skiakhokie

I was convinced it was a head gasket until I ran the combustion leak test today and it passed with flying colors. Thank you for the link. I'd seen multiple references to it, but never could find it in the faqs, or the link itself.

Thanks for the quick response, and the link!

Actually, I did find that thread, and read about the first 3 or 4 pages of it. Most of what I've done already has stemmed from that thread. I'll read it in it's entirety and hopefully find something I missed, or hadn't gotten to.

Thanks again.

captmaxx

Did both test when cold than ran car and test after running

lordhelmet1584

Leaking at the transmission line fittings can cause you enough fluid over the span of a week or two to cause overheating. That was the issue with my brother's del slo and it gave us a good deal of grief until we finally found it.

skiakhokie

Thanks helmet, that's good news!

Civil Civic

Yes I have a similar issue with my 02 Civic ex 115 k miles automatic

Recently purchased vehicle but could smell hot antifreeze since purchase.
Topped off the radiator and got air out of the system.

Note: to this day this car has never over heated not once.
Runs just two clicks below normal.
The lower hose is like ice never gets any temp at all.(i live in Minnesota)
Heater heats great although heat diminishes when idling.. Not cold just cooler.
Added some coolant yesterday then this morning I noticed the tank was completely full.

Have not been able to identify anyplace radiator leaks but visually see some coolant on radiator and on rad fan so i am replacing it tomorrow along with a new thermostat.
No oil in rad or water in block Runs great
These 1.7 civics seem to have real issues with cooling
I am looking for any suggestions

skiakhokie

As I understand it, if your lower hose is cold, that needs to be your first inquiry. Generally it's a good sign the thermostat is bad. I can't imagine your thermostat never opening, and you never over heating... that doesn't make sense. Sometime after a good drive, stop and check it. Once i buttoned my new on in and new pump, it was scalding hot, just like the top one. If you still have problems, I'd be thinking you've got blockage or pump issues. One way or another you're not getting flow.

As I undertstand it, the low heat at idle is also a big indicator of no flow.

After putting in the new pump and thermostat last week, I could watch coolant circulate at the top of the radiator like a toilet does when you flush it. There was NO mistaking that the coolant was circulating.

If you can find a combustion leak tester, it will test for exhaust gasses coming up through the radiator. As i understand it this is pretty much the first/best test for head gaskets, other than white smoke bellowing out of the tailpipe.

I am currently in a test phase of something very peculiar. I was topping off the radiator, then filling the reservoir to the max line. After a good drive the res was full, and the radiator appeared to be low. I now check it, cold, every time before I go anywhere, and i can see that the coolant in the radiator is staying right at the top of the fins (inside), leaving a large void of air at the top of the radiator. The level in the res is staying more or less the same. Today the res went down a very tiny bit, but nothing significant. I meant to get an OEM cap today but got side tracked. My fear is that the cap is not allowing coolant to be sucked back into the radiator from the reservoir tank when the car cools down. Either way, I'm keeping an eye on it, but since i stopped topping the coolant off, and tightened that little tranny line fitting, it seems to be doing just fine. With all the comments about how touchy honda's are with air in the coolant, i just can't believe it's running well with that large pocket of air in the radiator.

I would definetly do a tsat, they're cheap and quick. Try to get that lower hose hot. I would also go rent a cooling system tester from advanced. They're like $160, but you get it all back when you return it... i.e. they're free. Make sure they give you a big giant box with about 20 different fittings in it. The first time I got one, the little turd gave me a radiator CAP tester... it obviously did me no good. It was a tiny box with about 3 pieces.

In the test kit, you should have a fitting to check your cap as well. Make sure it's operating properly, releasing pressure at whatever it's rated for... probably 16 psi.

When you circulate your system, and top off your coolant, run the heater to make sure the entire system cycles through.

I just reread your post, I missed the visual coolant on the fans. You need to figure out where it's coming from. Take some time, get some beer, run it up to temp and look around for a few hours. If you absolutely can't find any source, then it's probably coming out of the cap or reservoir when it gets really warm, which I would immediately test your cap.

The very first time my car had issues a new cap seemed to fix it for quite a while. And this last run around the cap was shot... don't know if it was the cause, or result of the over heating. But one thing's for sure, they're crucial to the system.

Good luck.

Civil Civic

Thanks skiakhokie

All that you said makes sense.
I am waiting until tomorrow to get my new radiator and install it.
What were they thinking, Pull off the bumper to get access to the radiator. hey what ever.
I did manage to get the old one out and changed the t stat while i was in there .

I will folow up with a post when I get some results.

Yes it has never over heated and I swear you could cool your beer on that lower hose.

If those dont work I will test the coolant for hydro carbons to see if the head gasket could be bad.

I think the coolant on the fan was from the overflow which is completely full now.

Thanks
I love all the technical support on this site. reminds me of my father in laws 79 camero

he called and said he left it on the road as it was smelling like burnt wood.

I told him he was nuts and there was nothing that was on a Camero that would smell like burnt wood.

