Rep Power: 305

Ok, i need some help here,

yesterday i did a coolant drain and refill on my mom's CRV (2002). after i filled the radiator up with coolant again, i turned on the car with the heat blasting on high with the radiator cap off. i let the car sit for about 6 minutes and kept an eye on the coolant. a few bubbles came out, but i didnt need to top off the radiator with any more than i put in (i also topped off the reserve tank to its maximum). when i took the car out for a test run, i noticed that there was no heat even tho the car had been fully warmed up (temp needle just below middle). after driving for about 5 minutes, heat started to come out. well, today on my way to work, i was sitting at a stop light and i noticed that the temp needle started to creep up to the 'HOT' zone. the car kept doing this repetedly when the car wasnt moving. well, the needle went up so high that i turned on the heat out of concern.

does anyone know what could possibly be wrong? i suspect air trapped in the system, but then again, i'm not sure... would the car really get hotter and hotter during stops with just air trapped in the system? or could it be a thermostat?

someone help please?!

 
Rep Power: 286

I agree, air trapped in the system. Highly doubtful that its the thermostat since it only started after you changed the coolant.

 
Rep Power: 305

thanks for your help? anyone with anymore ideas?

 
Rep Power: 0

Check the coolant level again, after its cooled off. My guess is that there is air in the system. Does the CRV have a bleed screw?

 
Rep Power: 300

i had the same problem yesterday in atlanta but i didnt add any until it started overheating and now the car wont stay cool in traffic. i also added collant but it keeps getting hot. even when i am traveling down the road the thermostat goes hot-normal-hot-normal back and forth!

if there is air in there, how do i get it out and what other problems could it be!

 
Rep Power: 812

if heat doesnt work, theres air trapped. you're supposed to start the car cold with radiator cap off, then let the car warm to operating temp by gently revving. once its at full temp, turn heater and fan to full, watch the bubbles. you could be at this for 30 mins depending on the air inside. you can turn the ac on too to pick the fans and open the t-stat. once no more bubbles are seen, turn off car and put cap back. make sure to add coolant while the car is running to keep it close to the top. you can squeeze the radiator hose a lil too to pump coolant around. put cap back and go drive it. when it gets cold again long time later, add coolant to the overflow tank to max line.

 
Rep Power: 300

ok i did that and it seemed to work, but when i added the collant yeasterday and the car was running then as well so whatever i did today seemed to work.
also i accedently added to much coolant,will this cause a problem other than the excess overflowing?

 
Rep Power: 812

how much extra, if the overflow tank is filled to the top, you're prolly gonna have some splashing out the top. and if you do the bleeding technique and the bubbles dont go away or you still have an air problem, then there's a head gasket leak.

 
Rep Power: 0

Or a stuck t-stat.

Most hondas have a bleeder nut that you remove until the coolant pisses out of the system.

 
Rep Power: 300

i think it is the thermostat

 
Rep Power: 300

it overheated again and i just changed the t-stat....now what?

 
Rep Power: 286

Did you recently flush and fill your coolant? or did this problem just start happening out of nowhere? how many miles on your car? has the fluid ever been changed?

 
Rep Power: 300

it just started when i went to atlanta the other day out of nowhere (after a 3 hour drive). i thought i had the problem fixed but it got hot again yesterday and today.....really hot. is it possible that i may still have some air trapped in the system because it was a little low when i added some.
also where is that bleed screw?

 
Rep Power: 812

try a new radiator cap. is your coolant level still good after it overheated?

 
Rep Power: 300

seems to be. i left the cap off and ran it for a while and added some more and it did not overheat. but i did the same thing wed and it was fine then too and started back again thrus. so there must be a small leak somewhere i am not catching.

 
Rep Power: 812

overheating is generally caused by 1. loss of coolant (leaks) 2. loss of system pressure (bad cap) 3. stuck thermostat 4. air bubbles 5. blown headgasket 6. clog in system 7. bad waterpump

try a new radiator cap before considering worse outcomes

 
Rep Power: 300

yeah it seems like 1,3,4,6
im going though and checking the problems off 1 at a time,
how would i know if the pump or gasket went bad?

 
Rep Power: 812

headgasket is easy, have a cooling system pressure check or even a compression check, altho when i had a small gasket leak, the compression was still fine. so get a cooling system pressure check first. another way is to see if coolant mixed with oil and made a light brown milky mix in the engine.

waterpump is a hard one, but if its not working properly, coolant will not be able to move as fast as it needs to.you cant easily check that one. how many miles on your car?

 
Rep Power: 300

50k. i think coolant is leeking from around the water pump. if water was getting in the engine,i am sure it sould of seized up by now because of the amount of coolant that it would of swallowed but i will have it checked and i will look at the oil today.