Jeaves24

Hey everyone,

I have a 95 Honda Civic LX, I made the mistake of buying it off craigslist, (not running) I put a new distributor cap on it and it started to run, about 5 miles later it overheated and the head gasket went in it. I replaced the headgasket in it and it ran fine for about 3 weeks then the problems started. It broke down on the side of the road one day, my buddy towed it and the distributor had a loose connection which caused it to shut off. right after that I had the muffler replaced, but they did not replace the catalytic converter, they just welded it. it ran ok for another few days then it started to idle at about 250-500 rpms so i would have to hold down the brake and give it gas while I was at a stop light or red light. immediately after that it started to overheat, and shake like a leaf in a tree. I have had reason to think it was the headgasket but I just replaced that... I have been trying to replace the coolant temp switch/sensor but the part that fits the car, does not fit into the coolant hose. It would be awesome if someone could give me some help on what to do with this car. the body is in too good of shape to get rid of it... someone help this Honda newbie

Ryan Lwin

Have you tried cleaning out your IAC valve? Muffler and CAT welded on should not be problem and most cheap muffler shops do that because well, it's cheap.

When your engine overheat, did you stop and check the coolant level? Was there coolant? It seems like you got two problems going on at the same time and you are trying to figure it out as just one.

Idle low should be vacuum problem and heating up should be cooling system problem.

So check your IAC valve and clean it. See if that fixes. If not, turn the car on and unplug the IAC. See if that drops your RPM to near dead or complete dead. If your RPM dropped, IAC is good. If it doesn't change anything, then test the connector for voltage and IAC for resistance.

For the cooling system, check for leaks. Check for bubbles and burp the system. Change radiator cap.

Visitor

my car shakes when its in drive but then i put it in neutral or park and it idles a little bit better. the rpms are normal. im a noob too hondas as well. there so many sensors and relays i dont know where to start. but after reading this im going to check and clean the IACV. but when it really hott out like 115 or hotter wen i come to a stop at a light my car will act like its running out of gas and die. but will fire right back and i will have to keep giving it gas to keep it running. and as soon as it cools down around sun down it runs with no problems beside minor vibrations at idle. cel code po441 is indicated. any help or direction to cure problem is greatly appreciated

Ryan Lwin

Hey. I don't think you should hijack OP's post. Anyways, do you have this thing? Check this thing. It's called EVAP purge solenoid.


I would like to help but OP might be mad.

Visitor

Sorry don't mean to hijack thread. But it says I have to wait 15 days create my own thread. I don't no if my car will last 15 days. Thanks tho I greatly appreciate it. And sorry if you consider this rude. I mean no disrespect at all. Thanks for the help!
ONELOVE

Jeaves24

go ahead and continue the convo, its good to know the information just incase the same happens to me, thanks for the help too.

Visitor

ya im pretty much in the same boat as you jeaves. bought civic off craigslist and just been dumping money in it ever since! i do not have that exact solenoid as mines a 97 auto civic.

Visitor

damn that little solenoid is $156

Jeaves24

I could take the cap off of the radiator and the coolant would be still, like it wasn't flowing through the hoses. the coolant would be at the top but not move at all. I took out the radiator and the hoses were full of coolant, but its like its not pumping through when the car starts to heat up.... I want to be able to diagnose the problem before I try to fix something that doesn't need it

Ryan Lwin

Ah. I think I might know the problem with your cooling system. Thermostat. It's cheap and easy to replace. I think it's because thermostat isn't opening up. So you are overheating. Try that and then burp the system, replace the cap.

Visitor

you dont think your water pump may have ceased up? mine did that and the next day the water pump blew up and started leaking water every where. and how do you no if the purge solenoid is bad. i just disconnected the hose from the cannister to the valve and it just ran as it usually does. i put my finger on the valve and there was vacuum but when i held my finger there it didnt mess with the idle at all. im going to mess with IACV tomorrow. if that doesnt fix the idle maybe the fuel pressure regulator? i just made the transition from bmw to honda and these japs are stumping me!

Ryan Lwin

Hey. I was just telling you but it's ok as long as OP is cool with it. Try junk yard or Ebay if you are tight on money. About 30 dollars I think.

