Honda Repair: Overheating, 93 honda prelude, honda prelude

Question

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Followup To

Question -
Craig:
I own a 93' Honda Prelude Si 4WS which, has been getting very warm, to warm for comfort, while driving and idling. I've recently had the thermostat and radiator replaced but the problem still persists. Could it be the water pump? And if so, where is the water pump located on this year of prelude?

I've also had problems with my 4WS, at times the 4WS will malfunction during driving and cause major steering problems. How would I address this problem? I've taken my car to a HONDA dealer but there were dumbfounded with the entire 4-Wheel-Steering system.

Any help you could give would be greatly appriciated..

Thanks

Answer -
It could be the water pump.  Do both fans come on at the same time?  Turn the A/C on and make sure both fans are running at the same time.  If the A/C doesn't work, let the engine idle until the fans come on and see if both work.  The water pump is driven by the timing belt on this car and I wouldn't recommend replacement on this one yourself.  Very difficult and hard to get the cams in time.  Will damage engine if not done correctly.  

Not sure about the 4WS myself.  No known problems.  Would have to diagnose an electrical problem.  Not a very common option so the fun will be finding someone who knows how to work on it.  Sorry I can't be more help than that.


Craig: (follow-up)
Thanks for the answers..
I did as you've said, Neither of the fans came on at all. In fact, after the car started to overheat, I turned it off, and only then did only the cooling fan turn on.

Jeff

Answer
Sounds like you found the problem.  The fan switch on the front of the thermostat housing is bad and only one fan is working.  Get the fans working properly and your problem will probably go away.  You can unplug the fan switch and jump it with a paper clip and see if the fan comes on.  If it does, replace the switch.  The condensor fan motor is probably bad and its much cheaper to get a used one or an aftermarket one.    There are two fan switches.  The one on the thermostat housing turns the fans on at 199 degrees on your car and the front one on the upper radiator hose turns it on at 223 degrees.  The front one usually turns the fan on after the car is turned off.