yorks_la

i jus went over my 100k this month and now my car is over heating.. i changed the coolant and its still overheating..

should my next step be the water pump?

please answer asap

20-EM2-05

Water Pump and Thermo stat.

Did you properly drain/flush/refill? If you didn't there still can be bubbles in your system.

Search please. It's been covered so many times before.

EM24

jack the car up in the in the front and bleed the air out of your system, if that dont work try pressure testing it, and make sure that the fan is turning on

Nawp

you need to do some test before u go wasting your money on repairs you dont need, when its heating up is your fan running? my 01 civic water pump went out at 70k but you hear a loud knocking noise if ur fan does not go means its electrical maybe a blown fuse try that b4 u go changing ur thermo

yorks_la

I opened the drain valve, drained (took like 5mins) closed the drain nd refilled and closed rad cap.

I'm starting to think it could be my rad cap too right?

20-EM2-05

Shouldn't be a problem if your radiator cap is too tight.

Check your fans to see if it goes on. Turn on your AC also full blast and see if you other fan goes on.

If it does work accordingly to plan, you are looking to replace the water pump or the thermo stat.

slixxracing

I'm pretty sure an 05 is the same as the 04's. But where do you bleed the cooling system from? Normally on the older civic's it should be on the top where the top radiator hose connects to the head. But i've looked everywhere and can not find that bleeder nipple. How do you go about this??

I've been experiencing the same syptoms for about 2 months now and it's driving me nuts. I've taken the car to 2 different mechanics (both indy shops) and they cant seem to find the problem. They did the normal leakdown test, check for faulty sensors, electrical systems, etc..etc.. all found to be normal and in working condition. I've questions both shops if it was the headgasket but they said leak down tested good so they dont think it's the head gasket. Before all this started, the car previously had timing belt and water pump replaced at the stealers.

What i did notice when I removed the intake manifold was that their were signs of dried coolant all on the surface of the transmissions. I even performed the cooling system pressure test myself and found no leaks from any hoses at all.

I guess my next option is to just go ahead and replace the head gasket as thats the only thing I did not do. What do you guys recommend?

Pothole987

is the fan coming on? i didnt see you posted a reply saying if was coming on or not.
my cousins el ( a canadian version of civic) had overheated and it was the brown plug on the thermo stat housing had gone bad.this sensor allows the fan to come on. he replaced the sensor and it was just like new

slixxracing

I dont know if you were directing this to me or the OP. But I replaced, both upper/lower radiator hoses, radiator, fan switch, cooling system relay, water pump and timing belt. Both fans work as they should. When the temp starts to go up, it comes on by itself, just doesnt bring temperature gauge down. Maybe a bad cluster?? IDK at this point.

It Wasn't Me

It's possible. How far up the temperature scale does the needle usually go? (or stay?) It should be right around the middle. (usually just under)

slixxracing

basically almost up to the "H". As soon as it goes up, I put it to neutral, heater full blast and rev the car till temperature drops. It usually only happens at dead stop traffic.

heelandtoe

Have you found a solution to this yet?

EM2abe

1. Check for air in the system. If you find air in the cooling system, purge it then let the motor dead cool. This usually works best if you check your coolant level in your resevoir, first thing in the morning. If you need to add some coolant to your resevoir, then fill it.

2. If its still overheating, you can replace the thermostat. It's a low cost replacement and an easy job. Do it only when your car is cooled down and there is no pressure in your cooling system. You will lose coolant, so add a little more coolant and repeating step one is a must. You can also replace your radiator fan switch being that its in the same location as the thermostat. It's pricier but hey, why not?

3. If it is still overheating, and you dont notice any leaks, dont worry about doing the waterpump. Take it in to get a leak down test done. The mechanic will shoot compressed air into the head and check to see if there is air getting into the system where it shouldnt be. If this is the case and air is getting in where it shouldnt, then you know you have a warped head. You'll need to buy a bunch of parts. Search online for the best prices for OEM HONDA PARTS. Your head will need to also be resurfaced and head gasket will need to be replaced as well as exhaust/intake gaskets. While you have it all taken apart, you might as well replace all the belt, if you want to. Another thing you can do while you're in there (if you want) is change out the waterpump, just in case it decides to go bad, somewhere down the line...

