I have a 2000 LX that will intermittently overheat. Sometimes while driving at surface street speeds. I've bled the coolant system, and even shorted the fan switch to always run when the car is on, but it still happens occasionally. Recently I've noticed that when I turn on the heat, I can smell coolant. I suspect the heater core and wonder if air could be getting into the system and preventing the thermostat from opening. If so, is it advisable to run the car without the thermostat?

 

Not advisable to run without a thermostat. Overcooling the engine causes the computer to stay in "open loop" mode which wastes gas. Also the oil gets contaminated.

Thermostats can intermittently stick closed though, so try putting a new one in.

You may just be smelling coolant through the heater from under the hood from when it boiled over before. Is it actually losing coolant?

 

Does the fan turn on as it should when not jumped? If not, that needs to be diagnosed.

I smell a little coolant when turning my heat on, but never had any problems.

Nothing is leaking correct? If so, I agree with Mk assuming it is your Tstat sticking. Go to Honda and buy a replacement and re-bleed the system.