I bought a Honda Odyssey 6 months ago and have just taken it on it's first long trip today, tauranga to Taupo. I noticed on the way home the temp gauge was reading below cold. As I passed through Putaruru and Tokoroa it rose very slightly and once on the open road again it dropped right back down again. However coming up the Kaimais it rose to about a quarter of the gauge. Is this just needing a new thermostat and can it do any harm to the engine. I know they should not run at low temps. Will it be easy to replace, I've not done any work under the bonnet on this one yet.
mugenb20b,
Sep 23, 6:45am
What year Odyssey! What engine! And yes, will be a t/stat.
ETA: Sorry forgot to add, if a stat is stuck open (like in your case), it won't do any damage as such, but will use a bit more fuel.
mileyfan73,
Sep 23, 6:49am
Would say it's just stuck open.Common on Hondas.Had same issue with my Accord,Hard to get at but not a big job to replace nor is it too expensive.Thermostats are about $40.Won't harm the engine too badly,other than being a bit less fuel efficient.
jmma,
Sep 23, 7:05am
Check radiator condition, sometimes they are taken out to compensate for a stuffed radiator (o:
maclad,
Sep 23, 8:46am
OK thanks heaps for that. Will investigate more. 1999 year and 2200cc engine I think. Used $70 to $80 worth of fuel so I did not think that too bad. How do I check for stuffed radiator. Little ole lady here so doing it myself. Have not done one for a while so any help gratefully received, thanks very much to all.
mugenb20b,
Sep 23, 9:20am
Radiator.you can't really check it visually if it's internally blocked. You will have to remove it and take it to a radiator specialist for a rod out. This costs around $90. Sometimes, you can run your hand along the outside of the radiator with engine running (hot) and feel for cold spots (no doubt a/c coil will be in the way) or feel the air being sucked through by the fan. If the drawn air is cold then it can be a sign of blockage. Do this ^^^^^^ after you replace the thermostat.
Now, the thermostat. Remove the air intake hose from the air filter and intake manifold. Some things / pipes are attached to it, so take note of where everything goes. Once that's off, you'll see where the bottom radiator hose attaches to the engine. That's where the thermostat is, you just need to remove three bolts that hold the elbow on and *voila*.
Once you refit everything, turn the heater on, switch A/C off, top up the coolant and leave the radiator cap off. Run the engine until all water hoses are hot and until the fans start and stop and keep an eye on the temperature gauge and water level at all times. Check for any leaks. Once you are happy with above, make sure the coolant is topped up, refit cap and top up your overflow bottle. Recheck coolant level the next morning.
maclad,
Sep 23, 5:37pm
Thanks for that would not have looked there. Last car had one attached to the water pump so that's where I would have looked. Thanks heaps.
therafter1,
Sep 23, 7:00pm
If you do decide to remove the radiator, the clip on the bottom hose and the hose itself is a bit of a mission to get at. So what I do is remove the hose at the thermostat and remove the radiator with the hose still attached, and then do the same when re-fitting the radiator.
maclad,
Sep 24, 6:23am
Oh well thanks for all that, perhaps I'll just take it to the shop and let them do the job. at least then it should be done properly.
maclad,
Oct 26, 10:01pm
Thanks for all the advice given. Finally did the job today and it went well. Thermostat comes up to temp now and maintains it and the heater works properly again. Fixed window screen washer too so feeling pleased it is all done now. Roll on next problem, cos I'm sure there will be another.
chebry,
Oct 26, 10:35pm
You fullas do thing ass backwards the radiator is fine the motor runs COLD the thermostat is the problem it not allowing the engine to reach operating temp which will do damage eventually Change the thermostat out and it should be all good leave the radiator alone for now
therafter1,
Oct 27, 1:08am
And some of us fullas do things the way that they ???should??
ozz1,
Oct 27, 1:19am
wellsaid.
maclad,
Oct 27, 3:17am
Well poster #13 some of us have to save money where we can. I did the job and things are working well now. I did it on the advice of my mechanic who looked at it and told me to go ahead and sort it myself. Said it was not hard and he was right. I'm very happy with the job. As for a blocked radiator, would that not have the opposite affect and cause overheating due to the water not circulating properly and not getting cooled. Just guessing here. And I hopefully shouldn't blow as many dollars out the exhaust now as I'm told the car will be more fuel efficient. I hope so.
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