Overheating on a Honda Civic 92 Sedan
 

* My car cooling system would get hot and boil especially when I am in traffic.
* You could hear it boiling from inside the car
* When I open the bonnet there would be steam leaking out of where the tube from the radiator cap to the external water tank are
* This would drain all my water out of my radiator and cause my engine to overheat quickly
* I decided to drain my cooling system and place new water with anti boil, anti freeze and anti corrosion liquid mixed.
* This stopped the boiling from happening but the heat would still rise to red as shown in my temperature gauge.
* I noticed that my fan does not come on at all when it overheats
* I have had this problem before and changed the thermostat about a year and a half ago
* I have decided to hard wire the fan by removing the thermostat plug and placing a wire on it. This made the fan go on 24/7 when the car is on
* I am thinking this could be the thermostat again since the fan goes on when I hardwired it. But I am unsure because I replaced it 1.5 years ago
* I am confident that without the fan coming on, this is what is causing my car to overheat when I am in traffic. When I am on the freeway, I am ok.

Do you guys think this can also be the thermostat, whats the life span on thermostats?

Thanks

Definitely replace the thermostat again. Like any manufactured item they can sometimes last a lifetime, they could be DOA out of the box, or anywhere in between.

Were you using plain water in the system? Using plain water for more than a couple of days will cause serious damage from corrosion. Coolant mixture is necessary for its corrosion-inhibiting properties even in mild climates where freezing isn't an issue. There may be a problem with the water pump if plain water has been used.

Check if the heater works at idle. If the heater stops working at slow speeds, that usually means there is a bubble of air in the top of the engine. Every time you refill the system it is necessary to follow the procedure to bleed the air out.

Thanks for the reply. When the water ran out, I had no choice but use water for a few days until I had time to get coolant. But I have now refilled it with coolant water. Do you think the 3-5 days with water would have done some damage?

I will buy a new thermostat and give that a go. With the fan running on all the time, the temperature only moves up slightly. Is this O.K. to do for long periods or will it affect the engine?

Great info, thanks!