Heat issue

[guiseppewv]

I have a 94 Honda Accord and lately (now that it is freakin' hot outside) I have noticed that the temp gauge reads a little hotter than normal. Imagine that the guage has a 10 point scale where 0 is lowest reading (cold) and 10 is the highest (hot). Usually the gauage sits at about "3" once the car reaches operating temperature. Lately when I am driving on the highway I have noticed that the gauge sits at "4" and sometimes it gets a little higher than "5". The car is not low on coolant, the thermostat was replaced in '03, and the coolant was replaced last year. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance. :)

[SnowSurfer]

it has been very very hot out, i wouldnt really worry about it, my civic usually sits at 5 (on a guage of 1-10) every single day of the year..no issues here.

if you really want to look, make sure the fan on the radiator is turning on and also maybe the radiator is going..

[mechmike0034]

Gauge calibration can shift over time - they (in general) aren't real accurate to start with...

If the coolant is clean and full with no leaks, and if the fans are coming on when they should I wouldn't worry about it.

[guiseppewv]

OK, thanks guys!!! If mechmike says not to worry about it then I won't. I just wanted to make sure that I was not having some kind of issue that was beginning to rear it's head.

mechmike - how often do you recommend replacing your coolant? tranny fluid? tranny filter?

Do you recommend replacing the tranny filter and fluid, or just getting a tranny flush?

[nhbilly]

i change my coolant every year; its cheap and easy and a peace of mind too...

[mechmike0034]

OK, thanks guys!!! If mechmike says not to worry about it then I won't. I just wanted to make sure that I was not having some kind of issue that was beginning to rear it's head.

mechmike - how often do you recommend replacing your coolant? tranny fluid? tranny filter?

Do you recommend replacing the tranny filter and fluid, or just getting a tranny flush?


Not to be a smarta$$, but all of this can be found in your owner's manual... Follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance intervals. Use the "severe service" intervals if you suspect that you might fall into that category, or for additional peace-of-mind.

[Bires]

Gauge calibration can shift over time - they (in general) aren't real accurate to start with......especially on Hondas. :rolleyes: (me=current and three of last four cars were Hondas)

[bachviet]

Usually it's said to replace coolant at 60K miles in the manual but I usually do it between 30K and 40K miles.