HondaCivic2004

I have a 2004 Civic. Last week I was driving to the grocery store and the engine light came on. I got to the grocery store, did my shopping and returned to my car. Car started up and the engine light was still on. Drove home. Drove to the garage first thing in the morning (engine light was on). The mechanic said the car was misfiring. But, he didn't know why. He told me to bring the back on the evening so he could check it out again first thing on the morning. Apparently the check engine light no longer came on and it was fine. He surmised the problem could be bad gas. Fast forward to now-- drove maybe 5-10 miles around town and when I returned home, I noticed that the hood seemed pretty hot. I popped the hood and could feel the heat coming from the engine. There was a slight burning smell, too. Nothing overwhelming. Put the hood down and cranked the engine. Temperature gauge remained in the middle (normal) as it has been when I was driving. I will take the car back to the garage in the morning. But, any ideas of what might be happening? Car has ~108K miles on it. I've kept up with regularly scheduled maintenance. Thanks in advance!

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

What code did the mechanic pull from the ECU? (If you have a Check Engine Light, there's going to be a code.)

From the sound of it, you may have a cooling issue.

HondaCivic2004

He did not tell me and I, unfortunately, did not ask. I will ask him in the morning when I drop the car off. Thanks for your input!

50-cent

I had a similar problem, It could be a bad O2 sensor acting up because you have a clogged cat.

Mechanics also had trouble diagnosing my car, find out what that code is or just take it to autozone and have them tell you.

I drive a honda civic 2001 ex...

HondaCivic2004

An update...
The check engine light turned off on its own. Yesterday I was driving the car for a bit around town when the check engine light turned back on. I took the car to a Honda dealer (as opposed to my trusted neighborhood mechanic). The dealership called just now and informed me that I have a blown head gasket. However, I never experienced any of the symptoms typical of a blown head gasket. The estimated cost of repair is really quite high.

ShinsenTuner

iTrader: (1)

If I remember correctly, blown head gaskets are quite the norm for higher mileage versions of these cars.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/7...ad-gasket.html