Civic082382

can I pick that up at local auto shops?

EM2abe

Okay. This is a write-up for those of you who have experienced or have been experiencing overheating with your 2001-2005 Honda Civic(ES1, ES2, & EM2 chassis). This only pertains to those model cars and not the 2002-2005 Civic Si(US) being that the motors are completely different. First off, you may be experiencing some obvious symptoms. I will name off the most prominent symptoms.If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or anything relatively like them, then your car has an issue. You might have tried some of the following to no avail:EVEN IF you have these tests done, you most likely will still have a “blown” head gasket/warped head problem.
EVEN if you have had parts replaced you may still have the overheating problem.
EVEN if you have replaced the headgasket with non OEM parts, your problem may return(it’s happened plenty of times, enough to say you should only use OEM parts)…

Basically the thermostat will randomly "stick", or your fan switch may malfunction, and your motor will begin to overheat. Enough of this "sticking" (or malfunctioning)and overheating will start to warp the head. When this occurs, you will notice that your coolant level isn't where it should normally be. This is because, on the exhaust side of the motor, exhaust gases are leaking into the coolant system, causing unnecessary pressure. In turn, your coolant gets forced out of the reservoir. This is when you may notice the smell. This warping may only occur when a heavy load is put on the motor whilst driving a high speeds, driving for an extended period of time, driving up a hill, driving in harsh conditions(I.e. summer time) etc...
The main way to completely fix this is to RESURFACE THE MOTOR HEAD & replace the following parts:Of course I am going to recommend using only Honda OEM parts, except for the oil and oil filter.

EM2abe

Basically, on my second 2003 EM2 my I smelled some coolant. Instantly I Parked my car and popped the hood to see if the reservoir was overflowing with coolant. It was darn close and i could see some dried up residue from the coolant that had already overflowed and sprayed out a little in the motor bay. So I smacked my forehead and figure, "****, im gonna have to deal with this again." So I cleaned the residue up with a damp cloth and waited a few days to see what would happen. I drove around a bit, and found a hill to drive up, once I started smelling the coolant again. i nailed it up the hill and sure enough my temp gauge rose up passed the normal level and I knew what the hell was going on. Next day i went out and bought all the necessary parts along with the parts needed to do a timing belt and drive belts swap. Took it in to get done(coulda done it myself but didnt have the time with work and such) $1100 later, i picked it up and had a little conversation with my mechanic. God bless his soul. hahahaha. SO!!!!! basically what happens is the thermostat sucks. So does the temp switch/fan switch. after approximately 100,000 miles, it will start to stick. Your fan wont come on a few random times, and voila!!!!! Your car overheats. I asked him and he's worked on enough of these issues with these cars to know enough about the symptoms, problems and fixes that would make an insane person's head explode. If your temp gauge goes up and over the normal temp and anywhere near 3/4 then you've got a warped head. That's a fact. get it resurfaced and everything else fixed.
I was once told that it was because of the green coolant becoming acidic and eating away at the aluminum block. That dude was wrong. There was no pitting on my block. it was clean. Yes the Green coolant can become acidic but not to that extent, in a normal situation. the only real difference is that the blue coolant lasts longer and is "eco-friendly". Supposedly you can drink it and not die. I wont try it because I know what coolant tastes like and the smell of it makes me want to throw my guts up.

After all that, I picked up my car and took a camping/fishing trip that was about 700miles round trip driving anywhere between 65-105mph to test the motor, and no problems at all. I drove it for 4 hours at a time. Perfection. oh. I caught about 45 fish too on that trip, too.

EM2abe

read above

Djratrap

Most auto shops carry it. It shouldn't be hard to find.

Chrissy Petit

I just bought a 2002 Honda civic ex I was told the engine was just rebuilt at the Honda dealer 35000 miles ago and that the timing belt was changed. It drove great the first week. But now the temperature gauge keeps going up to hot.
I have replaced the thermostat gasket, replaced the coolant and burped it properly. I have no white smoke. I bypassed the heater core because it seemed as if it was just clogged and I was going to try and blow it out but didn't have the equipment at the time. Only been like this less than a day but now it is still going all the way to hot. Any clues as to what it could be. Am I looking at a head gasket?

EM2abe

Please read through the thread. You might be able to absent your own question as well as learn some good amount of information.

Chrissy Petit

I did read through. I'm leaning to head gasket because I have down a lot of different test but is it possible that it is the head without any white smoke?

EM2abe

If you read through then you'll notice that none have reported white smoke and still had to replace the head gasket.

cmosteiro

Hey Guys,
I have a 2004 Honda Civic and have been experiencing an overheating issue. It will only overheat after driving on the highway for an hour once I get off of the highway. I just replaced the thermostat. Fans are working fine (they only run when my AC is on and I keep it on). When I turn the heat on it will blow hot and the temp will go down then it will blow cool and the temp will rise again and it will just go back and forth even if its set on heat. Coolant level is fine.

