How do you know where the cooling is leaking at? I didn't see any leaks from the coolant before and car didn't overheat untill today. I will look for it but, I don't feel like that coolant is the reason for the overheating.

 

You can see coolant puddles in the radiator fan shroud in this picture. I suspect you either have a leak in the radiator at the lower hose (the one on top) inlet, the clamp isn't tight enough, or your radiator cap is leaking.
Also possible is that the clamp was tightened too tight and the inlet has been crushed or cracked. This happened to me with my old Civic.

And if it's not a coolant related issue... then what would it be? Are you driving around with no oil? lol

 

EDIT: Trust beat me to it.

 

trust is a beast nowadays dam

 

Well, according to my brother, (who I may have to stop referring to as a mechanic because I am now in doubt of his capabilities in that area), told me that he put oil in the car just last week. If this is a coolant issue and it's been leaking why hasn't the car overheated prior to today? and if it's an oil issue I will have to check if that's leaking too. Anyway, you guys are saying the exhaust can not be responsible for this?

 

One another note, this car crawls when it comes to going uphill. It goes from 60 mph to about 30 mph, really slow. What could be the cause of this?

 

I don't see the exhaust as being a problem that would cause this.

With the engine cold, open the radiator cap and make sure the coolant level is up to the base of the filler neck. Also, check the reservoir to make sure the coolant level is between the MIN and MAX marking.

If either are too low, fill them up to where they should be with a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water.

Inspect the inlet where the top hose connects to the radiator to make sure the clamp is tight enough (DO NOT tighten it too tight. It WILL break if over tightened.) Tighten if necessary. Be very careful while doing so and take it slowly. When it feels nice and snug it is tight enough. If you feel like you are going to break it, stop tightening immediately and inspect the area to make sure your instincts that it is tight enough are correct.

The acceleration issue up hills could be a weak fuel pump. The explanation for my reasoning is that going up the hill the fuel's level is tilted towards the back and away from the fuel pump. A weak fuel pump would have trouble pumping this fuel.

Does it accelerate up hills better with more gas in the tank than with less gas?

 

I will check the coolant tomorrow, thanks. As for the acceleration issue, I'd say no, it doesn't. Its just slow whether I just put gas or need to fill up. Also, I think the gas consumption is a bit high, not close to that 31/mpg that this model is said to be. I went to milford, pa, a 89 mile drive one way for the weekend and I put at least 25 gallons of gas in that car between driving to and back.

 

Does the CEL work? Is it ON?

 

My VX was overheating and finally blew the head gasket before I bought it from the P.O. The stealership that worked on the car prior to that changed out the water pump and timing belt in the process of 'fixing' it. The overheating continued afterward and eventually blew the gasket, warping the head in the process - prompting the P.O. to sell it to me.

One thing I discovered while repairing the engine was the radiator was clogged. I pulled the hoses and unbolted the radiator and discovered it was still over half-full with burnt coolant lifting it out.

A new radiator, and getting the engine back together later, and the temp has never been over halfway since - even at idle on 105-degree summer days.

I would start with checking the heater - does it blow really warm air with the engine at operating temp? If so, the water pump is probably flowing OK. Then, I'd flush the coolant system, insure the radiator is flowing (take both hoses loose, put the cap on, pour water in one side, and make sure it all comes out the other side - simple enough), and replace any hoses that need it. Then check the fan relay and the fan itself, ensuring it comes on when the temps start to climb. Do you know anybody with a laser thermometer? If so, shoot the temps on the radiator while idling. They should be higher on the inlet side, and lower on the outlet side. If you have some 'cold' areas on the radiator, or they don't consistently drop from the inlet side to the outlet side, you have a clog and should replace it. Radiators are cheap and easy to replace - undo the hoses and shroud, one bolt later, it's outta there.

Also, make sure you use distilled water and not tap water. I don't know how good the water is in your area - it sucks in West Texas. My rule of thumb: if you won't drink the water from the tap, don't put it in your cooling system.

If you're trying to climb a hill with a hot engine, it'll definitely drop power. The ECU will try and compensate for temps, usually by leaning out the mix - buh-bye power.

If you haven't replaced plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, fuel filter, and air filter, do so now. Then observe any changes in power. Once that's done if the problems persist, at least you'll have eliminated the simple, cheap, and easy stuff.

Hope this helps more than the ambiguous trunk lid measurements by the smart-asses at the beginning of the thread