jonathonpauls

Ok, this is the same problem I had on my 1995 civic and I never fixed it on that one, it ended up overheating on the highway and locking up the whole motor.

So, I want to fix it this time and do it myself if possible. I can drive the care under 50 mph and the operating temp is about normal, maybe some small spikes when I take off.

Once I get onto the highway it gets to about 3/4 on the guage and I need to turn the heat on and back off which brings it down to about 1/2 on the guage.

When I pull over there is water all over, it mostly looks like it's coming from under the distributor. There is also a hissing noise. I already replaced the thermostat because that was an easy thing to do, but it's still overheating at high speeds. I'm assuming it's my water pump, but before I go down that road I was hoping there was a way to confirm.

instructor74

well the water pump is no where near the dist so i don't think that is where the leak is coming from. Did you check your coolant hoses around that area for leaks? Are you still running a plast end cap rad if so I have seen them split and spray coolant when the car is up to temp. Is your cooling fan turning on?

jonathonpauls

Thanks for the help

I will take a look at the hoses. I disconnected a few of them when I was looking for the location of the thermostat, but I was certain I tightened them down sufficiently. It also appears that many of the hoses had been replaced recently (I just bought the car).

I will check to see if the fan is running as well. Assuming that these things are in good running order what else could it be? The radiator is definitely an option I suppose.

instructor74

I would start by pressure testing the cooling system it a great way to find leaks. once the leaks are fixed I would burp the coolant system to make sure there is no air in it. then see where you stand.

jonathonpauls

I have already burped the system. I'm going to pressure test it tonight, but not sure how to. Will that be in the Haynes manual?

trustdestruction

There's a hose right underneath the distributor that is often overlooked when inspecting radiator hoses. It is a heater hose running from the block to the heater valve. It is most likely ruptured. Take a look at it where it connects to the block.