I have a 92 DX, the temp gauge pegs hot, when opperated under a load (ac on going up hill), but no real signs of overheating (no boiling over,etc) i have replaced the gauge, the temp sender, the head gasket, the water pump, radiator cap, temperature switch, and of course the coolant. My main question i have is, What is the actual opperating temperatur of the car? and if it is overheating, what else should i check.
Thanks

 

If the gauge moves up and down under certain driving conditions, there is a problem. It should warm up and stay at one spot.

The first thing to check is check the coolant level in the radiator before every trip when the engine is cold. The radiator should always stay full to the top.

It can be hard to get all the air out of these systems. The '92 should have an air bleeder screw on the fitting for the top hose at the engine. Park the car on level ground and with the engine cold, take off the radiator cap and open the bleeder screw and pour coolant into the radiator until it comes out the bleeder. Then close the bleeder, start the engine (cap still off), set the heater to maximum, and watch the level in the radiator. Add as needed to keep it completely full. When the engine starts to warm up, put the cap on and test-drive. Then let it cool off completely and check again.

Also make sure that the fan works. That usually causes overheating sitting still though. At highway speed you don't really need it.

 

My '95 Civic D16Z6 did the same thing for 4+ years and 60,000 miles until it sprung a leak in a hose and genuinely overheated. It's now apart waiting for the head to be milled; "new head gasket".

If it does the crazy temp swings again I'll likely install a mechanical or aftermarket electric temp gauge.

In the past, I used a infrared temp gauge as an attempt to verify that the temp was acceptable despite the pegged gauge.

I'll update when it's back to running.

 

heater hose blew in 2 spots on my civic while my wife was driving it. she kept driving until the car shut off. way overheated. i had to have the head milled and did new head gasket blah blah blah. now it doesn't idle right and i have a massive oil leak. i think when it overheated the oil overheated too and roasted the rear main seal.

 

Driving overheated until the car will go no more is certain to totally wreck the engine. Replace the whole thing is the only cure.

 

replace the whole engine? if you are buying i'm replacing

i still get over 30 mpgs consistently. i just have the ****ty idle and the exxon valdez style leak. once i get that cured up i should be good.

 

Having valves adjusted too tight can cause misfiring at idle but drives OK.

 

i let the guy at the machine shop take the valvetrain off and reinstall it. he asked if the valves had ever been adjusted. i told him as far as i know, no. i've only had the car since this feb. maybe that's why it idles low.

i cleaned the iacv yesterday. the screen was caked up completely but it did not change the idle. i'm gonna pull it off again today and see if it's clogged again.