Back again with my 91 Si

[1stTimeHondaOwner]

So I fixed the original leak which was actually a torn hose. I replaced the coolant and let the car idle for roughly 15min to see if it would overheat or if the line we replaced would malfunction. Everything was great. But since I've had the car I noticed that it has two cooling fans. One of which runs fine (the one one the left when looking at the motor from the front), the other doesn't run(the one on the right). I actually have to reach in and give it a push, then it runs, but I can hear it rattling. When the fan is not running I can tell that if the radiator was not there, I could probably pull the fan itself off of the fan motor. I know that its broken and needs to be replaced. But my question is, does this fan need to run constantly or only when the a/c is on? And, is it also designed to kick on if the engine temp starts to run above normal operating temp? And, if this fan is supposed to run constantly while the engine is on. Will it cause my car to overheat? #HondaProblems

[spiffyguido]

Those fans run intermittently depending on the engine temp and whether or not the AC is on. Sounds like one of yours is in bad shape and really needs to be replaced. Depending on the climate where you live, they may or may not come on that much. Where I live, it's pretty mild or cold most of the year so the fans rarely come on unless the car is city in traffic. The fan will also often come on after you've shut the engine down to help it cool.

Bottom line, they are important, and while you likely won't overheat unless you're stuck in traffic on a hot day, you should really change out the bad one.

[1stTimeHondaOwner]

I'm in Florida. And, that's exactly how the car starts to run hot. Only when I'm sitting in traffic. Once I start driving she runs at normal op temp. Another issue the car has, and this is the last of them, its an automatic. When I accelerate from a dead stop, she wont shift from 1st to 2nd unless its around 4K rpm and I ease my foot of the gas. But, if I treat it as a 5 spd, and go from "D" down to 2, I can shift at around 2 1/2 to 3K rpm. I looked online and someone said I probably need to clean my tranny solenoids (thank God they are right there and easily accessible).

[spiffyguido]

Check the tranny fluid as well.

[1stTimeHondaOwner]

So I went ahead and flushed out both solenoids which were relatively clean. I used a generic brake cleaner. I then checked to make sure that the solenoids were working properly by conecting jumper cables to the battery. Then with the other end.I grounded it to the frame and used a wire to touch the harness for the solenoids. They all made a strong clicking sound but one of them on the shift solenoid was a little weak. The car shifts fine now. My next step is to find a replacement for the shift solenoid. The Honda dealership I called said they are discontinued. Any idea where I can find an aftermarket one?

[spiffyguido]

Amazon actually carries a lot of decent aftermarket auto parts, believe it or not. You could start there. We have a search tool on our parts page (see top of screen).