On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 19:36:27 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
wrote:

>Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>news:l0fnp2hb89g329jbl6je55rse42b8cgm1j@4ax.com :
>
>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:51:17 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>>>news:ip6np2drji1378ilim8cu0at9ukdjlnfm7@4ax.com :
>>>
>
>>>> Then, the last mile or so coming off the toll way and into the
>>>> parking lot, the guage continues to rise slowly until I turn the car
>>>> off, but not quite getting up the half way mark.
>>>>
>>>> Could this be just a thermostat? It's driving me crazy!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Sounds like an old thermostat. 1/4" below the half-way mark is too
>>>low.
>>
>>
>>
>> I bought the car with 24,000 miles on it. Since day one up until
>> recently it's always come up to temp and sat the needle about 1/4
>> inch below the mid line on the guage. I'm thinkig that's normal since
>> it always did it exactly the same way (except one time when the thermo
>> failed stuck open and I couldn't get cabin heat, after it was replaced
>> it went right back to the same place) and it never does come up to the
>> exact half way point. Are you saying it should be at the half mark
>> and it's been off all these years?
>
>
>
>Where are you measuring the 1/4" from? The very end of the needle? From
>directly across the little thermometer picture?

I'm eye-balling it, looking at the tip of the needle and the little
horizontal bar on the left side of the guage.

Yesterday, after the car cooled down for several hours, I took off the
rad cap and could not see any coolant. The recovery tank was also
empty. Having nothing else at my disposal I put about a 2 qts of
water, total, into the rad and the recovery tank to bring things up to
where I understand they should be. I know, I know, I shouldn't use
plain water but I had no choice.
Well, dang if it didn't act a while lot more like what I'd call normal
on the way home. That improved the situation dramatically.
When I got home and let it cool down again, the rad was now full to
the top and the recovery tank only needed about a pint. Things are
looking much better.
The drive in today actually seemed like the normal I described
earlier.
I'll check the recovery tank again and top it off if necessary and
i'll drive the car a few days like this to see if coolant is
disappearing or if it was the "air in the system" problem others have
suggested.
Somebody had suggested possibly a head gasket problem. Possible?
Symptoms?

If the cooling system is not losing coolant (if it ever was) and it
still seems to be working properly, I will definitely get the Honda
coolant and have the system drained and refilled and I'll also get an
OEM thermostat too.

 

Philip Kline wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 19:36:27 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
> wrote:
>
>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>> news:l0fnp2hb89g329jbl6je55rse42b8cgm1j@4ax.com:
>>
>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:51:17 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>>>> news:ip6np2drji1378ilim8cu0at9ukdjlnfm7@4ax.com:
>>>>
>>
>>>>> Then, the last mile or so coming off the toll way and into the
>>>>> parking lot, the guage continues to rise slowly until I turn the car
>>>>> off, but not quite getting up the half way mark.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could this be just a thermostat? It's driving me crazy!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sounds like an old thermostat. 1/4" below the half-way mark is too
>>>> low.
>>>
>>>
>>> I bought the car with 24,000 miles on it. Since day one up until
>>> recently it's always come up to temp and sat the needle about 1/4
>>> inch below the mid line on the guage. I'm thinkig that's normal since
>>> it always did it exactly the same way (except one time when the thermo
>>> failed stuck open and I couldn't get cabin heat, after it was replaced
>>> it went right back to the same place) and it never does come up to the
>>> exact half way point. Are you saying it should be at the half mark
>>> and it's been off all these years?
>>
>>
>> Where are you measuring the 1/4" from? The very end of the needle? From
>> directly across the little thermometer picture?
>
> I'm eye-balling it, looking at the tip of the needle and the little
> horizontal bar on the left side of the guage.
>
> Yesterday, after the car cooled down for several hours, I took off the
> rad cap and could not see any coolant. The recovery tank was also
> empty. Having nothing else at my disposal I put about a 2 qts of
> water, total, into the rad and the recovery tank to bring things up to
> where I understand they should be. I know, I know, I shouldn't use
> plain water but I had no choice.
> Well, dang if it didn't act a while lot more like what I'd call normal
> on the way home. That improved the situation dramatically.
> When I got home and let it cool down again, the rad was now full to
> the top and the recovery tank only needed about a pint. Things are
> looking much better.
> The drive in today actually seemed like the normal I described
> earlier.
> I'll check the recovery tank again and top it off if necessary and
> i'll drive the car a few days like this to see if coolant is
> disappearing or if it was the "air in the system" problem others have
> suggested.
> Somebody had suggested possibly a head gasket problem. Possible?
> Symptoms?

not usually, head gasket mostly retains fluid, just blows bubbles in it.
early stages anyway. more likely leaky hose, leaky rad or leaky
water pump.

>
> If the cooling system is not losing coolant (if it ever was) and it
> still seems to be working properly, I will definitely get the Honda
> coolant and have the system drained and refilled and I'll also get an
> OEM thermostat too.
>

good.

