you are probably low on coolant or the pump is defective or the thermostat is defective or all 3
engine temp too high at idle
2005 Pilot LX, when the car idles for about4 minutes the engine temp goes up quite a bit, nearly to red. Then if I rev the engine to ~2200 rpm in about 30 seconds the temp will go back to normal. Also when the temp is high the AC is no longer cool but as soon as the engine temp drops about halfway back to normal the AC temp is cool again.
I hear no noise from the engine area so perhaps the water pump is ok?. When driving normally the engine temp is always ok. One time I just let the engine idle and the engine temp would cycle from normal to hot and back to normal. The entire cycle time for 1 cycle was about 2 -3 minutes. In this case as I kept the car idling the engine temp just kept cycling back and forth. Any idea what is happening?
I hear no noise from the engine area so perhaps the water pump is ok?. When driving normally the engine temp is always ok. One time I just let the engine idle and the engine temp would cycle from normal to hot and back to normal. The entire cycle time for 1 cycle was about 2 -3 minutes. In this case as I kept the car idling the engine temp just kept cycling back and forth. Any idea what is happening?
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I would actually suspect a fan issue. Hondas have a two stage fan system, make sure both fans are working at low and high speed, simply checking one speed is not enough.
Both fans seems to be running fast but will check more into this. How does one tell if the fan is running fast or slow?The coolant overflow tank was empty and now with filling the tank the temp does not get as hot but the issue is still present. Could a loose belt be causing the water pump to not spin fast enough at idle rpms? water pump was replaced about 1 year ago when the timing belt was replaced.
Check coolant level in the radiator, motor COLD. Coolant level should be up in the neck of the rad….then check coolant level in the bottle. Always a good idea to replace the radiator cap with a new one when motor has run hot. The rad cap has 2 valves and 3 sealing surfaces and all MUST function properly.
What parts were used for the job?Could a loose belt be causing the water pump to not spin fast enough at idle rpms? water pump was replaced about 1 year ago when the timing belt was replaced.
also if the coolant has run severely low then the air bleed procedure should be done.
if the cooling system is functioning efficiently the fans will only come on at a very hot idle
if the cooling system is functioning efficiently the fans will only come on at a very hot idle
I observe 205F ECT when the fans turn on (a/c off). Fans always run when a/c is on to keep the condenser cool. When fans turn on, ECT will drop rapidly to 180F-185F.
now that the coolant is up in the neck when the engine is cold, engine temp is not a problem. However one wonders why the coolant got low in the first place. No signs of leaking on my driveway. Perhaps I should put some radiator sealing stuff in the radiator?
If you don’t have a sweet smell of coolant with the hood raised or can not prove a coolant leak anywhere, I’d not be concerned. The coolant is a 50/50 mix with H2O and water will evaporate. It’s not uncommon to check the overflow bottle after a few thousand miles to see the level drop. In this case I add distilled water.now that the coolant is up in the neck when the engine is cold, engine temp is not a problem. However one wonders why the coolant got low in the first place. No signs of leaking on my driveway. Perhaps I should put some radiator sealing stuff in the radiator?
I’d never use a stop leak product in my coolant.
Great help from everyone. Thanks, Now I have another more urgent issue from the metal part of my ignition key falling out of the FOB and the car won't start (turns over but no ignition) using just the metal part of the key. I just posted this so if any of you guys can help it would be great. Thread is called "Key fell out of plastic FOB..."
Could have a faulty radiator cap. There are two valves in the rad cap….one valve allows hot coolant to escape to the recovery bottle from the radiator and the other valve allows coolant to be drawn back into the radiator from the recovery bottle as the motor cools when turned off. Both valves MUST work properly.now that the coolant is up in the neck when the engine is cold, engine temp is not a problem. However one wonders why the coolant got low in the first place. No signs of leaking on my driveway. Perhaps I should put some radiator sealing stuff in the radiator?
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