I have a 95 civic DX and the temperature gauge on the interior gauge cluster keeps on going up and down at a rapid pace. I know that the temperature of a car probably could not flucuate that quickly, so I'm wondering what it could be? The car only has 75k on it.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Uh oh! That usually means you have a head gasket leak or a cracked block. Check your oil and see if the color looks normal, or if it's kinda like hot chocolate.

 

Sounds like my car! I have a '95 DX as well, and the head gasket started going last September, but I didn't do anything about it until May of this year (don't be stupid like me!). Get yourself into a reuputable shop and get a pressure test.

Total repair was about $625. A big chunk out of my wallet, but it's cheaper than a new engine down the line!

 

what do you mean by up and down at a rapid pace? If the needle is jumping around randomly it could be as simple as a grounding issue on the guage. If the needle is moving up and down in a smooth movement then yes it could be a head gasket, warped head or cracked head. get it checked out soon.

 

or a thermostat thats stuck open.

 

Mine was doing that about a month ago. These guys are great. Told me it was the head gasket and it was, my head was also warped .01". Get it machined, put a new head gasket on it, and your all fixed. Be sure to get it pressure checked also.

 

So let us know what the problem actually is so that future HCFers know.

 

I have recently seen the same problem. The gauge goes up and then back down slowly, but never gets real hot. I also noticed a loss of power when this happens. There's no smoke, and the engine runs great for about 30 minutes,no sputter, no misses and great acceleration..then seems to get sluggish. I relaced a stuck thermostat about 2 weeks ago, and there wasn't any problems til just a few days ago. Someone told me that I need to bleed the cooling system that I have air in it,..and there's a bleed port next to the thermostat,..? The oil looks ok,..no smoke, and no leaks,..is this a possible fix....jim

 

i would think that it is the wiring (especially important to check it right there where it goes into the coolant temp sensor, or the sensor itself).

 

Honda's have really small ports in the radiator too.... look for a green "fungus" on the top of it, if it's there change it!