Hi all. I've got a 92 Honda Civic. A few days ago I was driving around 60 mph and notice that my temp gauge was on the rise(very close to red area). I pulled over and waited for it to cool. I checked the radiator and it is full of coolant. I turned on the heater and the gauge dropped back to the mid way point(norm operating temp). I took to a local mechanic and after a few days they told me it is my gauge cluster that has gone bad. They said they checked the temp and while the cars gauge shows in the red- their temp gauge shows 190 degrees. They said it would be fine to drive like this until I can order a replacement gauge. I asked why the cars temp gauge showed it getting cooler when I turned on the heater and they could not explain. I also noticed that the radiator fan is not coming on. They didn't seem too concerned with this. THey said they let it sit running for about 2 hours and then drove it around some with no problems. Even told me to just put a picture over the gauge and pay no attention to it. My concern is that I need to go out of town (2 hr drive) and I'm afraid of doing damage to my car if they(mechanics) were wrong with their diagnostic. Any advice would be most appreciated.

 

if the gage was broken... why would it go back to normal after turning the Heater on?
maybe they where monitoring the temperatur of the wrong part? lol
and the radiator fan should be spinning.... or else there is something wrong with that. i dont see why they didnt seem too concerned about that. i know i would be.

you should try getting a different mechanic to take a look at it IMO

 

The thermostat may be getting stuck once in a while. I'd replace it as a general preventative measure.

Problems that cause the engine to actually overheat are much much more common than problems with the gauge reading wrong.

 

exactly what I was questioning DaOne. I just moved to this little town and they are the only mechanics in a 30 mile radius. I'll have to drive to the city or tow to the city for more choices in mechanics. I'd hate to spend the money for a tow when it could be used to purchase the gauge cluster but i realize that I'll be spending loads of money repairing other problems if it truly is overheating and I drive it. I was going to have it checked out by my old mechanic if I could make it back to where I moved from. Decisions, decisions. thanks for the input.

 

Good idea. I'm about to head up to the store and pick one up. thanks!

 

maybe they said its the cluster so that it will damage your engine and they will have more business!!!! JP! lol

yeah but i dont know =/
if its really just the gage thats a easy fix.

 

overheating problems arent usually a **** load of money to fix. Most of the time is a radiator, a house, or more commonly its the thermostat like mik378 said. All those parts arent that expensive and are extremely easy to fix. So your best bet would be to replace the thermostat and drain/replace the coolant. Also if your radiator fan isnt coming on thats a problem, you can buy a new one on ebay for cheap, super easy to replace also.

 

Also check the fan fuse in the fuse box underneath the hood. I had that fuse go out and my fan wasn't working and it drove me crazy. Should be a blue 15 amp fuse.

 

first he needs to test his fans and see if they work, replace thermostat, bleed coolant system then go from there also may be a bad temp sensor. when you turn on the a/c does both fans come on?

 

On a 92 the radiator and A/C condenser are mounted side by side and completely independent. Only the condenser fan should come on with the A/C. It won't help to cool the engine.