kyledye25

I have a 95 Civic ex 4 door. 5 speed with the D16z6 motor. Runs super. I put an intake on it...short ram, plat spark plugs, 10mm wires, and fresh oil change not long ago. Been running great. But the other day I noticed the temp gauge going up while cruising on the highway in 5th at 65-70. revving about 3500 rpms or so. It would climb slowly but as soon as I pushed the clutch in it went down again. It doesnt get hot very fast but does climb. I just cruise for a little out of gear then put it back in. It would be fine for a min or two and start climbing again. But its only in 5th gear cruising. I can run the car hard and redline it and its fine. So what would this be? Do I need a new radiator? If I added a coolant additive from an autoparts store would that help? Any help would be great. Thanks.

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

Make sure it's not low on coolant first, if you haven't already. If it is
there is a leak somewhere. Try to find the source.

Flush the coolant system, no car gets this enough. While you're at it
pull the thermostat and test that it works.

Check out the rad while your in there too.


These are some things I would start with.




.

Former User

Check for low coolant in the radiator and bleed the cooling system. Then go from there.

kyledye25

I checked the coolant a week and a half ago and it was real low. Put some in with some leak fixing stuff and its been fine since then. I have been doing some more research and I will check a few things. the fan works and turns on when it should. I dont think its the head gasket but im going to double check. How would I bleed the cooling system? Never done that before...payed for it once but had money then. Now im starting to do everyhting I can myself to save me a few bucks. Thanks for your help guys!

Former User

That leak fix stuff does more harm than good.

You have to wonder why the coolant level was low in the first place. Check carefully for any leaks while you bleed the cooling system:

Bleeding the cooling system:
(This procedure may take 20-30 min)

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):

NOTUNINGNONADA

IS THE CAR RUNNING DURING THIS PROCESS??

300whpej

In the diagram RonJ@HT posted? Yes.

OP if you have the spare cash, I would look into replacing the thermostat at this point, the one's from Autozone (or similar store) should run you 8-12 bucks, and Honda charges like 25.

Zen Chameleon

THIS IS SO TRUE!!! I hate to admit this but if it keeps anybody else from making this same mistake then so be it. Once apon a time: The water pump seal busted right after I bought my wonderful honda, and my pocket was busted also....so I put some of the best brand stop leak crap I could find in the radiator and guess what a year later it's still in there and I loose a manageable amount of water(yes just water). This may sound like it did it's job but I regret it every day, it was the stupidist thing I've ever done to an engine, why do you ask? Cause it looks like a Friken clogged sewer system with brown slimmy crud covering, floating around, blocking up everything. It was flushed once at a shop and you can't tell one bit. I was in limbo of swaping or rebuilding anyway. But I really don't know how you could clean that crap out of the engine other than more flushing and cleaning blahblahblah a full rebuild would really be my only guess. Not sure what all problems it could cause and what it has caused is yet to be determined. But Stay Tuned Till Next Time On.....WHAT NOT TO FRIKEN DO TO UR CAR

JDMcivic801

My buddys car did this a lot so we replaced the thermostat and water pump and it ended up being the head gasket. so that would be my best bet.

JDM_Ej

Head gaskets are common. I would bleed the system, top off and see if it still happens. If it does, HG is likely.

imadigitalgod

What I would do is get a radiator pressure tester at a local parts store. Many stores have type of Loan-a-Tool program where you pay for the part (in case you don't bring it back) and get the money back when you return it. Don't pressurize the system more than the rating on the radiator cap though.

With this pressure in the system, you will be able to tell where the leak is coming from easier.

This is what I did for finding the leak on my car: I drove my car at night till the engine fully warmed up, pulled the car into a pitch black garage, popped the hood and ran a flashlight along the air above the engine, not directly on the engine. I saw there was steam coming from the front of the engine so that helped me pin-point where the crack was in the radiator.