If Your Engine Overheats - Honda 1996 Accord Wagon Owner's Manual

If Your Engine Overheats

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
see steam or spray coming from
under the hood. In either case,
you should take immediate
action.
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
1. Safely pull to the side of the
road. Put the transmission in
Neutral or Park, and set the
parking brake. Turn off the
Taking Care of the Unexpected
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,
and 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 174).
7. If you don't find an obvious
leak, check the coolant level
in the radiator reserve tank
(see page 87). If the level is
below the MIN mark, add
coolant to halfway between
the MIN 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