MrMug3n

Replaced all below
- thermostat
- radiator fan switch
- radiator fan
- radiator fan relay.
- coolant temp sensor

Question is if I spill coolant while changing the thermostat how long should I smell it burning off of the headers? I know coolant is ment to withstand heat and not evaporate and I have no fluid loss.

Also, does the coolant temp sensor play any part in overheating?

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Coolant takes a while to burn off. It took about a month for all the coolant to get off my car from the coolant neck problem I had.

The CTS shouldn't be causing any problems, unless its broken and reporting false information.

MrMug3n

cool so expect to smell it for some time. and i gues ill just write the CTS as sched. maintainence. 150k

MrMug3n

[QUOTE=MrMug3n;46476588]Replaced all below
- thermostat
- radiator fan switch
- radiator fan
- radiator fan relay.
- coolant temp sensorQUOTE]

And I'm still overheating! Anyone know how i can fix my temp guage? It sticks unless i beat my dash and its getting worse.

It Wasn't Me

Losing any coolant? How much, how often? Is it overflowing from the reservoir next to the battery, or is it just disappearing?

Did you thoroughly burp the cooling system?

Have you flushed the system yet? Radiator, heater core, etc?

Have you replaced the radiator cap?

Are you getting sufficient flow through the radiator? No "cold" spots?

How's the heater in the car doing? Any intermittent loss of hot air coming from the vents?

Does the radiator fan even come on, or is it not working even though it's new?

MrMug3n

Yes it looks like I'm short on coolant...what's the propper way to burp?... No flush yet... new radiator cap......how to check for cold spots or flow??? Heater was weak the other night... fans on with ac

It Wasn't Me

With the car cold and off, fill the radiator to the bottom of the filler neck with coolant. Also make sure the reservoir has coolant in it between the min/max lines.

Start with buying one of these.


.. which can be found online, or possibly at a local auto parts store.

Or you can just leave the radiator cap off and keep the engine running until the radiator fan cycles at least twice and/or until you no longer see any bubbles in the coolant. Keep the coolant level at the bottom of the filler neck. It doesn't need to be practically spilling out. Make sure you have the heater temperature control dial turned all the way to hot before you get started. It also wouldn't hurt to do this with the car parked on a slight incline.

If you use one of those attachments, keep the reservoir about 1/3 full while watching for bubbles. I recommend getting one, they work great and can be used on a variety of automobiles since they come with different attachment pieces.

Drive the car around. Park it, turn it off, feel around the entire surface of the radiator.


Hmm.. let's hope it isn't a blown head gasket.

If you keep losing coolant without a visible external leak, it's the head gasket. This would also explain the overheating and intermittent loss of heat from the HVAC vents. If you end up having to replace the head gasket, have the head checked for warpage while it's off.

MrMug3n

I'm really getting discouraged...I've replaced a lot and lastnight I jacked the front of the car way up and filled her with coolant while the engine was running and the heat on full blast. My guage isn't above half but I heard it hissing slightly and I haven't seen the radiator fan turn on. Also, I tested continuity on the fanswitch and there is a conection from pin one and a body ground but when I went to check voltage pin 2 the fan turns on lol I might be doing this wrong<---oops I had the meter on "mA" instead of voltage lol

OK... after some more research haha I got the fan to turn on so thats not it. but i did notice while the car was running that i am loosing coolant somewhere around the bottom of the radiator or possibly the overflow tank... radiator cracked maybe?

fj5race

i have an o4 1.7 and i only get heat when driving i canged the thermastat i think i "burb" the engine i used a funnel made to do that. my fans never come on but the car never over heats and the top hose is real hot and the bottom is cold can someone please help me?????

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

If your bottom hose is still cold, there's probably an air bubble in the system. How long did you spend attempting to "burp" the system? Because it can take quite a while. Try elevating the front of the car, to accentuate the elevation on the radiator even more so. This will help the air find the highest point in the coolant system easier.

chillzone

got the same problem on my 03 civic, the first time i burped the system, the heat wuz hot at idle and seemed 2 b ok (yea rite) drove it around 4 a while it seemed fine, now the thing is cold at idle again,did this like 3 to 4 times ,lmfao wut a joke now i got 2 do it again, man i hope i get it this time , as far as the fan it doesnt seem like it come on wen it should theres sum kind of switch or sensor i got from honda its 4 the fan gunna throw that in 2 c if that helps it come on at the rite time , this is the only car i ever owned that i'm having a hard time getting the air out , it's funny wen honda tells me "not sure of the problem u need 2 bring it in so we can charge u up *** and leave with the same problem u had wen u came", o well time 2 go ply , lucky me if i get it i'll let u no how fun it wuz........

Dshore

I was on my way home from a fishing trip at the coast the other day and noticed that my car was overheating. The gauge would rise whenever i came up an incline and then level out back to normal levels once the car leveled out. It was not a power issue, more of a incline angle thing i think. Also the heater would cut out on heat intermittently as well. I have 150k on this car. Timing belt, h20 pump, radiator and thermostat were all replaced over the summer.
I am thinking this could be a issue with the seals in my head gasket, or the sending unit for my temp gauge?

The last few days I have been able to drive around and not overheat the Civic too bad.. The temp bounces up n down now. I would like to get things resolved asap. Am pretty handy and mechanically inclined.

What do you guys think?

Theroy

Is there smoke coming from the engine? If so, it could be simply the radiator. But also have you checked the coolant level?

Dshore

No smoke coming from the engine, coolent level is just above "max" line on the antifreeze/coolent reservoir.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Are you referring to the overflow bottle? There should never be that much fluid in the overflow bottle. Somewhere just above the min line should be more than enough.

TRIGA

I just changed the oil, engine coolant temperature sensor, and thermostat with gasket. the car will overheat and when you drive it goes back down. I could not find a bleeder screw but i filled the radiator until it overflowed. There are no visible leaks, but it smells like burnt coolant. The water pump, timing belt, etc. ere done at 100k car now has 104k. so im 100% sure not water pump, and all parts are OEM honda. The temp sending unit is the only thing i have not changed. wen you unplug it and plug it back in the gauge goes back to where it's supposed to. No CEL. I am extremely frustrated at this point. I diagnosed it to the best of my abilities before i started throwing parts at it. today alone ive spent $50 for the thermostat and switch.

need some help thanks

Dc4LsTeG

iTrader: (7)

You need to bleed the system

It Wasn't Me

From the FAQ's ... and Page 2 ...

TRIGA

i suck at searching... thank you

civx23

i had same problems....in the end it was the headgasket

TRIGA

im really hoping its not i havent bleed the system properly, or flushed the system i spoke to another em2 owner who had the same problem with his 01. the head gasket was replaced and still overheated. In the end the system was clogged

lazlong

^^ That's what I was gonna recommend- a coolant flush.

EM2abe

eff all of the above lol. 95% of the time it is the head gasket. check the coolant for monoxide. local auto store should have a test kit. if it comes back negative, you should still pull the head and see if its warped. and your buddy's car probably still overheated because he didnt get his head resurfaced.....

Dc4LsTeG

iTrader: (7)

If you could read he said he never bleed the system..so I wouldn't be so quick to say the head is warped and he should pull it off

TRIGA

to everyone who says it's the head. dont be so quick to say it's warped. I dont know what coolant these cars run from factory but with only 100k miles i dont think the head is warped. I need to properly bleed the system first. It's 39 degrees in miami tonight so that not going to happen today