Lude Generation

1994 H22a
Car has just started overheating all of a sudden, now this is a project car, so I haven't had it out on the road yet,
New water pump, new rad, new thermostat have all been done in the build,
Top rad is hot bottom is cold,
I've bleed it 4 times today unless I'm not following the right procedure?
So head gasket?? Or are they any other things I'm missing on this car?

could be sticking thermostat - give it a bleed a couple of times more - check for leaks and then check the thermostat
@newkid had to replace his thermostat recently - think it was £15 for a blueprint one but if in doubt go for genuine Honda.

It's a brand new Blueprint thermo in it this morning, I'll try bleeding it again but it's doubtful. Fed up. Was hoping to get it on the road in couple weeks now more stuff I handbrakes planned on doing.

Are you bleeding it from the nipple behind the head with the engine running, or not running? With it running draws air in (though I don't believe that would be sufficient to cause overheating), better to do it with the engine stopped.

Have you run it up to temp with he rad cap off?

Is it the right size thermostat? Sounds stupid but... there are 2 different sized thermostat housings and thermostats... you can fit one to the other but you either end up bypassing the thermostat effect (if you fit the small stat to the big housing - this I have seen first hand!) or the other way round (big stat to small housing) possibly it might block the flow through the stat??? (this is hypothesis - not seen this way round with my own eyes!!!)

Internally de-laminated coolant hose? (I have known rubber hoses to delaminate and block flow)

Is the new water pump working? (Can you see water is being pumped round)

Rad blocked?

If your head gasket has gone, the coolant system should be over pressurising way before it gets hot. The coolant should also smell 'burnt'.

Great post nice to have another head thinking, I was just not in the form for this today lol, one of those days, thermostat is a perfect fit and operating. I'd like to think a new water pump wouldn't have failed
I don't believe I have any leaks either. I did take the cap of and let any air bubble out,
I did use the bleed screw while the car was running which made sense to me as pressure is built up and when the coolant is flowing out it's doubtful air will get in?

Also I hacked the car up at the front to insure the rad was the highest escape for the air, and also had the heater matrix circulating.

Also I hacked the car up at the front to insure the rad was the highest escape for the air, and also had the heater matrix circulating.

I did mine and ran the car on fast tivk over 2000 rpm and bled it keep trying

DaveyBa8 wrote: I did use the bleed screw while the car was running which made sense to me as pressure is built up and when the coolant is flowing out it's doubtful air will get in?

Pressure builds up due to the heat, so yes bleed it when hot, but switch the engine off first ime, otherwise you can draw air in. Had exactly that problem with jj's lude recently, just couldn't get the idle to behave after bleeding with the engine running. bled it with the engine hot but not running and bingo, all sorted.

Na I just do not understand, the pipes aren't even building big pressure, so it can't be the head, the gauge just goes up past half and I can tell when it does because the car runs lumpy due to coolant temp sensor on the head, which would control fueling too. Unless my gauge sender is fooked or the coolant temp, but there is no codes. Although the fan still isint turning on, but when I bridge it it still overheats.
Tried bleeding but I'm getting zero air coming out. Never had any bother bleeding any other car before.

And I'm not ruining coolant to the IACV I've set the idle with the screw just and looped the lines at the thermo housing. It does not feel like my thermostat is opening as the bottom rad is pretty much stone cold even on idle, it gets luke warm half way up that pipe.