water coolant thermostat?

[Lankstarr]

My car seems to be taking too long to warm up in the mornings, it takes between 10 and 15 minutes of driving which I think is too long. My wifes CTR only takes about 3 minutes. I know it is cold at the moment but even in the summer it was 5-7 minutes to get warm.

I have checked the water levels and are fine, a friend has suggested that the water coolant thermostat maybe broken causing water to be constantly cooling the engine.

Has anyone else experienced such a problem, if so is the thermostat easy to get to and replace (on a 3.2).

If this warm up time is common then I'll live with it but if it is maybe a blocked up thermostat which can easily be replaced I'd like to get it sorted.

Many thanks,

Luke

[kevinpsw]

I'll check over the weekend to see how long mine takes. Surely it must take longer this time of year but 10-15 mins does sound a long time to me.

[Lankstarr]

10-15 mins is whilst driving like Steveycaz.. ie less than 3000 rpm as one does when it is cold. Even so the fact that the CTR warms up sooo much quicker makes me wonder.

Cheers,

L*

[Steveycaz]

10-15 mins is whilst driving like Steveycaz.. ie less than 3000 rpm as one does when it is cold. Even so the fact that the CTR warms up sooo much quicker makes me wonder.

Cheers,

L*
Mine warms up within 3 minutes of driving, even when I drive like Steveycaz :mad: ... Your issue might be the PEBSAS-W error that Honda talk about - I would have thought that your car is particularly susceptable to this.

[Lankstarr]

ProblemExistsBetweenSeatAndStick -W?

thanks for your help Steve, Fair enough your car warms up in 3 minutes but I am talking about when it is cold and since you never take you car out when it is wet or cold how would you know?

[Steveycaz]

...steering-wheel actually, but you are right, I have only driven once in the very cold and it took slightly longer. Still pretty sure it was up to temp within 2 miles though.

[Lankstarr]

bumpy bump

Other peoples' times taken to warm up as well as any knowledge on this "coolant thermostat ie where is it and is it a common problem would br appreciated:D

Thanks to Steve and Kevin for their input:mrgreen:

Luke

[NSA]

2-3 miles maximum to get the needle to the normal position, which is one bar below the middle. 10-15 minutes doesn't sound right, but it could be a measurement problem rather than the engine. Try touching the expansion tank after a couple of miles to see if the coolant is still cold.

[TheQuietOne]

Sorry my phone cut out earlier mate, I will do the experiment on Monday morning with mine...if not I'll drive down and we can test them side-by-side.

Come on people you can do beter than this advice...!!

[NSXGB]

Think you should look here:

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Troubleshooting/SlowWarmup.htm

:cool:

[WhyOne?]

Luke - have measured time from cold to full operating temperatire the last 2 mornings.

Yesterday was frosty, this morning damp but warmer.

Normal driving for the car from cold - never reving beyound 2.5 - 3k rpm, yesterday took about 6 min's, this morning less than 5.

[Lankstarr]

Definitely more like 15 mins when really cold - I'll have a look at that link on prime when I'm firewall free. Thanks for the info guys:D

L*

[Papalazarou]

Mine takes about 10-15 minutes in the winter but warms up much quicker in the summer.
I went out yesterday and it took about 8-10 miles to get to operating temperature.
however, I was talking to a reputable tuner the other day and he said that it takes 30 mins + to get an engine properly warmed up!

Cheers,

James.

[gsuds]

Agree James - takes much longer to get oil up to proper temp than water.

Doesn't help Luke though!

There will also be a minor effect from cabin heating if temp set highish.

[Lankstarr]

after reading the link on Prime I am going to fit a new one and see if the warm-up times are improved... if they are maybe this will help James as well.

As I dont have the books and havnt undergone any work myself on my car yet (other than successful rattle exorcism last night :O)) could sopmebody please tell me where I would get a diagram / instructions on how to carry out said surgery:roll:

Thanks

L*

[markc]

L*,

Download the Service Manual from the Prime home page (www.nsxprime.com), it's on the left panel under under "Quick Links".

You should then have a .pdf file called 1991servman.

Open it and go to Section 10-9, it's page 174, at the top you'll see a pic of the thermostat housing and it's fixings.

