I was in a wreck with MY03 about a month ago and just got it out of the shop. I have spun out in the rain and hit a stump which destroyed my front end and put a hole in the radiator. At the time i did not know the extent of the damage and the towman said it was ok to drive, so i did so... the temp bars stayed at 3 for some time, but eventually, it was really rough to take off from stop lights and so on, then i noticed the heat bars were at red, i immediately pulled over and shut it off. It was then towed to a body shop who did all the repairs on the cosmetic and radiator and whatever else was messed up. Now on occasion, the temp bars move up to red and then come back down to 3 in less than a minute. Now how can i tell if there was major damage done from runnin it hot that day and what the temperature guage spikes are from. The spikes are not from coolant bubbles cause honda keeps thinkin thats what the are, some one plz help here

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SaintJah
I was in a wreck with MY03 about a month ago and just got it out of the shop.

 

The radiator was replaced with a OEM so thats good, not sure about temp sensors and thermostats do need inspection. Now how can i be totally sure that my engine is flawless and not just patched up cause it was ran hot for a short period of time.

 

Please clarify. If Honda thinks you have bubbles, how come you don't?
If you don't get this resolved the only other way I can think of to know what's going on with the coolant temp is to install a numerical coolant temp gauge. Before doing this, I would seriously consider making certain that a) the temp sender is functioning within spec and b) the cooling system is thoroughly bled. There are two places that need to bled from. Make sure that you keep the coolant topped up till the system burps out all the air.

 

I had this happen once in my Supra Turbo after they flushed the coolant without properly purging the system out of air. Coolant temp nedle kept going up and down in a matter of 10 seconds or so, very scary stuff but easily fixed.
I would put my money on this possible cause.
Cheers,
Daniel

 

As for the bubbles, they have changed and bled the system 2 times now. The reason i was thinking it wasnt bubbles, it was the opinion of 2 dealerships, the one in naples hits me up for cash with each incident so i let them do the coolant deal but after a few times, i became suspicious and took it back to bradenton where i got it. The agreed it may have been bubbles but also said it was strange to have done it 2 times and they did a pressure test on the cooling system and said everything was ok with the cooling system but thermostats may be a possible conclusion. It is very rare and ramdon that it spikes. I was not questioning Honda, just a particular dealership for i am not very knowledgable with engines and cars. Xviper, would you recomend any tests or inspections for my engine cause it was ran hot once.

 

If it ran hot only once and never again since, then I still suspect it was an air pocket that has now been purged. Still keep an eye on the coolant reservoir level anyway and wait to see if it happens again. Also, keep that water temp gauge as an option.

 

yeah i will have to agree air pockets will do that, keep an eye on ur coolant level, there may be a small leack if not all of the coolant hoses to and from the rad were changed.

 

Yes, only that once it was ran hot, but that was b/c the coolant was leaked out and i pulled over and shut it down immediately. It was ran at red for a minute or so, do you recomend any tests or inspections for anything that could cause me problems down the road?

 

with the car running and cold, remove the filler cap and start the car, let it run for a little while until it is moderately warm and than watch for bubbles, if it needs more coolant deff top it off, after it passes the 1/4 mark put the cap back on and let the car idle,watch for any leaks from the radiator, or any other coolant related areas such as hoses clamps, water pump, make sure that ur fans kick on when they are suppose to and check the resistance between the pins on the temp switches, that will give u an idea of weather or not they function properly. if the fans kick on and the temp stays constant, than take it for a spin preff highway, the temp should go down a little, if everything goes well. get home, have a beer and pat urself on the back for a job well done. and last but not least if the car ran hot for only a minute, it is ok nothing will get damaged, the head and head gasket are way stronger than that.