Hello all-here’s a brainbuster. 2007 Honda Odyssey with a new thermostat from Honda, correctly installed, no radiator leaks whatsoever. Suddenly, the fan stops coming on, coolant is obviously not circulating because it’s cold all the time, and the engine gets hot to the red level at idle and under a load (climbing hills). A few days later, the compressor stopped working. Just prior to the fan & radiator not doing their thing, the sliding side doors simultaneously quit working. There’s also a steady drain on the battery somewhere-if I leave the battery connected overnight, its dead in the morning. Spent several hundred at Honda to have them say ‘we don’t know, give us more money and maybe then we can figure it out’. I’m not the smartest person in the world but I’m not dumb as a box of rocks, either. I think the car might be snickering at me as I drown in frustration and it’s accursed problems accumulate. Anyone got any ideas (other than using it as target practice on a missile range)?
Sounds like a blown head gasket, especially if coolant is disappearing.
Also, independent electrical issues.
Have a pressure test done on the cooling system, if that is ok have the radiator fluid tested for exhaust gas. If it passes those tests, you have to have the problem with the cooling fans fixed.
Suggest a good independent mechanic or radiator shop. Do not go to a national chain of any kind.
First: Don’t run the engine or otherwise use this vehicle until this problem is corrected. Doing so could quickly ruin the engine beyond repair. Hopefully your shop already told you this.
If the thermostat sticks shut all the time, that could cause this symptom. The radiator coolant would stay cold b/c it started cold in the morning, & there’s no hot coolant from the engine going into it, b/c of the stuck shut thermostat. Likewise the dash gauge would show overheating. And the fan might not come on either, b/c the radiator fan turns on when the radiator is hot, not when the engine is hot. I think your new thermostat isn’t working for some reason. It will have to be removed to find out why. Popping in a pot of hot water on the stove w/a thermometer and watching what happens as it reaches the opening temperature is probably what to do next. .
The other problems are probably unrelated.
We seem to be getting a rash of Honda Odyssey questions lately. Honda generally makes pretty good products but this van doesn’t seem to be one.