Looks like it's located to the right of (looking from the passenger side) and maybe slightly under the throttle body so could be a bit tricky to get at.

I've notice my car is taking longer to warm up so I intend to replace mine soon as well.

Let us know if a new one makes a big differance.

Cheers

Mark

[AR]

Sounds like a good time to clean up the engine bay since so much has to come out. Good luck with the install. PS I know you know, but make sure you got all the gaskets you need and that you bleed all the air from the system or you will have the opposite.

Cheers,

AR

[Lankstarr]

L*,

Open it and go to Section 10-9, it's page 174, at the top you'll see a pic of the thermostat housing and it's fixings.

Looks like it's located to the right of (looking from the passenger side) and maybe slightly under the throttle body so could be a bit tricky to get at.


Mark,

Thanks for the page - I have download speed issues on my home pc and can't access prime from work (I know I know time to join the 21st century;) ) I spent a couple of hours on prime last night searching but was looking around page 225, I didn't get to see much as I would have been up all night waiting for the pages to appear but it certainly wasn't what I was looking for. I'll get a copy of that page before I perform the transplant.

FYI the part is £33.05 plus dreaded, I looked into getting a spoon one which would have kept the temp at 68deg (10deg lower than OEM) but as I don't track my car or continually thrash the wotsits off it the OEM one is better for everyday use.



Ary,

Thanks for the tip, I have a mate who is going to "oversee" me, I read something about it last night but will get the lowdown on exactly how to bleed the system off my mate.

The gaskets come as part of the kit.

Thanks guys, I'll post a report when it's done .. I'll hopefully get the part in time for the weekend.

L*

[Lankstarr]

One more question...

After fitting the new thermostat I can bleed the system radiator side of the thermostat using the bleed valve (funny that!). As the valve will be cold and therefore closed I do not see how I can bleed any air out from the engine side of the thermostat. Any ideas ??

For anyone elses future reference here is the page from the service manual:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r92/lankstarr2/ThermostatReplacement.jpg

Cheers

L*

[Steveycaz]

For anyone elses future reference here is the page from the service manual:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r92/lankstarr2/ThermostatReplacement.jpg



L*

Not all that informative though, is it? ;)

[Lankstarr]

getting mine from Honda today to be fitted oin Thursday. If anyone needs one and wants to save a tenner there's one on ebay now.. typical!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Honda-NSX-S2000-Prelude-Legend-Thermostat-With-Seal_W0QQitemZ230051227560QQihZ013QQcategoryZ10386 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Lankstarr]

Fitted yesterday and took 90 secs to warm up today... no joke!!!

The part was £34.70 + VAT (like said before there is a cheap one going on ebay.)
They needed £10.58 of coolant
Labour was £25.17!!!

After seeing what it appeared to involve removing I chickened out of fitting myself - for £25 and hassle free I'd recommend anyone having this done to get Honda to do it as they have a fixed price so it works out great value... plus If I have any problems I'll be straight back!!

[Steveycaz]

Fitted yesterday and took 90 secs to warm up today... no joke!!!

90 seconds? This can't be right, can it?

[NSXGB]

90 seconds...Sounds like it's gone too far the other way....air in the system now??!

Mine takes about a mile and a half of below 3000 revs driving from cold at about 8-10 degrees ambient.

[Lankstarr]

If there was air in the system then my understanding suggests that it wouldn't heat up any quicker.... but it might overheat. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Clock hadn't turned 2 mins by the time it warmed up.. I'll keep a close eye on it. went about a mile - at about 2k rpm

[Lankstarr]

My sources say I wouldn't have noticed any temp increase due to an air in the system whilst running (as the water pump would be pumping!) but I would notice it when Idling. I will idle tonight to test it out and see if i have the " need for bleed ". If the temperature doesn't increase after 5-10 mins of idling then I think I will be clear:D

When ordering the new part honda said that the original on the system had been recalled/superceeded. I don't know when but maybe there are a few didgy thermostats out there?

L*

[NSXGB]

If there was air in the system then my understanding suggests that it wouldn't heat up any quicker.... but it might overheat. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Depends where the air is I believe....if the air is around the block as opposed to in the rad area you would get these symptoms (heating up a lot quicker than norm).