Honda Repair: boiling over, blown head gasket, honda accrod

Question
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
hello,
    i own a 92 honda accrod LX,  the problem is the car does not overheat but it boils over. the raditor fluid sound like pop corn when  the car is at operating temp. the cooling fan is working and  the thermostate is brand new. any help would be greatly appercaited.  
thank you
dan
Answer -
Dan,

A few questions for you to answer. When you say the car does not overheat, but boils over, what exactly does that mean? Is coolant "boiling over" meaning it is spilling out the radiator? Are you sure you put the right temp. thermostat in the car? By the sounds of it, your coolant is boiling inside the radiator. It should not do this. That means the coolant is over 212 degrees. You may have a clogged radiator. You should cool the car down, loosen the radiator petcock, and see if the coolant flows in a steady stream. (make sure that you have the cap off)If it dribbles out, then the radiator is clogged. Also check the output of the radiator fan itself. When the fan comes on, be careful and put your hand in front of the fan. It should have a strong breeze on your hand. Sometimes the motors get weak. They work but will not put out enough air. One more question. When does it "boil over?" At idle or crusing speed or all the time?
Good luck,
Gene

the car boils over onley at cruising speeds.  i can let the car sit and ideal for 20 minutes and not have it start to boil.  the car does not run any hotter then it did before i put the new thermostae in, arrcording to the temp. gage in the car.  you are right with the car idealing and the cap off the coolant drippes out.  thank you for your input.  

dan  

Answer
Dan,

Well with the information you gave me, it sounds like you have a clogged radiator. One other possibility is a blown head gasket. (or both) That usually causes cars to overheat while cruising. You should take it to a shop and have them do a leak down test on your engine. This is one good way of finding a blown head gasket. Also get the radiator replaced!
Good luck and I hope I have helped you out.