its dirty, that could cause the symptoms. you could also try having the engine reversed flushed to force out anything clogging the cooling jacket of the engine

Before the car is started, there should be coolant in the reservoir to the fill line and also in the radiator. However since you said it looks milky it sounds like you have oil in your cooling system. I would look into getting you coolant replaced/ flushed. Coolant tends to go bad over time and it is a good habit to have your coolant flushed regualrly as directed by your owners manual.

You could probably re-route your fans so that they qill keep turning irregardless of the temperature. That way, you can ensure the fans are always turning to keep the temperature down. Works for my old Mitsubishi.