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Is your 91-95 Legend overheating? Got a coolant problem? Post all questions in here.

685K views 3K replies 795 participants last post by  hoodlikegaza 
#1 ·
There's a lot of overheating problems on the 2nd Generation boards right now. The questions should all go in here from now on, so we don't clutter up the board with the same questions over and over. Any new thread that is created will be moved to this thread. This is meant to be a 100% discussion on the overheating problems of the 91-95 Legends. Questions, answers, theories, and anything that pertains to overheating, coolant, water pumps, thermostats, heater cores, radiators, and radiator hoses are permitted. Off topic and other garbage posts will be deleted.

Thanks
MGMT.
 
#53 ·
I get a lot of white smoke when my car is idle but while im driving it goes away... It doesnt smell like coolant... it doesnt smell like rotten eggs, and it doesnt smell like a whole lot of gas either, cant really explain how it smells but it stinks... and my coolant reservoir level is good and my radiator is full...

Also when im driving my temp gauge shoots up and blows really HOT air but after a min it goes back to normal and it blows less then normal warm air.... sometimes vice-versa...

can anyone explain?


When buying a repair manual get the Haynes Integra & Legend one... That Chilton's manual doesnt expain NOTTA!

Mike where did you order your speed sensor?
 
#55 ·
Re: finally

mikemike71 said:
after leaving my sexy beast at the mechanics for several days until he got to it, he diagnosed it as a loose hose and fixed it. Now I have to wait for the speed sensor to come in and i'm all good. this is such a relief since I had the wp/tb service done a few months back.
oh well, car is still running hot as of last evening and while sitting at a stop light for an extended period of time the hot air starts to run cold. I am going to just take it in to Norris Acura West on Tuesday to see if they can diagnose the problem.

one moment please...

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you for letting me vent
 
#56 ·
Hi Group,
My story was listed tonight in the BHG thread but started with overheating and erratic tach. I don't have white smoke or coolant smell. I do have a bad radiator cap and I do see oil in the collant now. I reasoned low pressure in radiator was keeping coolant out of the cylinders but maybe its allowing oil to leak through HG leak into radiator. Might as well try the new radiator cap.
 
#57 ·
So far I have searched throughout the forum trying to see if anyone else has had this problem before. I am leaking coolant from behind the heater core/blower assymbly from the hose that connects to the fire wall. I am currently trying to remove the heater core, which is a real *****, and I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem? Also if anyone could describe to me how to remove the heater core that would also be great.
 
#58 ·
This car is starting to get to me...

Anyways, I just replaced the thermostat and i still get hot spikes and cold air through the heater... when im at a light or something.. but when i go on the highway it gets hotter and hotter, then the needle just drops to normal.
 
#60 ·
Symptoms and BHG.

It seems there are a variety of symptoms that folks are reporting:
1. White smoke (indicative of coolant in combustion chamber meaning a BHG)
2. Overheating (which can result from a BHG, inoperative fan, faulty temp sensor, or bad thermostat)
3. Oil in coolant (indicative of a BHG)
4. Loss of power, misfiring (lots of possible causes in addition to BHG)
5. Loss of coolant (overheating like #2 above, leaking water pump, leaking hose, cracked radiator, old rad cap, or BHG)
6. Heater blows cold at idle; warm when driving

In December I had #4 (and also #5 but I hadn't noticed it myself). I narrowed the problem down to the rearmost cylinder on passenger side by removing, one at a time, the fuel injector wires while idling. Hoped it was a FI problem, so I put 3 bottles of FI cleaner in the gas tank. No improvement. Took it to the shop where they diagnosed BHG. 3 days and $2K later I'm running OK.

This 95 Legend has 160K. I bought it in 1999 with 80K and almost immediately replaced a leaking radiator. My personal theory: a ham-fisted mechanic stressed the plastic radiator header while changing the air filter. Acuras are full of little clips and tabs where unrelated parts are braced or bolted together.

But I have ... still have that is ... symptom #6. I lack a Helm's manual, but I am assuming that there is a vacuum operated coolant valve which restricts flow to the heater core and that the vacuum valve is controlled by an electrical signal from the computer. And that the computer gets its info from the heater control settings and a temperature sensor. So there are a lot of possibilities: low coolant, poor vacuum at idle, faulty sensor, vacuum leak, and so on. Can someone confirm my theory concerning the architecture of this thing please? And did anyone else have this symptom and cure it?
 
#61 ·
That is very similar to what my car is doing as posted above. And their is a valve the controls the flow to the heater core. It is on the fire wall on the engine side, you have to remove your front sway bar to get to it. It isn't vacume powered (at least from what I can see) it has cables going through the fire wall to the interior that must open and close it at a certain temperature.
 
#62 ·
What causes the heater valve to go bad? Also what are all the sensors that make up our cooling system?
 
