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Car Forum / Honda Cars / April 200693 civic overheating
Please help. I Have a 93 civic hatchback that is overheating. I had a similar problem last year and discovered that my water pump was cracked (so I had it replaced). It's been fine for the past year, but recently has started overheating. My typical route to school has me in "stop and go" traffic for a mile or so, then 5 miles on the interstate, and then another mile of "stop and go". The overheating seems to occur and the end of my journey and the thermostat needle seems to really climb when I'm in neutral (sorry-it's a manual). I checked the coolant level and it seems to be staying the same. I haven't seen any leaks anywhere. It's been doing this for a couple of days now. The only thing I can do to help is to turn on the heater, but live in Texas just might have a heat stroke if I have to keep doing that. Any advice you can offer would be great. I'm a student and am tight on funds. Aslo, as a young lady, it's would be nice to have some sort of a clue before turning her over to a mechanic. Much thanks, Joanna Let the car warm up and determine if the cooling fans are operating. That seems to be common with electric fans. Any idea how old the thermostat is? Is the one in there a genuine Honda part? I would get the fan checked. You could, in theory, let the car sit overnight, check the coolant level, turn it on, watch the temperature gage, and wait for the fan to come on. If the gage keeps climbing to well above what you're accustomed, and the fan doesn't come on, suspect the fan. When the car is not moving, the heat isn't being removed as quickly. One could say the "load" on the coolant system can be higher just sitting and idling then driving down the highway with that air blasting across the radiator surface and removing heat. No fan when the car is just sitting and idling can cause overheating. There is a free online manual for your 93 Civic at www.autozone.com that talks about doing more elaborate checks of the fan, and specifically the several electrical components most likely to cause it to fail. You want to stay alert to a blown head gasket, so you're doing right by monitoring the level. Also, look for oil in the coolant reservoir (just take off the coolant reservoir cap and check it), and look for coolant in the oil (take off the oil fill cap). See if there's a sweet smell coming from the exhaust fumes. You need to strongly consider not driving the car at all. If the engine gets too hot, and, say, the engine head warps, then the repair will be much more expensive. Elle Original owner, 1991 Civic LX, 175k miles. > Please help. I Have a 93 civic hatchback that is > overheating. I had a [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > Much thanks, > Joanna > Any idea how old the thermostat is? Is the one in there a > genuine Honda part? [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Elle Elle, Excellent post. Jason  SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. "Jason" <jason@nospam.com> wrote "Elle" > <honda.lioness@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > Elle, > Excellent post. ... and it always helps when a few people post the same suggestions to assist a person. I don't think anyone likes to be repetitive, but by not doing so, sometimes a person asking for help can't be sure that people have read his/her post. So this gal will see your suggestion to check the thermostat and use OEM, compare it with my same idea, also note that two of us felt the fan might be failing, etc. I appreciate your referring to technicians as both "he" types and "she" types, by the way. Shows someone's thinking (and at a high level, afaic)! > .... and it always helps when a few people post the same > suggestions to assist a person. i would turn the car on, then run it until the temp gauge reaches halfway. if the fans dont come on but the gauge keeps climbing, suspect the switch that operates the fans. id likely unplug and replug that connector in, as well as the fan. that would reseat the connectors if theyre corroded. cheap, easy, and might possibly fix the problem. Wow, thanks for the quick response. I haven't driven my car today, so I decided to test the fan. I let it run in my driveway for about 10 mins and the temp began to rise. When the thermostat got to about 3/4 the way to H, the fan kicked on for about 4 seconds and then off again. A few moments later, it came on and then did not turn off again until I turned the car off. Even when the far was on, I saw no change in the temp on the thermostat. Does this seem to be leaning more toward a thermostat problem? Also, this may be a stupid question, but Jason recommended making sure the radiator is full? How do I go about doing that? Is that different than making sure the coolant reservoir is full? Thanks in advance, Joanna What you describe sounds like the thermostat to me. Consider: My 91 Civic takes upwards of 40 minutes to heat up (from cold engine) enough to turn the fan on when the outside temperature is 70 degrees F or so. Yours heated up much more quickly, and the fan came on fine. That points to a temperature control problem, such as the thermostat. Thermostats fail all the time on all makes of cars after so many miles and years. You didn't say: Any idea how old your thermostat is? If it's more than say, six years, replacing it is a good investment. Plus it may very well fix the problem. There are other possibilities, but this is where I'd start. > Wow, thanks for the quick response. I haven't driven my > car today, so I [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Thanks in advance, > Joanna Thanks a lot, Elle. It would be a fair guess to say that the thermostat is older than 6 years. She has 230K miles on her. I bought her from a friend for $800 2 1/2 years ago. I've had to do a few reapirs, but I've deffinately gotten my money's worth. I'm glad to hear that it's probably not a head gasket. I'll start with the thermostat and go from there. It looks like were talking about a $15 part here. Can my mechanic order an "official" honda part, or do I have to go to a dealership? Any idea what labor for instalation might run me? (I trust my mechanics, but I'd hate surprises). thanks, Jo (FYI- it's 98 degrees here today...so much for Spring) :) > Thanks a lot, Elle. It would be a fair guess to say that > the thermostat [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > I'm glad to hear that it's probably not a head gasket. As long as the level in the coolant reservoir stays steady, I agree. > I'll