Running Hot Please help
 

I am posting this for a friend of mine. She has a 1994 Honda Civic 2dr with a 4 cyl engine (non vtec). The car keeps running hot. She has had the radiator, hoses, thermostat all changed out and a engine flush. It keeps running hot. She has taken it to 15 different mechanics who can't seem to find the problem. Has anybody had the same issue, or could give her some tips on what to do next. She is ready to call the junkyard to come pick the pos up. I am not the most mechanically inclined person, but it sounds like the most of the things she tried has been on the money. If the fan wasn't working, a mechanic would have seen that. Thanks for you help ahead of time!

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

You have a blown head gasket. Basically what is happening is the compression from the engine is pushing through the leak in the gasket and into the cooling system. These bubbles then push the water out of the radiator and into the overflow tank. Check to see where the level of the overflow tank is. If it's full or close to it, then you know you have a problem. Open up the radiator. If you can't see any coolant, start the car and add water until it is full. With the radiator cap off and the car still running, watch for about a minute. If you keep seeing little bubbles coming to the surface, this is the exhaust being pushed through into the cooling system like I was saying. This happened to my car too, it costs about the same amount as a clutch to get fixed. While the mechanics are at it, this would be a great time to get a timing belt/waterpump change since they'll be right there when they're fixing the head gasket. It will save her some on labor. It might be frusterating, but I wouldn't call the junkyard. Even if she pays the money to get it fixed, she could sell it for way more than the repair costs.

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

I don't know if it will work to you guys. My temp gauge lokks like not working, always rest below the lowest gauge level. My mechanic removed the pressure switch in the engine close the radiator hose ( outflow ). That thermo switch switch blocks the flow of water going to the radiator and it only opens when reaching certain temperature. When it was removed i can see the water contonuously flow. That's it. my cooling system always works. i don't have to check my temp gauge anymore.By the way, it's only works in asian country. we don't experience snow here and i just need a good engine cooling system.

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

^^^
He said take the thermostat out...

I would defiantely check the fan even though it has been to a mechanic.. def check that one out yourself.. mine was the fan relay
good luck.. and check for those bubbles!




________
F-4eat transmission

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

taking the thermostat out is just a band-aid. but it works a lot of the time, at least to buy a little time. I drove my car like that for a year. also, dont assume the mechs will catch a bad fan. check it yourself. if the cars hot, let it idle (watch it, dont let it get too hot, over 3/4 up, shut it off.)and see if the fans running, then grab the radiator hoses, they should both be hot. if one is, and the other isnt, then it will narrow down the problem, but Im leaning toward the head gasket. but dont let her junk it. you can drop in a whole new motor and get some decent money out of it. hondas are worth a lot if they are running good. back before I did my own work, I had a head gasket changed in my stock motor, and it ended up costing a little less than 1k. if you can do your own work, you can do it for half that, easily, with a new water pump and timing belt too.

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

I hate to bring up an old thread. But I'm having a similar issue. My cars gauge(89' Civic DX hatch)will read high(not in the red but somewhere close to 3/4) while i'm driving around the city, the heat coming out of my vents will also go up and down from time to time even while the gauge is reading high. On the expressway the gauge always reads pretty close to half, sometimes a little less, and the heater is pretty much always hot, or atleast alot warmer than it is outside. So what would be causing this? The previous owner that hardly drove it and only had it a short time said he thought it was a head gasket. I'm just wanting to make sure thats the cause before I go and dump the limited amount of money I have into something that most likely won't solve my problem. He also said that when it starts to get past the 1/2 on the gauge that the overflow tank will get pretty full and sometimes overflow.

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

sounds like a headgasket. they more unlikely is that your water pump is seizing up. check around the head to see if you can see any green residue. if so, theres your answer. oh and whens the last time you had a coolant flush?

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

to be honest I don't know when the coolant was last flushed since I just bought the car like 2 days ago. last night one time after i shut the car off there was some steam coming from under the hood, when i opened it up it smelled just like coolant. So that would mean head gasket right?

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

Well, depends where the steam is coming from... you know where the head gasket is right? Does the oil have water in it, is there a lack of power? A head gasket isnt the hardest thing to diagnose. Seems like they shoulda picked up on it at the shop... but who knows. I think every now and then it will break between a water jacket and the outside, but isnt that extremely rare?

RE: Running Hot Please help
 

Yes I know where the head gasket is. I've replaced one on my fiero. I think the steam is coming from a small rubber hose that is connected to the intake manifold on the passengers side of the engine.But it could also be coming from around the head gasket, it's just too hard to tell if it's both forcertain.I haven't checked the oil for coolant yet, the old owner told me there wasn't, but I'll look at it for myself. As far as a lack of power, I honestly don't know because I've never driven a civic that didn't have a possible issue to know if there is a difference, as I bought this one with the issue. There are however bubbles that will continuesly come to the radiatior fill cap when I take it off and start up the engine. Which I've heard is caused by a bad head gasket. AndI have no idea how long is has been since this car was in a shop, it's got loads of little issues and annoyances. Anyways odds are I'm going to pick up a head gasket tomorrow, hopefully a water pump as well since I'll be in the area. So what do I have to do to replace the head gasket? I don't have a repair manual for this car, and as much as I would like to buy one, I just honestly don't have the extra cash right now. I just need to get this car working reliably so that I can go back to work full time.