I believed that my 95 civic DX had a faulty thermostat, due to the fact that the temperature guage was not reading above cold even after over 20 minutes of driving and a poor level of heat was coming from the heater inside the car. Then, after that 20 minutes, when it was idle, the temp guage returned to normal, then again fell below C once i began driving again. I replaced the thermostat. I car cooled compeletly, then i started it and too it for a short drive. The heat was working great and the temp guage quickly showed a normal reading, but after just less than 10 minutes (probably closer to 5), the temperature guage went up rapidly almost to red line. I don't really know if or think that the car was actually overheating or could be overheating so rapidly. The coolant levels are fine and there are no visible leaks in the system. Is this an electrical/sensor issue rather than a coolant system issue? Could this be a faulty engine coolant temp switch or something else? any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks

 

sounds like your thermostat took a crap on you

 

actually, i think i had air in the coolant system...i let it sit for an hour and came back out and checked the levels. the reserve was dry and the radiator was low. i added coolant and drove it for 30 minutes with no problems...thanks!