I'm not sure what the issue is but it's super annoying. It doesn't overheat driving around town for over an hour or even every time after I get off the highway. When it gets hot if I turn the car off for an hour or so it will run fine again.

Thanks for your help

bimm3rBoy

Hello, I am also having the overheating problem. The problem is that when the car to get hot cooling fan only comes on for few seconds and turns off and coolant starts boiling through the overflow tank. Also, recently it started misfiring all the cylinders I replaced the spark plugs that didn't fix the problem. What can be the problem? Is it the head gasket?

EM2abe

Did you read through this thread at all???

a21wat

Come to terms with the fact that it is more than likely a gasket. I never got any misfiring or smoke. Changed fans, hoses, radiator, thermostat (2X), coolant sensors all to no avail. Honda themselves could not diagnose it but a small repair shop in my area did and it's been 100% golden ever since the gasket swap.

Civiclxdriver

I was stuck in traffic for about 2 hours, and my car started heating up quickly, I had to put it in neutral every 5 minutes and raise the rpm up to 2-3 to keep it from overheating. After I got it out of the traffic jam, I drove it at speeds from 80-90 and it didn't overheat or anything, any idea what I should look for?

narab123

Hi every body

i need your help i am facing a problem with my honda civic 1.6 mod.2004.

2 weeks ago, i noticed that the coolant level decrease in the radiator, and the same amount of coolant increase the level in the plastic tank!

so every 3 or 4 days i use a pump to remove some coolant from the tank than fill
the radiator with the same amount!

no sign of high temp. in the car!

what could be the cause and what the solution!?
any help will be appreciate!
thanks

thetut

Your head gasket is blown and forcing the coolant into the overflow. It sounds like it has just started with a small crack but will get worse. Change it now and have the head checked for flatness.

EM2abe

before anything, replace the thermostat and the temp sensor. your thermostat may be stuck and not allowing coolant to flow through the cooling system of the motor. this is perhaps one of two reasons as to why your plastic reservoir is so full and your radiator is so low on coolant. keep in mind that if you've caught this soon enough, you will have deterred from a warped head/blown head gasket. if you notice your temp gauge rising after you do this, then you're screwed and you must do the big job.

narab123

thanks from your advise!
but How could be a thermostat Problem if i never see any temp. gauge rising??!!
from your experience what is the percentage to be blow head gasket ?

thanks for your reply!

but is there any other possible reason! could the radiator cap. cause this!
what u you think no indications of temp. increasing ?

rossijay

My 05 civic is overheating only after long distances driving highway speeds... drove it without and with the thermostat but when it idiots then it starts to overheat. Had the thermostat replace and still nothing.. the mechanical said it could be the head gasket or the radiator .... Anyone have any ideas

husyk

Most likely that is the problem, try bleeding the system from air bubbles in the meantime. Your question is answered in this thread.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2889523

EM2abe

if your thermostat and temp switch are malfunctioning then they might be giving you the incorrect readout. switch them out. it is a cheap and easy job and it takes around 15 minutes at the most. if you dont change out a faulty thermostat then your chances of having a blown head gasket AND a warped head are 100%

EM2abe

if it has already overheated and you've seen the temperature gauge rise, then you already have a blown head gasket and warped head.
most likely it is NOT the radiator, and bleeding the system of air bubbles will not fix the problem. you also have a bad thermostat and/or a bad temp sensor.


most of the time, air bubbles form in the system after a cooling system flush/refill. but if bubbles form in the system due to overheating, it is because the damage has already been done and exhaust fumes are leaking into the cooling system. bleeding the system of air will not fix the problem.

thegoose2377

Yo whats up guys. My car was doing the same thing overheating -- mechanic said one side cool - one side hot -- replaced it -- everything was good -- then again started to overheat - ( i do drive 500 miles a week, up and down hills the whole way -- only start s going up when i floor it and i mean floor it. Drove it like a reg person a week and not once did it go up,, then i found this thread and noticed that the heater works fine when running,, but shots out cold air while not in motion. What should I do next.

Mechanic checked head for damage when replaced the radiator -- no damage was found..

EM2abe

The only way to adequately check the head for damage is to pull it off.

thegoose2377

Hey what up man thanks for responding EM2 -- while I know you know your stuff, doesnt mean that because its overheating that the head has been damaged -- I agree 100% that if I keep on driving it like this that I will have to deal with having to resurface the head, would you agree? With that said I do plan on replacing all the parts that you have listed above -- for now though im using a FAL electric fan controller to override when the fans come on which ( just leave em on the whole time) til I can get all these parts together and then replace em all. What do you think?