JonBaillio

Some of the same things I am seeing in my car except for the fact that mine is stock 1.5 but the pricipals should be the same.

What was the condition of the new motor that you put in? Had it sat around in a junkyard/shop for a while? If it was used and not rebuilt how many miles on it? Did you put a new water pump/timing belt on it before dropping it in?

It doesn't sound like your coolant is circulating. If you didn't do it durring the swap, put a new thermostat in there or simply remove the one that is installed to insure that that is not the source of your problem.

Temporarily put a jumper on the leads from the temp sensor on the thermostat housing. This will cause your fan to not cycle but stay on the whole time. Also run your heaterto see if you are getting fluid circulating through it. If the heater doesn't get hot then coolant isn't moving.

Do this in conjunction with flushing and bleeding the coolant system.

96 civic hatch

hi, im not sure how long the motor sat, i bought it from ebay. i bought it from jdm planet. the auction states that the motor has between 30,000 and 40,000 miles, and no i did not replace my timing belt, or water pump before installing the engine. i was low on cash and didnt know if i would have enough to pay for the install and put the belt and water pump in. i know that was stupid. i put 2 different thermostats in, and 2 different ect switch`s, and the fan still does not come on, but if i jump the plug that plugs in to the ect switch to the battery, the fan comes in. when i put the heater on i have hot air coming out of the vents. the top radiator hose gets extremley hot, and hard, and the bottom hose where the thermostat is, is not as hot as the top.. im lost thanks everybody for your help. arthur

EJeff8

^Ebay is always sketch bro. You always have to watch what you get.

James_Starks

what happens if you make the fan turn on does it keep it cool or does it run hot. have you checked the fuse or relay and why did you buy a radiator cuz thats not the problem and if you changed the therm and ect why do it again. try something else its like beating a dead horse. no offense man just try thinking not just throwing money at it.

1 sLoW hAtCh

here's what you can do if it helps at all. open the radiator cap, start the car, let the engine idle until the fan comes on, sometimes it takes longer then 15 min. that number is just an estimate sometime it takes longer depending on the engine temp. it has to reach a certain temp., but after 15 to 20 min. I usually rev it up a little bit to 3000 rpm for like 30 sec. or until the fan comes on you might notice coolant gushing out if you do stop n let it idle again since you don't a spill free funnel. If the fan doesn't come on then you might wanna check the relay to your fan or the switch itself. You can turn the fan on by applying power to the fan but you still don't know if the relay or switch is turning it on or not so you have to check those first, also did you replace the ect on the thermostat housing or on the front you did say you had a b16a swap rite? Also it could be your water pump not pumping the coolant thru. Or not to be a ******* but you didn't put the thermostat on backward did you. Hope this helps.

96 civic hatch

hi, yes its a b16a swap auto tranny. i bought 2 new ect switchs that screw into the thermostat housing and the fan dont turn on. when i let it run for the 15 minutes the temp guage was already close to the red mark on the high end of the guage. when i jump the fan through the plug that connects to the ect switch on the thermostat housing the relay clicks and the fan comes on, but it wont come on when the car is running. and its ok if you wanna sound like an assshole to me i deserve it for being stupid. but i did put the thermostat in correctly, cause i took it out to check it and it was in right. i have not tried to have the car running with the fan jumped to see if it does not over heat.i had bought the radiator on saturday from ebay, i was going to change the radiator any way, then i discovered this problem. the old lady was all over me today because she wanted to go out to eat, she thought i was going in the garage, to work on the car all night. i just wanna get my car fixed and running so i can drive it. thanks everybody, i really appreciate everyones input on trying to help me, god bless you all, arthur

94EG8

I've definately been in a low money situation, but heres something to think about, JDM engines are usually low mileage (usually not as low as what they advertise though, most of them have more like 70,000 miles on them, which is still very low mileage for an engine that old. But notice I said old, most of these engines have never had a timing belt replaced, they also crack and break from just sheer old age which is why if you look at the maintenance schedule they will say replace at 120,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first. OEM honda water pumps are great (every aftermarket one i've seen is a piece of junk, they all leak after around 30,000 miles) but if you let any water pump sit any length of time the seal will dry out and it will usually start leaking when its put back in service. I would advise that at your earliest financial convenience you replace the timing belt (you can get a Gates belt at NAPA (they are Honda's OEM supplier for timing belts, if you buy one from the dealer they are sometimes stamped both Honda and Gates), water pump (seriously anything thats not Honda is a complete waste of time and money) and cam and front crank seal.

