NDNV

This post from George Duarte is the exact same post from 6 years ago from poster "upcomintuner" on Hondatech.com??? See here: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-...-help-2850833/

curt248

Maybe there was an air pocket in the line that disappeared when you turned off your heater. After two years of not having a solution to my intermittent lack of heat and overheating (but not losing coolant) issues, it ended up being a bad head gasket. All testing showed that it is NOT the head gasket. After replacing the head gasket, I have not had a single issue in 2 to 3 years.

estefuzzy

Hi, first time using this forum, and hoping to get some good advice. This has happened a few times now in the last month. My temperature gauge will go all the way up to HOT while I'm driving with the heater on. The heater air blows only cold air. But, each time I turn heater off, the temperature gauge returns to normal. However, if I wait and turn the heater back on maybe 10 minutes later, the heater starts blowing hot air and the temperature remains normal. The car runs well, but it has 231,000 miles and I'm limiting how much $$ to continue to invest in repairs. I welcome advice and thanks so much in advance!

estefuzzy

Thank you so much! I appreciate all of the feedback--and so fast!! Estefuzzy

NotBruce

Hi, all...

Read most of this thread (skipped the last two pages, sorry!)... very interesting.

Having pretty much the same sort of issues as so many people have listed here - not all of them, but enough to be concerned...

Car seems to be losing coolant with no visible leaks, low/no heat at low revs (below 2.5 - 3k), temp gauge stays at 'normal' levels (around 1/3 of the range on the indicator), steam from rad cap, but reservoir doesn't fill up above 'max' level as far as I can see, seems a little underpowered on hills (but only when cold, e.g. first thing in the morning I have to go up a pretty steep hill from almost a standing start and it struggles in 3rd gear)

BUT... the main engine discussed here is a D17... i.e. 1.7 litre

I have a (UK model) 2001 Civic SE Executive 5-door hatchback (coupe), 1.6 litre petrol engine, manual transmission, with A/C. I think it is a D16V1 (but how do I tell?)...

So it is still a D-series engine - does this issue affect the entire D-series engine range?

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Sadly, I do not know if these issues plague your specific D-series. In the past, the D-series platform has been incredibly reliable, for the most part. D16Y8's are still commonly used in performance applications for low-budget drag/race cars.

NotBruce

Thanks, toyomatt84. I was just trying to get some idea on whether to go straight for the head skim & gasket replacement solution or to replace the radiator, water pump and thermostat first. Although tbh I think the radiator could probably do with being replaced - looks a bit crumbly. I've tried a replacement radiator cap in case the problems were just caused by a failed cap, but nothing much has changed.Start with the cheapest options first, right?

estefuzzy

Update from my original post. I forgot to mention that the oil light come on and flickers as well. I finally had the car tested at the dealer, and as some of you said, they suspect a engine gasket and/or some kind of "coil or core" in the engine. They recommended replacing the engine. It still runs so well, but given that it has over 232,000 miles, I'm not going to replace the engine.

Adam Rodriguez

My civic can idle forever at 214 and the gauge reads under normal the fans come on at 221 and it can stay that way all day but the second I start driving it about 5 miles it over heats I ha e replaced water pump thermostat 170 coolant temp sensor and radiator cap I am stumped because, if it were the head gasket wouldn't it overheat right away. Any thoughts

prodjay10

I've had a bad head gasket that will be fine for hours on the freeway. When I slow down it will start to rise in temp.

these cars are prone to have hg failure

cssmith

My civic was having random overheating issues as well. I could drive it for weeks back and forth to work (100 mile round trip) with no problems. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere it would over heat. While doing research I found that this gen civic was bad about the head gasket letting exhaust gases get in the coolant creating air pockets. I even done a combustion block leak test with negative results, but replaced the head gasket anyways and it solved the problem.
Before replacing the head gasket I would suggest that you thoroughly purge the cooling system of air to see if it helps. You can find videos of this online. It could be that one of the fixes you have already tried was the problem, but you introduced air in the system while fixing it. Definitely explore all other avenues first.

jessica07

hello, i have a 2003 honda civic lx and not that long ago i changed the radiator to a new because the old one gave up, now when they changed the guy noticed that the car kept getting overheated, so he found out that the fun wasnt working and he put a paperclip to make the fan work. so today when i got to work i noticed that the arrow was going up, now i dont know if the car needs water or what? i do apologize for the ignorance, but im a girl and i dont know much about cars. thanks i hope you can help. thank you

colenaymark

Looks like this thread hasn't been inactive for too long...I'm going to do some tests tonight after reading through this to try and figure this out but here's what I have:

101k motor swapped into a body with 236k. I have over heating issues once the coolant has fully saturated during operating conditions (as in the whole system is up to temperature). I did the following,
*Bought a new thermostat, it over heated again so I tested that in water on the stove and it worked properly
*bought a new fan switch, again tested new switch in water and it worked properly (could hear it clicking)
*installed a new radiator (thought the old one may have been clogged)
*installed new radiator cap
*checked all hoses for leaks, no leaks
*followed service manual procedure for electrical system checks (checked both relays and all fuses to make sure I wasn't playing with a fan/ electrical gremlin), all operating as they should
*The car has a brand new cat (just as an fyi)
*no check engine
*when I bought the 101k motor I installed a new water pump and timing belt

Symptoms I'm still seeing are blowing cold or cool air with heat full blast once the vehicle is warmed up when I'm sitting at idle and obviously the over heating under load once the vehicle is warmed up... I'm using an OBDII reader to my phone to help me track some of these readouts.