G
#63 ·
Well guys I still have not solved my problem. Since winter is here I have been using my heater and noticed something interesting.

When My temperature gauge goes up (it goes all the way to H :rolleyes: ) the heater blows cold air. Then the temp gauge drops and the heater blows really hot air.

The car really is overheating and sometimes I have to pull over to let it cool down. This only happens about a week after I add coolant to the radiator.

I do all the proper steps and bleed the air out, but I still get air inside the system. I still have no external leaks.

Right now I add coolant to my radiator every so often about a 1/6 of a gallon at a time. Its strange b/c I don't get the oil in the coolant or smoke from the exhaust or loss of power that most people talk about with the BHG. When I changed my Thermostat The coolant that came out was perfectly clean.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Well i have tore apart my engine bay trying to get to my heads and... i am not gonna go any further than taking off the valve covers... lol messing with the vacuum and egr lines just scares me. so im taking my ride to my mech tomorrow so ill let you guys know what happens afterwards...

btw i got my speedo sender, fan switch sensor... lol i drove over 10K just sitting at the light

Looking for parts?
www.thepartsbin.com
or
www.speedycarparts.com
both are the same company and great service!

Cole Austin:
I very much do have the same symtoms you do... But it seems to me that you do have a BHG... I may be lying... after warm-up try smell the exhaust, kinda like a stinky steam smell with a lil bit of fuel on the side... a few of my friends say its the head gasket... it also can be a cracked or a really warped head... :( But lets just hope not =T Check your oil dipstick to see if you have any milky spots on it.... if so coolant is going into your block... Or try driving over a dry spot blast your heater and rev your engine to 4k-5k(no more than a min) turn off the car then look underneath to see if you see any wet spots (which you probably have done) (leaky hose(s)) yah and check your carpet for water puddles (leaky heater core\heater core hoses). Try flushing your block and radiator with a water hose while blasting your heater...

My symtoms:
1. Temp gauge goes up
2. Heater blows cold air
3. Drops back down to normal
4. Heater blows hot-hot air (10-20 min)
4. Repeats while local driving... (fine on the highway)
I do have heavy white smoke while idling
I dont lose coolant...
I dont have that milky looking oil dip stick
The coolant color is green, but i do see like oily white spots if you look carefully...
My fan goes on when its on 'H' but the needle doesnt drop until i drive...
Somestimes i have to floor it just to get it back to normal temp...(i just love the sound of the intake WAAAAAAAAAH!)
To me it just seems like the coolant circulation is not really circulating well or something...

What i replaced:
Radiator
Waterpump
Thermostat (170 degree)
Radiator Cap

What im going to replace:
Fan Switch sensor
Head gaskets
Radiator and block flush
Speed sensor

If it still doesnt fix my cooling problems, im gonna change out my heater valve (which im trying to order now).
Maybe i should change out the radiator hoses too?

BTW - Is the ECT (Engine Coolant Temp sensor) the same as the Coolant temp sender?
If not does the ECT effect the way the car cools? I know it effects the fuel flow or something like that...
 
G
#66 ·
I had a mechanic look at the car when I first noticed the problem several months ago. Also I let my dad know that I thought it was a BHG from reading all the stories on the forum. Both the Mechanic and my dad highly doubted it was the HG... but now that’s its been several months and the problem is getting worse, its starting to look more and more like the BHG. :mad:

Cresap, I considered the fact it was the heater core and had that checked... that’s not the source of the problem.

nimo253, I'm going to take my car to a different mechanic Monday and have them look at it. If it is a BHG... I don't have enough money to buy a new engine or get it fixed. I'll prob end up stripping the car and selling the parts. :( :(

Also, my car does the exact same thing you mentioned (nimo253), just I have looked for the white smoke at startup, but its hard to tell if its just white because of the cold outside. Also, my exhaust does not smell any different.... at least to me.
 
#67 ·
my problem:

temp guage starts to go up when idling for an extended period of time, or when driving at low speeds for a while (25 mph or so)

highway driving. no problems, temp guage stays at normal and doesn't move at all

when it starts to go up, if i speed up and drive about 35 or so, the guage goes back to normal

i bled the system, there was some air but i dont know if it was from when i flushed it last or if it's getting in somehow

no external leaks, no white smoke, fans seem to be working fine

i'm gonna bleed the system again to see if air's getting in, will report back

any ideas?
 
#68 ·
edit: went out and checked the fluid level

the radiator was slightly low and the overflow tank was extra full, so fluid is flowing from the radiator into the overflow tank

there was air in the system again so i bled it.

no visible leaks

the temp guage reads normal 98% of the time, it only spikes ever once in a while it seems

how can air be getting in with no leaks: rad cap? HG?

thanks
 
G
#69 ·
newowner92LS, that sounds exactly like what started happening to me, first all I had to do was bleed the air out, then I started needing to add extra coolant, and now I am getting my car checked for BHG. I replaced my radiator cap and it did nothing, but I would recomend replacing the raidator cap and the thermostat, its cheap and might solve your problem.

