Fat

Today my car overheated to 5 bars while idling. Good thing I caught it while I did, as it still runs. The problem was the radiator fan motor went out (again) and I replaced it with a new one. However seeing how the normal operating temperature of 3 bars is ~160 f and 5 bars is ~240 f, is there anything I should lookout for in the next upcoming days? The engine was operating at ~80 f higher than it was supposed to be. Should I do a coolant flush? Engine oil change? Valve adjustment? The car runs fine now but just worried something may be damaged.

honda4eva89

It you're not due for an oil change then it's really not needed. That's the advantage of using synthetic oil (hopefully you're using it) handles higher temperatures better.

Only thing I would recommend is to keep a close eye on your coolant level. Monitor it on a controlled basis. Meaning compare the level before first start up in the morning rather than morning vs got afternoon run. Head gasket is the weak link when it comes to overheating situations

cosmomiller

As long as the coolant did not reach the boiling point you should be fine. Very hot coolant still cools but approaching the boiling point, that capability falls off rapidly.

Chuck S

Gas engines run poorly at 160°F and 3 bars with the AP1 engine isn't really that temp, it's just an indicator it's at least 160° and below the next bar which is 235°F. A 75°F range. For all we know your normal engine coolant temperature is 234°F, it certainly is not 160° as the thermostat opens around 175°. Much like the light in most other cars the gauge doesn't indicate actual temperatures.

Modern gasoline engines work most efficiently around 195°F to 200°F. Get below that range and more fuel needs to be used. Cold engines waste fuel. You do need to get the fans running but I'd not be panicked unless the engine blew out a lot of coolant.

-- Chuck

Fat

Thanks for the good info. I used a scanner to read the coolant temp in my car, I notice the fans automatically kick on around 208-210 and stop running around until temps reach 200.
For my A/C, I thought turning on the A/C kept the fans on all the time however the fans just run until temp reaches 195 and turn off, and turn on back again around 205.