My thoughts this week are to:
*Compression test
*use that radiator litmus tester to see if the color turns green/yellow
*drain oil to see if it's all milky
*pressure test cooling system

I have a sneaking suspicion it's either the heater core that has 236k on it or the HG on the new motor is blown...but if you all have suggestions or comments between the tests I listed above I would greatly appreciate the input.
Thanks
Cole
ps - this is a 2001 Civic ex body, electrical harness with a 2003 civic ex motor
PPS - the AC system isn't charged right now due to the motor swap but that shouldn't affect anything in the cooling system

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Depending on what type of coolant you used, you could easily have a clogged heater core. Honda coolant doesn't work well with several cheap aftermarket coolants, and causes clogging easily. The coolant should be blue-ish in color. You can isolate the heater core for a flush, and that should fix some issues.

colenaymark

The whole system has been flushed and I'm just using a 50/50 premix right now. There is no remains from the old motor/new motor mixing. It's a thought though...PS - sorry, what do you mean by isolate the core with a flush? You mean force a water flush and then refill from empty? Just curious so I can add it to the list. Thanks!

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

What you can do, is temporarily remove the hoses on the heater core and use pressurized water to force flush the heatercore separate from the rest of the cooling system. Don't be surprised if you see some gunky brownish/black material coming out. I wouldn't be surprised if the 50/50 mix you're running is causing the coagulation with the factory Honda coolant.

colenaymark

Cool, that's what I figured you were referencing. I have all night tonight to get after this so I will report back tomorrow on the rest results.
Thanks
Cole

colenaymark

Starting to become pretty obvious. Flushed the heater core, replaced the coolant res hose, drove it around for an hour...almost over heated and burped a ton of coolant into and out of the overflow (negative pressure)...

retested the block exhaust gas tester, it was yellow and then compression tested...cylinders 1-4 in this order: 90, 90, 90, 95PSI....so

that should be pretty clear...
Cole

acurahonda3685

Hi everyone
Just trying to share and maybe get help from experts or anyone with similar experience with 1.7 acura el 2005
What am really wondering about is how is possible to put more then 70 k on this engine if its having head gasket problem and from time to time losing heat and over heating engine It is going on for a while now and would run for 2-3 months without any problems and then starts again Radiator is been replaced last summer cause it broke down and cooling system flushed as well as replaced coolant and 2 months after lost heat again and start overheating My mechanic told me to maintain coolant level in radiator when problem occurs and every time issue occurs again I would add a bit of coolant and that would fix a problem for a few days or a few months??? But on some occasions coolant would spill all over the engine through coolant tank cap and turn into a smoke and coolant burning smell
If anyone has any idea if head gasket damage is a cause off everything but for a few years and over 70k with same issue????
I would really like to share and chat about this issue and welcome any suggestions and advices
Like my acura

colenaymark

Hey Guys,

I should wrap this thread up with my problems -

I had an overheating civic. Although there are plenty of things that can contribute to this I will take you through what I found online and what worked to fix it

1. I started by thinking I could have a faulty fan switch for the radiator fan. I followed the service manual procedure to trouble shoot the fan switch
a. test switch in hot/boiling water to see when the inner switch filament flips (you'll hear it click). The switch was working
*Radiator fan switch Thermoswitch "ON"
temperature
91-95°C (196-203°F)
Thermoswitch "OFF"
temperature
Subtract 3-8°C (5-15°F) from actual "ON" temperature
b. Looked at the wiring to the fan switch.
*jump fan relay wire harness with a paper clip and see if fan turns on
*if no fan, then check both fan relays (will need a 12v source and voltmeter)

2. So, everything was fine there...so I checked the thermostat by looking at it's actuation in a boiling pot of water
Measure the lift height of the thermostat when it is
fully open.
STANDARD THERMOSTAT
Lift height: above 8.0 mm (0.31
in.)
Starts opening: 76 - 80oC (169 –
176oF)
Fully open: 90oC (194oF)
*this was functioning normally so now check radiator

3. Flush radiator to check for clogs
I used compressed air but you could use some distilled water as well. If you want to be lazy use a hose but it will cause rust or corrosion in the long term. Also make sure the radiator is isolated from the vehicle before doing this.
*I did this and no gunk or clogs so moved on...

