h22a overheating for no reason!

[VTECANDY]

hey everyone,

got a 1992 jdm prelude with the H22A vtec, i have no idea whats gone wrong from last night to today. I changed the oil in it, i usually run full synthetic Nulon 10w-40, but i decided to put 15w-50 Full synthetic Nulon, just a little bit thicker since its done 250k's. i used an engine flush like i normal use once in a while (LIQUI-MOLY ENGINE DETOX), and then chucked in the oil, along with Liqui-Moly MOS anti friction stuff, at first i was a bit iffy cause it was charcoal in colour, but its suppose to reduce engine friction. For some reason, my car was taking more oil than usual, normally a 5l bottle would be enough, but i used about 5.2L of oil + 300ml of the anti-friction additive, I checked the dipstick and its between the dots so all sweet. During idle, (I JUST NOTICED THIS NOW BTW) if it sits for about a min, the temp gauge starts to go up, (but my after market water temp gauge reads a normal temp, and when it gets to 100c the fans kick on) but by then, the factory temp gauge has passed the halfway mark.. i checked the water level in the overflow and its still normal.. hence somethings going onn.. does anyone know? could it be the thermostat not circulating the water through? Please guygs, im desperate, was suppose to get the car dynoed today but was in an accident on the way there and ended up to be a shit day with all this happening.

cheers

[trism]

it could just be an unlucky coincidence and the stock temp gauge is stuffed.

Especially the fact that your aftermarket gauge is reading fine.

[VTECANDY]

but what are the chances of thatt? i wouldnt want it to reach fully hot and the engine will fry itself, Could it be possible that the oil is too thick, or didnt like being mixed with the additive? and it was working fine all this time..

[trism]

very doubtful. its not even that much thicker.

[VTECANDY]

i was in a smash today.. you reckon i could of got an air pocket somewhere from that?

[gumus89]

You could just go ahead and bleed the coolant anyways.

[ECU-MAN]

i was in a smash today.. you reckon i could of got an air pocket somewhere from that?


nope. If the crash cased the air pocket you would have a big ass coolant leak.

If the thermo fan kicks in and cuts out at idle then I would look at the guage itself or the sender.

[VTECANDY]

so ive changed the thermostat and the sensor + the plug located on the engine block near the upper hose and dizzy. Its still climbs its way to hot on the factory gauge, but the after market gauge which has a sensor on the top radiator hose doesnt even reach 100 degrees now since i got a new thermostat.. So whats going on! is it something to stress about? or should i just leave the factory plug off from the engine? I'd really like it fixed, should i take out the cluster? and if i do, what should i look for in particular? and is the anything else i should check? maybe the crash knocked something out? or is there another sensor which controls the factory temp gauge? cause the one i pulled out today was relatively small, and theres one more which is larger about 2-3cm away.. ?

[ECU-MAN]

the factory temp sender only has one wire,

changing parts in the hope it will fix it is guessing. you need to remove your sender, and test it by placing it in boiling water and monitoring its resistance v temperature. the workshop manual has a chart for this. also a resistor block is used to test the guage. this way you can dial up a temperature signal at the sender and test the guage accordingly. Only then can you rule out a faulty sender or guage.

the replaced thermostat is peice of mind, however the thermo fans kicking in and out on there own is what confirms corect operation. the the fans had no impact in cooling the engine they would not turn off and stay on untill the engine overheats and boils itself.

[VTECANDY]

ECU-MAN, have you got an email or anything? I pulled apart the cluster and pulled out the electronic fuel/water temp factory gauge module thingo, and along the side of the gauge where the water temp is, it looks burnt out, I took a picture, would i be able to send it to you? Ive been driving the car heaps, even took it up to noble park and back and the after market gauge i got kept between 80-100 so i know the car isnt over heating otherwise it'll be cooked. Also, while i was driving.. the gauge was at operating temp, then it went up to almost full, and then it dropped down to cold (one bar lit up) and its been like that ever since, the wire and sensor is plugged in, safe to conclude the gauge is screwed?