Last night there was construction on the freeway and traffic was at a crawl. Next thing I know my 95 civic temp gage is all the way up to the red! I was in the center lane but wanted to get to the right side so it took about 5 mins to get over. I sat there for about 10 mins until it went down some, luckyly I was near an exit and a cop helped me get off the freeway. I got to a supermarket and put some distilled water in he reservoir and was able to get home with the gage back to normal.

This morning when I checked the engine the reservior was almost empty, and when I started it up with the a/c on only the right side fan went on. Is this where my problem is? I ran it for a few mins. but did not see any leaks.

Thanks
J

 

in the morning, did you check to see if you also needed water in the radiator?

i am pretty sure that both fans are to come on at the same time. they come on whenever a certain temperature is reached. sensor i think is plugged into the radiator.
need to rigg up to put 12 volts to the left-side fans to make sure that it works.

 

I just checked it and I could not see any fluid, so I added more. I didn't need to add too much more before I was able to bring the fluid level up.

 

top the coolant/water up to the correct level, keep the car running while you are doing this.
when you are happy with the level, put the expansion cap back on - drive your car til it gets to operating temp. park it in your drive, lift the bonnet and check the coolant level. if it's alright, wait by the car to make sure the fan cuts in (keep an eye on the temp gauge)

also, check to see if you have any noticeable leaks while the car is parked up

lemme know how you get on

 

Ok I took it for a spin,drove for about 5 mins until the temp got up to normal, came back to the house and let it sit for another 5 mins. No change in temp, but the fan did not come on.

 

the problem seems to be your fan then.
run the car, sit in and keep an eye on the temp gauge - if it starts to go into the red and the fan doesn't go on, stop the engine but leave the key at position 2. get a paper clip and locate where the fan is connected to the engine temp sensor (should be at the thermostat housing) - disconnect the plug from the sensor and bridge the 2 connectors with your paper clip, if the fan comes on you gotta faulty temp sensor - if it don't, fan's fooked

also, check your pipes at the top and bottom of the rad to see that they are both hot

 

I checked the tubes and only the top one is hot. What does that mean?

 

sounds like a fooked water pump or possibly a blockage in the rad - what mileage is on the car, and when has it had it's last timing (cam) belt fitted?
had a new water pump been fitted with the belt??

 

The water pump and timing belt is no more than 2 years old. there about 150,000 miles on it. Looked like the rad was new when I bought the car used.

 

I found this on another site...

"Serious overheating in heavy traffic but not in open driving is an indication to investigate the fan, fan clutch or motor or relay, or shroud. Some cars have two fans, and both should be on if the engine is hot."

This is exactly my symptoms. I guess I need to make an appointment with my mechanic.

Thanks for your help.
J