dgc92civic

So the 95' Civic that I own has just broken the 200k mile mark and has thus far been running very well and has never really been driven hard for the past 50k miles or so. Very recently however I seem to be having an issue with the thermometer (I think). I noticed it first at the end of long drive (roughly 3 hours) when the thermometer shot up past hot and remained there until I turned on the car again the next morning when it then seemed fine. I did some testing a few days later and it seems that if I push the car more than just granny driving, the thermometer will quickly shoot up to hot. The strange thing is that even when the thermometer shows the engine is hot, the car runs, feels, and smells absolutely normal. The only abnormality on the vehicle that I have noticed recently is that the rpms seem to be a bit higher than usual while cruising on the highway at normal speeds, though that *may* be my imagination.

Any ideas if this is solely a thermometer problem or perhaps something bigger? Thank you!

-David

jadziasman

First off, it's a called a temperature gauge, not a thermometer.

The symptom you describe - drive like grandma - ok, drive any other way - overheat says the cooling system isn't functioning correctly.

True, you might have a bad temperature gauge or what's more likely - a problem in the cooling system. If the gauge is correct and the engine is running hot, then the upper radiator hose is probably going to be very hot. Also, the coolant overflow should show a higher than normal level after the engine overheats.

There's much that can and does go awry in the cooling system. My 92 Civic had a clogged radiator three years ago, a cooling fan that did not turn on when it should have because the switch was bad, and a clogged radiator cap that wouldn't allow coolant back into the radiator after the engine cooled off. In each case, the engine would overheat and would have caused permanent engine damage if I did not correct these problems - all of which I did take care of - pronto.

If you want your car to make it to 300K and beyond, you'd better find out if it's the temp gauge or not. You could easily blow the head gasket if you drive the car while in the red zone too long.

94EG8

Any number of things could have contributed to the initial overheating, but if you've driven it overheated like that your engine is most likely toast. Aluminum engines don't like heat at all.

BrandonR

Check your coolant level. -Later, BR

Jimster480

You need to check your coolant level and probably do a flush if you haven't flushed it in a while. But driving it on H all the time will destroy the motor extremely fast. If you have driven it for long periods of time like that you probably already warped your deck or something else inside the motor.