- Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:19 pm
#58
Over heating is something that I hear about a lot for these cars, and something that I experienced myself.
If your Temperatures are hot these here are some solutions:
1. Bleed your coolant system.
Airbubbles could be trapped in the system which can lead to overheating. With your engine cold, NOT WARM, remove the radiator cap (on radiator, not plastic overflow tank. Then start the car and let it warm up. Turn your heat on high. You may need to hold the throttle at 1500 RPM to get the engine hot enough. When it warms up, you will hear the thermostat click and your coolant will start flowing. Keep a container of mixed Coolant/Water and continue to top off the radiator when it gets low. This will fill in any air bubbles.
2. Check Thermostat. It may be stuck shut all the way or partially. This will cause overheating. Stuck all the way open will cause your engine to never warm up.
3. Check your Fan. If you are overheating in city driving or stop & go traffic, it may be your fan not coming on. Highway driving will push air through your radiator but you need the fan on in the city.
4. Old radiator. Some of the EG's came with a VERY thin radiator about 5/8" thick. I know for a fact that the dx comes with the 5/8" radiator. I replaced it with an EX radiator which is about 1.25" thick. It may just be time to upgrade. Over time build-up and deposits will clog up the channels of the radiator like McDonalda clogs your arteries. A symptom of this problem I had was the temp needle going slightly over 1/2 way on the highway and then going all the way up to HOT as soon as I got off the highway into the city.
5. Headgasket. A bad headgasket will cause overheating. Your car may not blow the obvious white smoke that is known to mean a blown headgasket. Check your coolant, if it is dirty, milky, or has any trace of oil in it, then it could be your headgasket.
6. Blocking flow. You cold have something like a bolt or nut blocking the flow of coolant. Maybe when you were working on the motor, something fell in to a coolant passage.
7. Water Pump. May need replaced.
Also when you add coolant to your civic, Add it to the radiator (only remove the cap when your engine is COLD) Adding it to the overflow tank does not mean it is going into your cooling system. The overflow tank is mainly for overflow as the coolant expands when hot and contracts when cold.
If your Temperatures are hot these here are some solutions:
1. Bleed your coolant system.
Airbubbles could be trapped in the system which can lead to overheating. With your engine cold, NOT WARM, remove the radiator cap (on radiator, not plastic overflow tank. Then start the car and let it warm up. Turn your heat on high. You may need to hold the throttle at 1500 RPM to get the engine hot enough. When it warms up, you will hear the thermostat click and your coolant will start flowing. Keep a container of mixed Coolant/Water and continue to top off the radiator when it gets low. This will fill in any air bubbles.
2. Check Thermostat. It may be stuck shut all the way or partially. This will cause overheating. Stuck all the way open will cause your engine to never warm up.
3. Check your Fan. If you are overheating in city driving or stop & go traffic, it may be your fan not coming on. Highway driving will push air through your radiator but you need the fan on in the city.
4. Old radiator. Some of the EG's came with a VERY thin radiator about 5/8" thick. I know for a fact that the dx comes with the 5/8" radiator. I replaced it with an EX radiator which is about 1.25" thick. It may just be time to upgrade. Over time build-up and deposits will clog up the channels of the radiator like McDonalda clogs your arteries. A symptom of this problem I had was the temp needle going slightly over 1/2 way on the highway and then going all the way up to HOT as soon as I got off the highway into the city.
5. Headgasket. A bad headgasket will cause overheating. Your car may not blow the obvious white smoke that is known to mean a blown headgasket. Check your coolant, if it is dirty, milky, or has any trace of oil in it, then it could be your headgasket.
6. Blocking flow. You cold have something like a bolt or nut blocking the flow of coolant. Maybe when you were working on the motor, something fell in to a coolant passage.
7. Water Pump. May need replaced.
Also when you add coolant to your civic, Add it to the radiator (only remove the cap when your engine is COLD) Adding it to the overflow tank does not mean it is going into your cooling system. The overflow tank is mainly for overflow as the coolant expands when hot and contracts when cold.