hello everyone, i recently purchased a 93 Honda civic and am having problems with the radiator fan. The fan will come on whenever the engine gets warm,(as usual) but there's times the fan will not come on causing the car to overheat. It happened today and i had to pull off of the highway to let it cool down. When i pulled over the radiator cap was really hot as well as the hose. You were able to hear the water from inside bubbling up and a little bit of white smoke coming from the area. At times like i said it will come on and cool the car down if it needs it, but other times it wont come on causing it to overheat. Any ideas? Owner told me water could've messed up the sensor, others are saying could be a radiator problem, hose, or thermostat. The car runs really smooth, gets up pretty quick, gears switch smooth, and no other type of engine problem, so what could it be? Also, should i try to sell the car as is and make some money off of it while i have a chance or fix up and save it? The car is going to be used for work driving almost 100 miles a day too. Your help is very much appreciated.

 

Thermostat stuck closed will cause the engine to overheat yet the fan will not come on. So in any case of random overheating I'd start with a new thermostat. Make sure the radiator is staying full, check level in the radiator itself when cold, should be full to the top.

You can jump the fan switch on the thermostat housing to make the fan run all the time the key is on. Test drive like that and see if that cures the overheating, if so replace the switch.