wtf is going on!?!? PLEASE READ

[madhat]

man....i'm about to blow this car up....90 lx....just replaced the motor with a built a6....using the a1 head and the a1 intake with headers and a cai....
here is the problem....i just cruise along at about 65mph on the highway and the car starts to bog and then shuts down....my temp meter doesn't read hot or anything and i have no CEL. It is sure acting like there is too much pressure building up or something. my overfow or pressure release tank is always empty and that is kinda odd.....it stalled on me yesterday on the highway and i got out and look under the car and there was a nice puddle of antifreeze but i couldn't find where it was leaking due to being around lots of cars going 70mph and scaring the shit out of me. i finally got it home after letting it sit for about 10 minutes. after it sat it started up just fine and drove like there was no problem....WTF is up? i thought it was air/fuel so i messed with that....nothing....i thought it was lack of fuel....don't think so......thought it was ignition coil.....NOPE....i have new plugs and wires with cap and rotor and ignition coil so it isn't that.....it has to be cooling or something to that effect.....i also am having some trouble with the damned tranny and the blinking "s" light thing where i only have 2 and 4 gears....could that have something to do with it? all i know is that i am gettin tired of this moody little bastard....any help is greatly appreciated as i am clueless as what to do next.....TIA!!

[accordztech]

you can diag that S light for the tranny, most likely shift silinoids on the tranny...

as for coolant...check out near the water pump area for signs of seepage, could mean the water pump is going bad.

its not really hard problems, just a bitch when it happens

[darkslide_77]

^^beat me to it^^

def sound like water pump

[madhat]

water pump is brand spankin new......i'd HOPE it wasn't that.

[accordztech]

check it, maybe it didnt seal right or something or its faulty.

[xfactortype1]

this may sound stupid, but ill suggest it

i had cooling problems when i changed my radiator fans and radiator, and thermostat. well it turned out to be the cheap thermostat was opening prematurely causing the overheat( just cycles hot coolant so it wont cool the block or exchange heat) but anyway in the process of screwing around i managed to unplug the coolant temp sensor in the cylinder head( directly under the dizzy) what happened is the car stalled and the tranny light came on..ie the overdrive light turned red and blinks. you could have a small leak when you engine gets hot but goes away after engine cools..ie metal expands when heated. so check your cooling temp sensor and it might solves your problems. also check the thermostat to make sure its working properly. if the thermostats new i hope it a honda..the last resort is to pressure the system.

questins to ask now i think..which side is the leak found.. ie the puddle?

make sure you check for signs of oil in coolant or vice versa..head gasket. which i doubt

make sure your radiator isnt leaking..if its auto the cooler is built into the radiator and a crack could be causing the tranny to act funny.

is the bleed screwfor the coolant and radiator drain valve tight so it not leaking.

just thought of this to..since you have the a1 head on the a6 block..check to make sure the cylinder head is torqued properly. could have air leak

just triyng to get some ideas going. hope you find out

[madhat]

well to start, i don't have a honda thermostat.....i got it from autozone. guess i will try an OEM one....

[accordztech]

dont try if you cant find a source.

go to autozone and rent a pressure test kit for the radiator.

pump it up to 15 psi and see if the needle drops and check for leaks, you will see the leak come out cause thats about what the cooling system works at.

also you can test your radiator cap for fun...i just did and my cap is fuked.

[xfactortype1]

get honda oem thermostat

i seriously would get the oem honda themostat..since i had the fun when i screwed around with my car. i got mine from dealership.. only 20 bucks..but what got me wondering is your car is not running hot with the temp gauge. id also the temp sending unit switch. its the fisrt one on the cylinder head in front before the coolant temp sensor. haynes calls it coolant switch A..coolant switch B is the coolant temp sensor..hope it help

also i got my cheap thermostat from advancedautoparts..crapola

[darkslide_77]

[QUOTE=xfactortype1]but anyway in the process of screwing around i managed to unplug the coolant temp sensor in the cylinder head( directly under the dizzy) what happened is the car stalled and the tranny light came on..ie the overdrive light turned red and blinks. you could have a small leak when you engine gets hot but goes away after engine cools..ie metal expands when heated. so check your cooling temp sensor and it might solves your problems. QUOTE]

thanks.......forgot about that....that is the sensor to the ecu i beleive, so that would make you fans not kick n right?!?! which in turn would cause you to heat up and blow all that coolant out.....the coolant you saw on the freeway that time could have been just blowing by the cap and the overflow.........so id say check the ECT sensor and cap and thermostat

[mrhonda]

Needs a trans control unit.

[xfactortype1]

yup

yes it is and its responsible for the ecu..it also ties into the emissions system and other indirectly..it sends the ecu a signal and then the ecu te;;s the fans to kick on. other reasons the fan wouldnt kick on is the a/c diode. there are also sensors in the thermostat housiing..the other rear coolant housing..look closely its buried behind the external coil if you have an a6 motor..by the egr valve...there also another sensor in the lower radiator. all these could be reasons.