QuestionI have a 1982 Honda Accord LX with a 1.8L engine that has lots of little things wrong and a few big things wrong. The biggest problem it has right now is that it is overheating. I have been systematically replacing parts on the cooling system as well as other things that look old, but I am looking for info on how to get it in really good working order. So far, I have replaced the upper radiator hose which I had noticed was leaking where it connects to the radiator, the drain cock at the bottom of the radiator to plug another leak, the thermostat and its associated seals and gaskets, the thermoswitch for the fan, the temp gauge sending sensor, and done a quick radiator flush. Next, I will be trying to do the water pump which I suspect is not doing a good job of keeping the coolant flowing. I need to find out if there is an easy way to get rid of the scum caked on the inside of the radiator (and possibly other places such as the water jackets) such as a detergent, or if I should take the radiator in to be cleaned by a shop. I am also trying to find out the particular function of the third temperature sensor located on the front of the engine block. Next, I need to find out where the voltage supply is too high that is causing both the fuel and temperature gauges to read abnormally high. The last thing I need to find out about is the function of the pair of ported vacuum switches mounted opposite each other to the cooling system near the thermostat housing and if there is any difference between the 2 of them.
My apologies for asking so many things at once. I hope this is not in bad form.
Answer Whew, a lot of stuff. The first thing to understand is that this is an old car. They did things differently back then, and Honda does things differently anyway. Regarding the cooling problem, you need to buy a new radiator. Don't fool around with trying to fix the old one, a new one is just too cheap. Poke around in the phonebook and online and you should be able to find a "radiator warehouse," basically a radiator wholesaler that sells directly to the public. There are lots of them around, and some of them serve as regular parts stores with a limited inventory. The voltage problem is most likely caused by the instrument cluster voltage regulator being bad. I never heard of one failing in a Honda, but they go bad all of the time in American cars and this car is (do I need to say it again?) really old. The ported vacuum switches will regulate vacuum to the emissions control devices, keeping them from coming on below a certain temperature, or switching from one to the other at a certain temperature. It wouldn't be a bad idea to check the hoses for leaks, but, unless the car runs poorly, I wouldn't fool with them. Even if they are no longer working you probably would never notice, and they tend to be expensive. I'm not sure about that extra temperature switch, but they list a temperature switch that regulates a vacuum control unit. They don't list a vacuum control unit, and I don't know what it might be, unless it is part of the HVAC system. There are a lot of really strange emission and other controls on the cars from this era, most operated by vacuum. The best thing that you can do is make sure all of the vacuum hoses are in good shape and that none of the fittings to which they are attached are cracked or broken. If you have any exotic problems, you will want to find a Honda specialist, preferably one that has been around for a while, and let him look at it. He'll be familiar with the Honda weirdness (don't call it that when talking to him, they tend to be proud of Honda, and for a lot of good reasons) and should be able to sort you out.
