Honda Tech If Your Engine Overheats

The pointer of your car's tempera- ture gauge should stay in the mid- range under most conditions. It may go higher if you are driving up a long steep hill on a very hot day. If it climbs to the red mark, you should determine the reason. Your car can overheat for several reasons, such as lack of coolant or a mechanical problem. The only indication may be the temperature gauge climbing to or above the red mark. Or you may sec steam or spray coming from under the hood. In either case, you should take immediate action.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road. Put the transmission in neutral or park and set the parking brake. Turn off the heating and cooling system and all other accessories. Turn on the hazard warning indicators. 2. If you see steam and/or spray coming from under the hood, turn off the engine. 3. If you do not see steam or spray, leave the engine running and watch the temperature gauge. If the high heat is due to overloading (climbing a long, steep hill on a hot day with the A/C running, for example), the engine should start to cool down almost immediately. If it does, wait until the temperature gauge comes down to the midpoint then continue driving. 4. If the temperature gauge stays at the red mark, turn off the engine. 5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the hood. 6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks, such as a split radiator hose. Everything is still extremely hot, so use caution. If you find a leak, it must be repaired before you continue driving (see Towing on page 213). 7. If you don't find an obvious leak, check the coolant level in the radiator reserve tank (see page 150). If the level is below the MIN mark, add coolant to half-way between the M I N and MAX marks. 8. If there was no coolant in the reserve tank, you may also have to add coolant to the radiator. Let the engine cool down until the pointer reaches the middle of the temperature gauge, or lower, before checking the radiator.

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