As a rule of thumb, your waterpump generally won't go bad unless you notice a leak around it... This isnt a solid rule, but for most of the time, its how it is.

slixxracing

Yup..headgasket. Changed it and problem solved.

CBL9

How much did this set you back? Dealer or INDY?

slixxracing

Neither stealers or INDY. Did everything myself, of course w/ 2 friends. Parts/labor came roughly a little under $200 w/ the resurfacing of the head.

SebastopolHonda

I have been have this anoying problem as well with my 2004 Honda Civic EX.
I am the only owner. My son overheated it and blew headgasket, 3 years ago. I replace it and all suggested items, had the head shaved and rebuilt. That was at 99,000 miles. I have had to replace it again. 165,000 miles now. This time had to got a rebuilt head. It is still over heating. Mechnic tells me might be cracked block and be prepared to pay to have it replaced. What is up???? I have had 6 hondas never this problem.

OH honda boy

I can add to this with a recent crazy story of my own. 2 weeks ago I took off a 1.3 Mugen radiator cap that I've had on for 18 months and replaced it back with the stock red/black one (1.1) that originally came with the car (trying to get the car back to OEM status mostly...anyhow.....) Never had any overheating problems before and then last Monday while on the highway driving home from work, my radiator blew and no holes could be found in it. The car definitely overheated, gauge was all the way up to H. I cranked the heat inside the car (to take it off of the motor) and luckily the headgasket didn't go. I'm thinking that the OEM stock 1.1 radiator caps that come with our cars are junk and a 1.3 radiator cap for the D series is the way to go. There's something to this as this is the ONLY thing I changed recently on my car and immediately had a problem right after. Any thoughts????

slomofo

iTrader: (1)

I'd get a second opinon from a different mechanic. A cracked block would usually leak coolant on the outside of the block. A cracked sleeve would usually cause coolant to go into your combustion chamber and exit out of your exhaust.

SebastopolHonda

I am going to spend the money and take my 2004 Honda Civic EX to the dealer. Just got a quote of $150.00 to check the overheating and possible cracked block. Service tech said very rarely do you get a cracked block. So let's see. Thanks for all the replys any other suggestions bring em on.

skippygsr

seems like overheating is common problem on these cars,i my self just notice my 05 ex as of last night i lost heat then my temp gauge spiked so i stopped the car had presssure in the system but i was leaking coolant from somewhere near the thermostat housing could not find exactly where it was leaking but it is weird cuz it keeps pressure but has a leak at same time any info on this

TayMama8

I have been having the same problem for about 6 weeks + I have an 04 civic EX. I have had the thermostat, water pump, belt, and radiator cap replaced. I have had pressure tests, combustion test, and had air pockets removed like twice now. This only happens when its 10 degrees or colder, and my temp gauge goes over half and all the way to H at times. While it goes up, I lose heat in the car, and it blows cold air. When the gauge goes back down it gives me warm air again. I have also had the spray markings of coolant around my cap, and this continued after replacement. I lose minor amounts of coolant over the course of a week. I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions? Head gasket? something electrical? I also noticed a large drop in my fuel efficiency during this time.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Please check the FAQ's on this subject, as there is a discussion thread regarding overheating.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-2001-2005-78/01-05-civic-cooling-system-q-overheating-fans-inoperable-etc-2889523/

bassiss

What if your radiator fan isn't working? or the back up one when you are stopped? how do you check em, i don't overheat but fans don't come on can someone help?

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Well, one of those fans is for your a/c system. It should come on when you're cooling the car with a/c on. For the cooling system fan, I'd check the fan switch to see if its bad.