4. checked the heater core for improper function/leaks or clogs.
*the heater core will have two hoses from the firewall. I turned the heater **** inside to "turn on the heat" and the valve operated as it should. With the valve open I used compressed air to flush through the valve and heater core. Nothing really too dirty came out of it. Moving on to the next system

5. Checked for cracked coolant hoses throughout the entire motor. No leaks or cracks.

6. checked the OEM hose from the overflow res. Replaced the radiator cap (just in case). I read one case of an overflow hose collapsing and not allowing two way flow back to the radiator causing issues...that would be crazy rare but it was worth a check. No issues for me

7. checked the coolant system pressure. Rented a pressure tester from Autozone and followed the procedure -
*Apply a pressure of 93 - 123 kPa (0.95 - 1.25
kgf/cm2, 14 - 18 psi).
*Check for a drop in pressure.
*If the pressure drops, could be cracked hoses, cracked radiator, overflow tank issues
*all good on my car so moving on

8. So this left me pointed at the head gasket...okay...let's check the following:
a. compression
b. block exhaust gas test (testing for exhaust gas through the coolant, can rent a tester from autozone)
c. check for mixing of oil in coolant or coolant in oil (lol from draining oil or coolant)
d. check for bubbles comming up through the radiator when your car is running with the radiator cap off (DON'T BE AN IDIOT AND PULL THE CAP OFF WHEN THE COOLANT IS HOT AND PRESSURIZED)

So, compression tested...low on each cylinder...telling me more likely that it is a head gasket issue and not in particular something like a single cylinder valve or ring problem. BUT I also checked C. I did not have a bad enough leak to mix coolant in oil. Did test B and found that at cold temps, I did not have exhaust gas coming through the coolant enough to change the color of the tester fluid but when the car was warmed up, I did have enough to make it obvious and it changed the test fluid on the tester. Also D was present (had bubbles coming up through the radiator).

SOOOOO
I replaced the head gasket. When I replaced it I checked that the water pump impeller was in fact moving fluid (to make sure that wasn't the cause of the over heating). I also removed the head in accordance with the service manual procedure to avoid warping the head upon removal. Cleaned the block and head surfaces with a HIGH grit scotch bright pad (to avoid changing the surface finish or depth). I then measured the flatness of the head with a Mitutoyo straight edge and valve shims. It fell in spec for flatness so I did not need to have it machined. Reassembled everything with the OEM Nippon Leakless gasket and torqued everything to the service manual specifications (VERY IMPORTANT) as well as used new head studs as to avoid bolt stretch.

Haven't had any over heating issues since! Just an FYI, my head gasket failed at about 101k.
Please PM me if you have questions and I'll help you troubleshoot,
Cole

Coxter30

Hi there
Honda civic 2002 ex 1.7L manual transmission, after replacing radiator due to a leak on its low part and putting a new overflow bottle cap, now coolant in the overflow bottle disappears but not in the radiator and when I drive long distance, the overflow bottle cap blows off and coolant goes off totally causing overheating immediately moreover it starts to go out a kind of smoke or steam from the overflow bottle. After that I put the old overflow bottle cap and it seems like it is fine now but I am not sure for driving long distances. I do not know if it could be mechanic error during the radiator replacement because that does not happens with the old radiator and old overflow bottle cap. No signs of bad head gasket. It was replaced two months ago with timing belt and water pump. Thermostat have not been changed never I think so.

Two issue basically. Coolant lost and overflow bottle cap pops off during long distance driving. Any Ideas?



Luis.

bletzinger

My daughter has a 2005 civic that overheats intermittently.
Using the OP to describe symptoms -

Overheating
- Symptoms:
A. (Obvious) Temperature gauge showing an engine temperature that is beyond normal operating temperatures (above the half-way mark on the gauge is not good). Yes up to H
B. Slow acceleration or overall decreased engine performance. No
C. Car goes in to "Limp" mode. (Where the car will not rev past 4,000 RPMs). No
D. Car exhaust produces white smoke. No
E. Coolant system seems to be pressurized, when you open coolant fill cap. Yes
F. You have a Check Engine Light. No
G. You experience coolant loss. Yes
H. There is a faint smell that's similar to pancake syrup. (Usually a sign of burning coolant.). No
I. The heat works while driving / moving, but blows cold(er) air while the vehicle is not in motion. No heat while overheating

We had the timing belt, water pump, accessory belt replaced 3 months ago and this may have caused the overheating. They left the ignition wire loose on cylinder 1 which caused a misfire and admitted they were training a student on the car. Subsequently replaced the thermostat, added 3/4 gallon of coolant. Worked fine for a few weeks and then overheated again today with no heat in the interior. I'm guessing the water pump may have issues? I don't think its a head gasket, yet. Radiator is less than a year old so not a likely cause. I'm leaning toward having the water pump removed/assessed and all the hoses for air and kinks.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Since you're experiencing "E", I would heavily lean towards a blown headgasket.

NDNV

If in doubt, perform the cylinder pressure test or the litmus test for exhaust gases to determine if your head gasket has breached. Should be the first thing you do when you notice engine temperature going past half on the gauge or lack of heating efficiency in the cabin.

Very common on these engines and don't let it go too long as it will end up costing you more $.

colenaymark

I had the overflow puking coolant everywhere and it was my headgasket...just because it was replaced doesn't mean it was fixed properly...

I would suggested that an OEM gasket is used, the shop is properly removing the head to prevent warpage, using new stud bolts, using proper installation techniques, properly cleaning the old gasket surface...etc
Cole