I drove over picked him up went back on the freeway and we got the camero.
On the way home the first corner he came to I saw it...... and in disbelief I had to pull him over.
When he had turned the corner half a dozen wallnuts ran out of the muffler .
The mouse has stored them there for winter.

He got an apology for that one.
When the muffler heated up the wallnuts started smoking.
HA

skiakhokie

I recommend you make sure the all the fittings on the new radiator are good and secure. I can't recommend anything, but I would look around and see if you can use teflon tape or something on the threads.

I had some problems today coming home that I can't quite explain yet, but I do think tightening that fitting has helped a little. I need to get an OEM cap because I still think the system's not drawing coolant back from the reservoir when it cools.

Yeah, the bumper thing was weird, but I was fairly amazed at how quick and easy it was to get it off and put it back on.

good luck!

lordhelmet1584

I JB welded the damn fitting.

skiakhokie

lol. I did that to a carburetor adapter once. Drove it for years!

skiakhokie

Started acting up again today. It would be fine at a red light, then when I took off the A/C went warm and the temp started rising. It wouldn't drop unless I shut it off and let it cool down.

Limped it home and immediately ran the combustion gas leak detector in the radiator, turned yellow almost instantly.

Head gasket.

I'll have to see how the coolant works when it's fixed, but take note:

When i filled the reservoir to the max line, and bled the radiator completely... after driving, there was just enough coolant in the radiator to cover the fins, and the reservoir was full to the top. I'm assuming this was due to the exhaust gasses displacing the coolant. I will update when I fix it and see how the coolant levels behave.

msr123

Hoping someone here can help me. I am not a mechanic and know very little about cars.

I have a 2002 Civic. In 2009, when it had 130,000 miles, I started noticing poor interior heat. Took it to the dealership and after trying a lot of things, they diagnosed a blown head gasket. They recommended replacing the engine with a used engine. I did. The used engine had 50K miles. Now, 2 1/2 years and 50K miles later, I have the EXACT SAME PROBLEM. When I first took it in, they said my radiator was cracked and replaced it. Then they replaced the thermostat. Nothing has fixed the problem.

Main symptoms:
- Leaking coolant (the overflow reservoir is full, smell of coolant outside car, room to add about 1/2 cup of coolant every 3 days)
- Pressure when you open the coolant tank
- Poor interior heat at low speeds (fine on the highway)

The engine has not overheated.

I'm wondering how on earth this could happen to me TWICE. Is this a defect in Honda Civic engines? Should I file a claim against either Honda or the dealership in small claims court? I called Honda and they said since my car is so old and has so many miles, I'm pretty much out of luck.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

skiakhokie

Rent a coolant pressure tester from the auto parts store and make sure your cap is holding pressure around 12-14psi and automatically releasing around 16.

It sounds like a head gasket for sure. The best test I know of is one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-75500-Co.../dp/B0007ZDRUI

make sure you do it after a good long drive. Sometimes they don't leak until you get it good and warm and drive it for awhile.

I tested mine several times and it seemed fine, but eventually after it got worse it finally showed itself and after months of aggravation and replacing just about every part in the system it turned out that it was a head gasket.

The smell is most likely because your system is overflowing into the full reservoir and just blowing into the engine bay.

curlybrunett21

Okay, so here's my dilemma. My cars been over heating a lot lately. Whether the radiator and overflow have fluid or not. It especially overheats rapidly when I have my defrost on. There's no leakage that I know of at least none that's dripping onto the pavement. Both my fans are working properly, my radiator cap and thermostat were replaced a year ago so i'm pretty positive it's neither of them. Both my radiator hoses maintain equal temp and pressure as well. Some people tell me head gasket whild others say radiator or water pump. I just really am at a stand still and being a poor college student, I'd rather fix it right the first time rather than misdiagnose it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

john222

Yes, it's most likely the head gasket. This generation of Civic (2001-2005) has a major problem with head gaskets. By my estimates, approx. 50% will have a head gasket failure by 120K miles.

gouldenboy11

Hello All! I hope someone can shed some light on my problem, because my mechanic can't seem to. I have an '04 Honda Civic that started overheating almost 2 months ago. It overheats when I am idling, ie stuck in traffic. When it overheats, the heater does not blow hot air. My mechanic keeps focusing on a the fan, but I believe it is something with the coolant circulation.

Several relays have been replaced and I think the fan is running efficiently. The thermostat has also been replaced. It doesn't always happen, but seems to happen after I have been driving for a bit and the engine has reached running temp. Once I am sitting for a while in traffic I will see the thermometer creep up and then the heater stops blowing hot air. I can fix the problem by revving the engine; once the RPMS get up into the 3x 4x area, the air will once again begin to blow hot and the gague will recede to the midpoint. However, this obviously work forever.

There don't appear to be any leaks and the symptoms I give you are all I got.

Thoughts?

skiakhokie

I would start by strictly monitoring your coolant level. My premonition is that somehow you are losing coolant... but you need to confirm this.

