1996 Honda Accord Overheating Problem

TEXAS-CRUDE

MEMBER
1996 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
95,000 MILES

My car is having overheating issues. I have since replaced the thermostat and the radiator. I thought the radiator had fixed the problem until yesterday when it started smoking (it didn't stall though, so I don't think there was any permanent damage).

I have discovered that my temperature sensor does not work -- the gauge on the inside of my car shows the engine as overheating even when the engine is running at normal temperatures. After searching around on the forums, it seems that my model of car has 2 or 3 different sensors, and I don't know how to find which one is broken and which one I need to replace.

Would a broken sensor lead to overheating, or this a completely unrelated problem? Any help would be appreciated.

One more bit of info that might help. The heating/cooling knob on the inside of my car, where I set the interior temperature, recently broke. For the last couple of months there was a lot of tension when turning it from cold to hot, and a days ago there was a 'pop' when I tried to turn the heater on. It now turns with no friction at all and it has no impact on the temperature of the air blowing in (luckily, it's the summer here and it's 'stuck' on blowing cold).

2 Replies

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

HI there,

Thank you for the donation,

Firstly, a faulty sensor will not cause the engine to over heat, with the thermostat and radiator being replaced, you will need to ensure that the pressure cap is holding the correct pressure, there are no external coolant leaks, the cooling fans are turning on and there is no air trapped in the cooling system. I will look for a pic to identify the temp sender for you engine and post it As for the temp switch, it sounds as if the control mechanism has bound up and snapped, the control fascia will have to be removed to inspect the exact cause and damage here.

Mark (mhpautos)