Jeaves24

I drove home today, the car overheated again, this time after I waited for it to cool a bit I was turning the key and it was sounding like it was getting no gas, I kept turning it anyway with my peddle to the floor.... I heard the ever so terrifying thud (it sounded like it did when my dads truck siezed up), well it ended up kicking over soon after that and ran for 5 miles home, went to get back into it to start it like 1 hour after I got home and now the key turns, the lights light up and there is no sound at all, I hear a quiet hum and a small click (like the battery is dead) so my next question is, if the starter or the water pump made that thud sound... would that cause the car not to start?

Dope-B

I have the same problem with the idle. But my transmission slips also. Takes a long time to switch gears. Overheating problems. The whole nine yards. Definitely going to start a thread when I can. Need some help from you "Honda genius'"

Visitor

This is where I get frustrated with Honda cause now you have about one million sensors and relays your going to have to go through.

Ryan Lwin

Guys, if your car is overheating, don't drive. As soon as the temperature gauge hit the red mark, expect a lot of side effects such as seals failure, coolant leaks, radiator hoses break, water pump fail, head gasket blown and of course radiator could even crack. If you keep pushing it, the car will fail to the stage where it won't even start anymore because everything melted. Even with the normal operating temperature, it's pretty hot. If the temperature rises, that means it's super hot. Fix the cooling system ASAP.

I think if the car is making such noise, your engine is already damaged. Try to fix the cooling system only and cross your fingers. The first thing you should've done when it started overheating was, flush the radiator, check for leaks, replace caps, thermostat, and hoses. Maybe even water pump and radiator cooling fan. That's all you needed to do. Stop jumping to other topics when the car is overheating.

Just focus on
1. radiator caps
2. hoses
3. thermostat
4. radiator block
5. water pump

Step 1 to 3 is relatively cheap. You can do it for less than 50 dollars for all. When it gets to step 4 and 5, which is more severe and it could only get there when engine overheat for several time and hits red mark, it gets expensive.

buggman40

im completly new to this Honda tech web site. so sorry for budding in on Your threadi having the same issue with my 92. i can't keep water in and ive been all over my motor trying to find leaks. it gets hot sometimes and it misses sometimes when at idle. here lately it does it about every time i start my car. but once i get going it stops missing and runs like a dream. please give me some info on what my problem might be

Ryan Lwin

Take it to the shop and do the pressure test.

Striker325

Dont forget to check that your radiator fan turns on. If it does not then it could also be the fan sensor temperature switch.

Visitor

so this weekned i took the throttle body apart and cleaned it. openen up the purge solenoid just stared at it for a minute. didnt really know what to do with it so i put it back together and reinstalled it. cleaned out the iacv valve. reset the computer and drove it about 50 miles so far and no cel yet. car will still vibrate when idling SOME TIMES when i come to a stop. is there any way to check the purge solenoid? or can some one give more detailed explanation on how to check it? i downloaded the manuel and it said to use a wire to jump terminals and the solenoid will make a clicking sound or some thing. i didnt really understand it so i didnt want to just start plugin in wire to stuff im not sure about.

Xorozco07

Just a heads up, I had the same issue on my 92' Civic DX 1.5 SOHC. My thermostat was changed, fan/relay worked, no leaks, no indication of a worn/blown headgasket. Left was the water pump. Now my symptoms were overheating at 15 min after the start of my engine. It shook really bad as well. I had a friend look at it, and noticed my overfill resevoir was full with boiling water. My black hose coming from the top of the radiator swelled up.

The solution: radiator bleeding valve. The black hose coming from the engine feeding to the top part of the radiator had a 10mm nipple that is used to let the pressure/air out of the radiator system. I turned my car on, loosened this nipple, and let it run until I only have fluid dripping out. After doing this my overheating stopped. Hope this helps

Jimi Hondrix

Did you have the head re-surfaced at a machine shop? Did you use a straight edge and feeler gauge to check the block for possible (but doubtful) warping?

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

3 year old, dead thread

Let it ******* die already.

Jimi Hondrix

******* "A" Braj