Top off your radiator. With the cap off run the car up to temperature. Continue to add coolant to the radiator once circulation has drawn the level down. You will know circulation has started when the LOWER radiator hose is really hot. Once all the air bubbles are worked out of the system you should eventually get to a point where you can rev the engine and visually see the coolant swirling at the top of the radiator like a toilet. Once you're certain the system is full, fill the overflow to the line. Button everything back up.

Drive the car around for a little while, watching the temp gauge. I could make it 60+ miles at first, but depending on how progressed your issue is you might overheat before then. Do not let it overheat though. Hopefully you can get to work and back with no problems, then do the following.

Allow the car to cool completely. Check the overflow reservoir, then look in the radiator.

My guess is that your tank will be empty, and your radiator will be low. If this is the case, you are losing coolant. There are three places the coolant can go, into the engine's cylinders, into the body of the car, or on the ground.

Leaks onto the ground are usually pretty easy to spot, although you might be leaking above the engine and once it hits the hot engine it burns off before making it to the ground (but you will smell this for sure). If it's going into the car your floor boards will be wet, also easy to detect. If neither of these are the case, chances are your head gasket is blown and the coolant is going into the engine, and/or exhaust fumes are going into the coolant and basically boiling out/displacing the coolant from the system.

If you're like me you will spend a month or so adding coolant trying to convince yourself it's anything but a head gasket, but from my experience MOST roads eventually converge to the head gasket.

You an also rent pressure testing kits for free from parts stores and pressure check the system, and the radiator cap. The radiator cap is actually a VERY important piece, and they do fail, so don't over look it. Along with the cap, the lip on the radiator itself, to which the cap seals to, must be in good shape as well with no chance for leakage or blow out.

If your heater is not working that means there's no coolant flowing through the heater core, which means your coolant level is very very low, or it's not flowing. Again, the best indication for flow is your lower radiator hose, and visually at the radiator cap once up to temp and system is fully purged.

gouldenboy11

Thanks for the detailed info. I will let you know the results!

DJ4Jesus77

If I'm not mistaken it sounds like your heater core is going bad.

curt248

I have a 2002 Civic ex coupe and have intermittent air conditioning.

I have a factory service manual (computer version) that I have been trying to follow to diagnose the problem.

My green light comes on but neither the compressor or either of the fans come on when it is not working. When it works all three come on and the air is cold.

There are no codes (blinking lights) when I run the cars self evaluation by pressing the recirc and ac button etc.

The FSM tells me that if no fans come on and the compressor doesn't kick in to troubleshoot the a/c pressure switch circuit.

My FSM states that it is for the 4-door and 5-door KE model but I have a 2-door coupe with trunk, I don't think they are different for the A/C troubleshooting (tell me if this is wrong).

I tested the A/C pressure switch 2P connector by turning on the ignition switch and placed a multimeter between the No. 2 connector (blue/Wht) and the negative battery terminal. It asks if I get batter voltage but the wiring picture shows a picture with the voltmeter and the symbol for continuity. This is where I'm a bit confused. I get 1.8 volts. I do not get the full battery voltage of 12.4 volts. Is it supposed to be the same voltage as the battery here?

I also went to the section that is if you answer no to the battery voltage and it says to check under-dash fuse/relay box connector F (12P) and body ground with the connector still connected. Here I get the full 12.4 volts of the battery. The wire I'm touching in the fuse/relay box looks to be the same blue/wht wire that connects to the pressure switch. Do the voltages need to be the same?

I then, assuming that the wire is bad, took a jumper wire to give the blue/wht wire at the pressure switch connector the full 12.4 volts by jumping it to the positive battery cable. I, at the same time, jumped the pressure switch to the other connector to see if the fans and compressor would kick in with the full 12.4 volts power. It did not. I wanted to try the full power before routing a new wire from the fuse box inside the car all the way to the pressure switch connector. I'm glad I did.

Now I'm confused though.

The other way I could have gone, according to the FSM, was to check the pressure switch for continuity after turning the ignition switch off. I checked and it had no continuity between the two prongs.

It then says to check for proper AC system pressure. I had earlier checked the pressure when the compressor was running to be around 35 I think on the low side. The refrigerant bottle said that it was in the good range.

It says if the pressure is good then replace the pressure switch.

Before I go through with that process, does anyone think that it the problem?

Could it be the thermal protector? That thing looks rusty.

I'm lost at this point since I'm not sure if the 1.8 volts is enough voltage to consider batter voltage.

Suggestions?

EM2abe

Is your car overheating..?

curt248

Mine is not. The ac doesn't work. I do seem to lose a bit a antifreeze. I recently replaced the gasket in the thermostat because I could see a leak out of the seal where the thermostat attaches. I did spend about 30 minutes making sure to get all of the bubbles out of the system.

It still lost some antifreeze after I put in the new seal, but it doesn't appear to be at the thermostat junction.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

You're in the wrong thread. This one is for your cooling system (coolant/antifreeze, waterpump, etc...), not your HVAC system.

curt248

Oh. I thought the AC was part of the cooling system since it cools people.

I look like a fool.

thanks

curt248

I'm still losing antifreeze that I can't figure out either.