I have a 2000 honda accord sedan, it is overheating during stand still or parked, but when i start driving it cools down to normal and then when i park it starts to overheat again and so on.

Does anyone now what the problem may be? I am going to replace my Thermostat today, hopeing that is the problem causing this.
If anyone knows what this might cause my overheating please let me know?

 

4-cylinder engine??

Try this before you replace your thermostat...
Back in the thermostat housing is the fan switch, with a 2-wire plastic plug. Unplug that & jumper the wires with a paperclip. If that makes the fan run (key on) then you need a new switch. It sounds like your thermostat is OK, but if it's 8 years old it doesn't hurt to replace it??

If that doesn't make the fan run, you need to troubleshoot the fan circuit. Or maybe the fan motor itself. Does it spin nice when you give it a spin by hand? Does the fan move fore & aft, as if there's excess play in the shaft? Does the fan run if you provide direct power with jumper wires from the battery?

 

Thanks Jim, Today I parked the car and let the car overheat to see if my fans are working, both of them are on and running when the heating gauge when up but the minute i start driving the heating qauge goes back down. Yes, my Accord is 4-cylinder 5 speed manual trans. do you know by any chance how long might it take to replace the thurmostat and is it plug and play or do i need to do any adjustments on it. And do you know by any chance which type of thermostat should i purchase? Thanks

 

For the small difference in price, I'd get a OEM Honda T-stat.

Now... How hot does it get? Standing still, it's normal for the temperature to climb just above 50% on the gauge. When the fans come on, does the temperature go right down? If not, then maybe there's more to it. Try to look in the radiator for crud & scale.

Theoretically it's pretty simple to replace the T-stat, but the 2 bolts on the housing are awkward to reach. Behind & below the distributor, you'll want to remove the rubber intake tube. The thermostat gasket might be all gummy & stuck, so spend some time cleaning the surfaces.

New T-stat should come with it's gasket. Fit the gasket onto the edge of the T-stat. There's a little round cut-out in the gasket for the little rattle-pin. Then there's a couple rubber nubs in the gasket to position in the corresponding cavities in the T-stat housing. That puts the T-stat in the proper orientation.

 

if the t-stat doesnt work you might consider a compression test to see if maybe you have a blown head gasket that's leaking on on of the water ports. i had the same issue and tried all of those only to find out it was the head gasket. It was simple enough to redo the head gasket. good luck