 

Philip Kline wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 19:36:27 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
> wrote:
>
>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>> news:l0fnp2hb89g329jbl6je55rse42b8cgm1j@4ax.com:
>>
>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:51:17 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>>>> news:ip6np2drji1378ilim8cu0at9ukdjlnfm7@4ax.com:
>>>>
>>
>>>>> Then, the last mile or so coming off the toll way and into the
>>>>> parking lot, the guage continues to rise slowly until I turn the car
>>>>> off, but not quite getting up the half way mark.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could this be just a thermostat? It's driving me crazy!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sounds like an old thermostat. 1/4" below the half-way mark is too
>>>> low.
>>>
>>>
>>> I bought the car with 24,000 miles on it. Since day one up until
>>> recently it's always come up to temp and sat the needle about 1/4
>>> inch below the mid line on the guage. I'm thinkig that's normal since
>>> it always did it exactly the same way (except one time when the thermo
>>> failed stuck open and I couldn't get cabin heat, after it was replaced
>>> it went right back to the same place) and it never does come up to the
>>> exact half way point. Are you saying it should be at the half mark
>>> and it's been off all these years?
>>
>>
>> Where are you measuring the 1/4" from? The very end of the needle? From
>> directly across the little thermometer picture?
>
> I'm eye-balling it, looking at the tip of the needle and the little
> horizontal bar on the left side of the guage.
>
> Yesterday, after the car cooled down for several hours, I took off the
> rad cap and could not see any coolant. The recovery tank was also
> empty. Having nothing else at my disposal I put about a 2 qts of
> water, total, into the rad and the recovery tank to bring things up to
> where I understand they should be. I know, I know, I shouldn't use
> plain water but I had no choice.
> Well, dang if it didn't act a while lot more like what I'd call normal
> on the way home. That improved the situation dramatically.
> When I got home and let it cool down again, the rad was now full to
> the top and the recovery tank only needed about a pint. Things are
> looking much better.
> The drive in today actually seemed like the normal I described
> earlier.
> I'll check the recovery tank again and top it off if necessary and
> i'll drive the car a few days like this to see if coolant is
> disappearing or if it was the "air in the system" problem others have
> suggested.
> Somebody had suggested possibly a head gasket problem. Possible?
> Symptoms?

not usually, head gasket mostly retains fluid, just blows bubbles in it.
early stages anyway. more likely leaky hose, leaky rad or leaky
water pump.

>
> If the cooling system is not losing coolant (if it ever was) and it
> still seems to be working properly, I will definitely get the Honda
> coolant and have the system drained and refilled and I'll also get an
> OEM thermostat too.
>

good.

 

Philip Kline wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 19:36:27 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
> wrote:
>
>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>> news:l0fnp2hb89g329jbl6je55rse42b8cgm1j@4ax.com:
>>
>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:51:17 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Philip Kline <pkline@ltdXnospamX.com> wrote in
>>>> news:ip6np2drji1378ilim8cu0at9ukdjlnfm7@4ax.com:
>>>>
>>
>>>>> Then, the last mile or so coming off the toll way and into the
>>>>> parking lot, the guage continues to rise slowly until I turn the car
>>>>> off, but not quite getting up the half way mark.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could this be just a thermostat? It's driving me crazy!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sounds like an old thermostat. 1/4" below the half-way mark is too
>>>> low.
>>>
>>>
>>> I bought the car with 24,000 miles on it. Since day one up until
>>> recently it's always come up to temp and sat the needle about 1/4
>>> inch below the mid line on the guage. I'm thinkig that's normal since
>>> it always did it exactly the same way (except one time when the thermo
>>> failed stuck open and I couldn't get cabin heat, after it was replaced
>>> it went right back to the same place) and it never does come up to the
>>> exact half way point. Are you saying it should be at the half mark
>>> and it's been off all these years?
>>
>>
>> Where are you measuring the 1/4" from? The very end of the needle? From
>> directly across the little thermometer picture?
>
> I'm eye-balling it, looking at the tip of the needle and the little
> horizontal bar on the left side of the guage.
>
> Yesterday, after the car cooled down for several hours, I took off the
> rad cap and could not see any coolant. The recovery tank was also
> empty. Having nothing else at my disposal I put about a 2 qts of
> water, total, into the rad and the recovery tank to bring things up to
> where I understand they should be. I know, I know, I shouldn't use
> plain water but I had no choice.
> Well, dang if it didn't act a while lot more like what I'd call normal
> on the way home. That improved the situation dramatically.
> When I got home and let it cool down again, the rad was now full to
> the top and the recovery tank only needed about a pint. Things are
> looking much better.
> The drive in today actually seemed like the normal I described
> earlier.
> I'll check the recovery tank again and top it off if necessary and
> i'll drive the car a few days like this to see if coolant is
> disappearing or if it was the "air in the system" problem others have
> suggested.
> Somebody had suggested possibly a head gasket problem. Possible?
> Symptoms?

not usually, head gasket mostly retains fluid, just blows bubbles in it.
early stages anyway. more likely leaky hose, leaky rad or leaky
water pump.

>
> If the cooling system is not losing coolant (if it ever was) and it
> still seems to be working properly, I will definitely get the Honda
> coolant and have the system drained and refilled and I'll also get an
> OEM thermostat too.
>

good.