I have been researching all the forums with similar issues but have yet to come to a conclusion. Everything I read is leaning toward a head gasket but I really want to know before I bite the bullet and get it fixed. A few years ago I hit a coon and messed up my front end. It started to get hot so my dad put a thermostat in it while I was out of town. Since then it still gets hot. I've replaced the radiator and the cap. Fans are working. I fill up the radiator and it never gets it back from the overflow. When I put a new cap on, it would pull some out when it cooled down but it still over heats. Could it be a hole in the overflow hose or a bad overflow bottle? I don't see any leaks anywhere. No white smoke and no antifreeze and oil mixture. It only gets hot after I'm at a dead stop for a couple minutes after a long drive. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

go get a flush and fill they will know if the engine or hose is clogged.

 

Just an update I didn't run my ac on my way to work this morning and I had no trouble with over heating. It's a 65 mile one way drive. I sat in the parking lot idle for 10 mins to see and it never heated still. Both fans are running. This is an 04 Honda civic ex by the way. It did put out cool air when I slowed to a stop though. I'm running out of ideas. I plan to flush it after work today though to see if that helps.

 

Get the system full, then start the engine (cold) with the radiator cap off and rev it. If you see many bubbles or coolant coming out of the radiator, the head gasket is leaking. A small leak will not cause white smoke, water in the oil, etc. but the gases pushed into the cooling system displaces the coolant and causes a bubble in the engine which leads to overheating.

 

I've seen this a few times in the shop I used to work in. If it's a bad enough leak you'll get a pretty dramatic geyser just starting the engine.

Just because you don't see any obvious bubbles doesn't mean there's no leak. There is a bottle of chemical you can buy (can't remember what it's called) that comes with a little device for testing for exhaust fumes coming out of the radiator. You put a little of the fluid in the top chamber and then squeeze a bulb on top while holding the thing over the top of the radiator filler neck with the cap off and suck up the steam/fumes coming out of the rad w/o getting any coolant in and it will change colors if there are exhaust fumes present.

Wish I could speak to the reliability and cost of the test kit, but I'm not sure how accurate it is or the price, but it may be worth looking into. Definitely cheaper than a new head gasket that isn't needed!

 

I went to Napa and got the block test kit which cost 37 bucks. Tested it this morning and sure enough the liquid turned yellow. I work 7 days a week but plan on tearing into it in the morning... just gonna take a little longer. I'll stay up to date with you guys to let you know the how it turns out. I appreciate the help.

 

Hope you have a second out car. Seven days work makes one weak. I know.

 

Sorry for the late follow up. We had a baby so things got pushed back. I had been driving my car when my fan fell off and put a hole in the radiator. This past weekend I replaced the radiator and fan assembly. Car works perfectly now. When looking at the fan before, it looked to spin just fine...no noticeable difference. But I'm guessing maybe it wasn't spinning fast enough. Anyway with that fixed I have no more over heating issue. And I block tested it again and fluid stays blue. All good news here. Thanks for the help.