start with > the thermostat and go from there. > > It looks like were talking about a $15 part here. Right. > Can my mechanic order > an "official" honda part, or do I have to go to a > dealership? I think this will depend on your mechanic. I suggest buying one from the parts department at a dealership, to be certain you get a genuine Honda one (also known as "OEM Honda" or Original Equipment Manufacturer--Honda"). Don't let anyone sell you a non-OEM one. The temperature settings on non-OEM ones can vary. The OEM one is only a few bucks more. If you have other parts you need, you can consider ordering them yourself from an online genuine Honda parts dealer such as www.slhonda.com (California; I've used them; they're great) www.cheapESThondaparts.com (Colorado; just did my first order from them the other day) Looks like about $12 from them plus another $5 for shipping. Your dealer might beat this total cost, unless, as I mentioned, there are other parts you need. > Any idea > what labor for instalation might run me? I'd estimate an hour of labor. I'm not sure what your mechanic charges, but $70 an hour isn't unusual. I did mine by myself on my 91 Civic a couple of years ago. Took a couple hours going really slow, and never having done it on this car before. It's rarely a difficult job for any model. > (I trust my mechanics, but I'd > hate surprises). > > thanks, > Jo (FYI- it's 98 degrees here today...so much for > Spring) :) Hope you're not in rolling blackout country (Texas)! Aside: I think your car's still overheating too quickly, even at that temperature. Updates welcome, so others can learn from your experience. >Wow, thanks for the quick response. I haven't driven my car today, so I >decided to test the fan. I let it run in my driveway for about 10 mins [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Does this seem to be leaning more toward a thermostat problem? Yes. >Also, this may be a stupid question, but Jason recommended making sure >the radiator is full? How do I go about doing that? Is that different >than making sure the coolant reservoir is full? There is a plastic overflow bottle for the...'overflow'. Check the coolant in the radiator itself, not the plastic overflow >Thanks in advance, > Joanna > Wow, thanks for the quick response. I haven't driven my car today, so I > decided to test the fan. I let it run in my driveway for about 10 mins [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Thanks in advance, > Joanna Joanna, The level in the coolant reservoir is different than the radiator. There should be a rubber hose leading from the coolant reservoir to the radiator. About once per week, BEFORE YOU START YOUR CAR, uscrew the cap on the radiator and check the level. The radiator should be full. If it's not full, fill it up with water before you replace the cap. You should never remove that cap when the engine is hot or all of the water will come out of the radiator. I once made that mistake when I was about 14 years old and have NEVER made that mistake again. Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. Jason, thanks for the info. I looked in the radiator and it has some green colant liquid in there, but it's just a small ammout. Is it supposed to be full to the top? I thought that if it needed more when it go hot, it would just pull it from the resevoir. If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is coolant in there...or should I use more coolant? (this is all in addition to the new thermostat, right?) Sorry for so many questions, Jo > Jason, > thanks for the info. I looked in the radiator and it has some green [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Sorry for so many questions, > Jo Yes, fill the radiator to the top with water. Replace the cap. Do the same thing every morning before you start your car. If the water is up to the rim for three days in a row, that means it is full and you can cut back to checking it once a week. Let us know if the coolant is not up to the rim after one week. It's possible that the missing water may have been at least one of the causes of your problem. Before you replace the thermostat, see if the water that you added to the radiator each day solves the problem. If it does NOT solve the problem, the thermostat should be replaced. You should also--if you can afford it--have your mechanic or a radiator shop manager flush out the coolant and replace it with new coolant. Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. > Yes, fill the radiator to the top with water. distilled water, preferably. regular water has too many minerals and crap thats not good when boiled. > If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is > coolant in > there...or should I use more coolant? Have to disagree with Jason here. Use only distilled water or OEM coolant. If you use the distilled water, you're going to want to do a drain and fill of the system soon, since it won't have the right concentration of anti-freeze in it. Regular tap water has the wrong chemistry and may destroy the water pump bearings, for one. > > If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is > > coolant in [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Regular tap water has the wrong chemistry and may destroy > the water pump bearings, for one. Elle, Thanks for your post. I was not aware of that. I have always used regular tap water. Do they use tap water or distilled water at the Honda dealerships? Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. "Jason" <jason@nospam.com> wrote Elle >> Regular tap water has the wrong chemistry and may destroy >> the water pump bearings, for one. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > used regular tap water. Do they use tap water or distilled > water at the Honda dealerships? I think the dealerships use a pre-mix, OEM Honda coolant. One can buy this at their parts departments. That's often advocated here at the newsgroup, because Hondas have something in the water pumps that is susceptible to, say, Wal-Mart off the shelf, more conventional stuff like the green Prestone and tap water. Silicates or something in the more conventional anti-freezes go at the water pump parts. The archives have much discussion on this. It's so serious, and so known to be a problem, that one of the regulars here calls the use of tap water in Honda auto cooling systems "Hondacide." Of course if it's an emergency, and all that is available is tap, I'd go for it. Then I'd drain, flush, and refill after fixing the problem. I myself saw a premature water pump failure after using Prestone green stuff in the late 1990s. OTOH, instead of using the OEM pre-mix coolant from the dealer I have been using the Havoline orange Dexcool, advertised to be suitable for the Honda design since 2002, after doing a thorough flush. A few others here use this as well. For me, it's an experiment, based partly in knowing I can change the water pump myself if there's a problem. The matter seems to be one of those little idiosyncrasies of Hondas. > I have been using the Havoline orange Dexcool, advertised > to be suitable for the Honda design since 2002, Oops. I mean I've been using the orange Dexcool since 2002. I think the Havoline Dexcool labeling has always said suitable for xyz engines such as Hondas. > "Jason" <jason@nospam.com> wrote > Elle [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > The matter seems to be one of those little idiosyncrasies of > Hondas. Elle, Thanks. Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. >>> If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is >>> coolant in [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > water at the Honda dealerships? > Jason they probably use 50/50 mix out of a 55 gallon drum. > Jason, > thanks for the info. I looked in the radiator and it has some green [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Sorry for so many questions, > Jo if the level in the reservoir is normal, but the level in the rad is low, you have a small air leak. check the plastic radiator tanks for cracking. if this is the original rad, it's due to start happening round about now. also check the small hoses. if there's corrosion, the material under the hose connections can swell and minutely split the rubber. also check the radiator cap - the seal can crack & split. refill with anti-freeze and distilled water, not tap water. excess mineral content in tap water can cause corrosion, harmful deposits and seal damage. > Jason, > thanks for the info. I looked in the radiator and it has some green > colant liquid in there, but it's just a small ammout. Is it supposed to yup- all the way full. > be full to the top? I thought that if it needed more when it go hot, it > would just pull it from the resevoir. just the opposite... when it gets hot, it expands and goes into the overflow. when you shut the car off and it cools down, it will draw coolant back in from the reservoir. > If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is coolant in > there...or should I use more coolant? id probably just use coolant. > (this is all in addition to the new thermostat, right?) > > Sorry for so many questions, > Jo >> Jason, >> thanks for the info. I looked in the radiator and it has some green [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > overflow. when you shut the car off and it cools down, it will draw > coolant back in from the reservoir. /only/ if the system is 100% airtight. that's why it's so important to look in the rad, not just the bottle. >> If I need to fill it, can I use water even though there is coolant in >> there...or should I use more coolant? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> Sorry for so many questions, >> Jo > Wow, thanks for the quick response. I haven't driven my car today, so I > decided to test the fan. I let it run in my driveway for about 10 mins [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Does this seem to be leaning more toward a thermostat problem? yup. or an obstructed radiator, bad water pump. > Also, this may be a stupid question, but Jason recommended making sure > the radiator is full? How do I go about doing that? Is that different > than making sure the coolant reservoir is full? definately. when the engine is cool, take the radiator cap off. push down and to the left to unlock. the coolant should be easily visible, up to the filler neck. if it isnt? id add coolant premix (50% coolant, 50% distilled water) to the top, as well as top off the reservoir. then keep an eye out, because you probably have a leaky hose, especially if the hoses are original. > Thanks in advance, > Joanna > Please help. I Have a 93 civic hatchback that is overheating. I had a > similar problem last year and discovered that my water pump was cracked [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Much thanks, > Joanna Joanna, Install a new thermostat. Make sure you buy it at a Honda dealership. It may help. Also, check at least once per week to make sure your radiator is full. Also, make sure he water pump is not leaking. Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. > Please help. I Have a 93 civic hatchback that is overheating. I had a > similar problem last year and discovered that my water pump was cracked [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the thermostat needle seems to really climb when I'm in neutral > (sorry-it's a manual). Right now sounds like a bad thermostat. When was the last time the cooling system was serviced? > I checked the coolant level and it seems to be staying the same. I > haven't seen any leaks anywhere. It's been doing this for a couple of > days now. The only thing I can do to help is to turn on the heater, but > live in Texas just might have a heat stroke if I have to keep doing > that. Oh, so turning on the heater gets the temperature down? That's often an internally-plugged rad. Again, what's the car's service history? SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ I have never serviced the cooling system (in two years), and I have no idea when it was done last. Turning on the heat helped a little, but not a lot...the same as just turning on the fan. I though that it was just helping because it helped move air across the engine. Can you offer any instructions on how to replace thermostat? thanks, Joanna > I have never serviced the cooling system (in two years), and I have no > idea when it was done last. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Can you offer any instructions on how to replace thermostat? Given the lack of servicing history, you may have several issues, not just the thermostat. At this point, it's possible you have a sludged-up cooling system, low coolant, and a plugged rad, as well as a thermostat going bad. You can help your own cause here by determining and describing the overheating problem in the greatest detail possible. Without extensive detail on the nature of the problem, all we can do here is guess. Just so you know, poor maintenance is the primary cause of most automotive problems. SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ |
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