I'll post what my mechanic says here in a couple of days. Good luck
 
#70 ·
Cole Austin said:
newowner92LS, that sounds exactly like what started happening to me, first all I had to do was bleed the air out, then I started needing to add extra coolant, and now I am getting my car checked for BHG. I replaced my radiator cap and it did nothing, but I would recomend replacing the raidator cap and the thermostat, its cheap and might solve your problem.

I'll post what my mechanic says here in a couple of days. Good luck
i just went out and picked up a new cap, so we'll see if that does anything

and i replaced my thermostat in august

i have no leaks, so i'm hoping the cap will fix it and its not the HG

he just seems wierd to me how the radiator starts to fill the overflow tank for no reason, cause the radiator is low, and the overflow is extra full
 
#71 ·
It seems like most of these heating problems end up being the dreaded BHG, but I noticed early on when I was having the heat come on only after the car heated up for a while or reached a certain RPM, there are three molded hoses between the block and the firewall that are kind of hard to get to that can be the culprit.

As the car gets older, it is easy to check and R&R the upper and lower radiator hoses etc. but these get overlooked easily. Because they are molded and because of the bends in them, as they age, they get soft, and almost collapse in on themselves. Only when the engine gets going fast enough to force enough coolant through collapsing hoses will they then flow properly.

That condition coupled with their failing one at a time was I think what contributed to my ending up with a BHG eventually.

Besides people keeping their eyes on the Timing Belt, Water Pump Replacement at 90K, when they get in to do those, these hoses back there should be an automatic replacement too because of their difficulty to reach, and the potential problems they can cause if they begin to collapse or fail while you are on the road somewhere.
 
G
#72 ·
Josh said:
It seems like most of these heating problems end up being the dreaded BHG, but I noticed early on when I was having the heat come on only after the car heated up for a while or reached a certain RPM, there are three molded hoses between the block and the firewall that are kind of hard to get to that can be the culprit.

As the car gets older, it is easy to check and R&R the upper and lower radiator hoses etc. but these get overlooked easily. Because they are molded and because of the bends in them, as they age, they get soft, and almost collapse in on themselves. Only when the engine gets going fast enough to force enough coolant through collapsing hoses will they then flow properly.

That condition coupled with their failing one at a time was I think what contributed to my ending up with a BHG eventually.

Besides people keeping their eyes on the Timing Belt, Water Pump Replacement at 90K, when they get in to do those, these hoses back there should be an automatic replacement too because of their difficulty to reach, and the potential problems they can cause if they begin to collapse or fail while you are on the road somewhere.
Is there any way somebody could have a picture of where these hoses are? and they sound hard to get to... :(
 
#74 ·
the problem with the heater is air in the system.this is mostly likly a head gasket problem if the engine has ever been overheated.I new to acura ownership,but I'm an ASE master tech for the last twenty years.from what i have read it sounds like acuras do have some over heating problems which seem to be Age and relay related. I have read that most head gasket blow from being driven/operated in an overheated state.overheated state is from extend driving hot(needle past half way) to needle in the red and steam and coolant everywhere.everybody who is thinking of doing they're own repairs needs to buy/rent cooling system pressure tester get a good one it will pay for it self and are universal,some cars need adapters but you only buy it for the cars you want to test.anybody not knowing how to use one.they can test system for leaks,can test radiator caps,and can also be used to see how fast the cooling system pressure climbs(usually quick climb meens BHG)
 
#75 ·
Cole Austin: I don't have any pictures I can post, but if you stand in front of the engine when it's cold, if you go straight back just to the left of the center of the block between the firewall and the back of the engine is where they are located. You can reach back there and feel them, but it takes some labor to replace them. When my first one failed, they charged me 200.00 and I didn't know that there were several back there, then when the second one blew, the same place charged me 200.00 again, and I said gee, I wish you would have told me there was more than one and replaced them at the same time.

Then, the third one blew ( and I was really ticked at them to find out there was three), when my wife was driving it, and between the three, I guess a slight overheat somewhere happened, even though I shut them down immediately. So, I ended up with putting almost 600.00 including towing and fluid into those three :mad: hoses and probably had a BHG gift to boot.

Maybe someone else can post some pics if they have some.

Styles, I think there are lots of reasons these cars eat head gaskets, but unlike other cars that can tolerate some heat, these seem to be hypersensitive because of some minor design flaw near the #6 or #3 cylinder, so extraordinary caution must be excercised to prevent any minor overheat whatsoever.

Maybe I'll start a new thread requesting some, because I bet a lot of people are thinking they have maintenanced all the cooling system potential problem areas, and have overlooked these potential troublemakers.
 
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