Honda Car Forum

overheats? How can I tell if the water is not flowing if it is the thermostat?

either your water pump isnt working or its the thermostat, but if the temp gauge works on the driver console then it would be something with the water pump, it could also be a hose from the radiator or the radiator itself. in either case there is probably a leak somewhere or a blockage.

the first thing you want to do is to see if the radiator fan is working. the fan is electric and should come on when the temp is at normal range. if the car is overheating try putting the air conditioning on. that will turn on the condensor fan automatically (assuming the condensor fan works). if the temperature comes down then your radiator fan isn't working. usually its a bad fan motor but there is the possibility it could be a temp switch for the fan that isn't workingusually a bad radiator fan will cause the temp to climb at stops and drop when your driving at highway speeds. this is the most common cause of overheating on the Hondas.thermostats don't usually go bad.as for the water pump, its driven by your timing belt so it has to be working if the engine is running. a bad water pump will cause the car to overheat at high speed rather than low speed as the coolant circulation would be affected.check the radiator fans and be sure it is working. if the car is running hot you can open the hood and look at the fans behind the radiator. with the air conditioning off one fan should be running; with the air conditioning on both fans should work. you can see which is the radiator and which is the air conditioning by looking with the a/c on and with the a/c off as the a/c condensor fan will come on automatically with the air conditioninghope thta helps