96 civic hatch

hi, yes thanks i should had the mechanic change the timing belt and water pump, but i was short on money and wanted to make sure i had the money to pay for the install. what would the average cost for oem honda parts cost for my motor? the belt, water pump, and seals and gaskets? should have changed it before, would have been less problems now thanks for your help

JonBaillio

Lessons learned. I bought my car from a guy who just put in an used engine in order to sell it and make some money. If I was able to dictate I would have had new water pump and timing belt put in while the motor was out. before too long I will be in the same situation as you.

Replace your upper radiator hose as well with a Honda replacement or Gates one. Once they have been stretched too much they are a ticking time bomb.

Couple of recomendations to keep from damaging your engine. When these guys talk about jumping the fan so that if comes on all the time you can do that at the plug that connects to the temp sensor. Just jump from one side of the plug to the other. Also, for now just take the thermostat out.

94EG8

Timing Belt -> 14400-P2T-004 List Price $67.85
Water Pump -> 19200-P72-013 List Price $98.82
Thermostat -> 19301-PAA-306 List Price $21.70
Cam Seals (requires 2) -> 91213-PR3-004 List Price $7.03
Valve Cover Gasket (you can usually reuse these) -> 12341-PR3-000 List Price $10.82

If you order these parts online from bill kay honda or or majestic honda your prices will be lower.

96 civic hatch

hi everybody, i jumped the 2 sides of of the ect switch plug and the fan dont turn on, but if i jumped the wires to the battery, for the ect plug, the fan comes on. is that a bad fan relay?

honda_sanchez21

Youre thermostat is cloged an the radiator is too change your thermostat and flush the radiator, Trust me it happens im an expert when it comes to cooling systems radiators are my lifeline

EJeff8

^Hey Mr. expert, he already changed the Thermostat.

Nice try though.

300whpej

well here's a few questions that might be dumb...was the thermostat purchased at the oem spec temp (~170*) and was it put in the right way? yes there is a way to put the thermostat in the wrong way and have everything seal up right, i know from experience .

96 civic hatch

hi everybody, yes i changed the thermostat, and also changed the radiator with a 2 row radiator, and yes the thermostat is in correctley, i took it out to make sure. but the fan dont come on. i put 3 different ect switchs, and the fan still dont come on, i jump the ect plug together with a paper clip and the fan dont come on, but if i jump the ect plug to the battery it will turn on. thank you all so much for all your help.

Former User

Check dash fuse 17, hood fuse 57, and the radiator fan relay in the hood fuse box.

96 civic hatch

hi, ok i will check them fuses and relay when i get out of work today, thanks again, for everyones help

96 civic hatch

hi just got home from work and went in the garage to check dash fuse 17, fuse is good, and went under hood to check fuse 57. my fuse box under hood dont have any numbers in it, so i just pulled out every fuse in the box and checked them all, and there all good. im not sure about the fan relay, or how or if there is a way to check to see if it`s good. thanks everybody

Former User

Test both fuses with a test light (or multimeter). Click Test Fuses in my signature.

Former User

All of these relays are the same:



Remove one of the relays listed above and insert it in the radiator fan relay slot. Does the fan now work?

96 civic hatch

hi i dont have a a/c relay, or power windows relay, and my horn relay is smaller then the fan relay, so i just ordered a fan relay from ebay, i have to wait for it to come in. i called autozone, they want $31.75 for the fan relay and they have to order it, it will take 4 days to come in. the 1 i got from ebay was $17.25 with shipping. i guess i have to wait. thanks everybody for your help. arthur

Former User

You should test the fan relay before buying a replacement.

96 civic hatch

hi, how do i test the fan relay? i dont have a/c, or power windows . my civic is a cx, no power windows, no a/c no power locks. thanks for ur help

Former User

WeakSauce92

Dude, seriously.. TROUBLESHOOT FIRST.. Imagine you're as poor as me. Now go find the problem Stop wasting money on parts when you don't even have the problem narrowed down.