FATBOYeg6

ok, so the other day i was just cruising (~60mph, 5th gear) in my 95 vx. i looked down at my gauges, and my temp was much higher than it usually is. it wasn't pegged, but pretty high. i stopped for a light, and turned my heater to full (it was on 1). when i left the light, i redlined 2 gears (yeah, not good if a car is overheating). strangely though, the temp dropped right down to normal. i was thinking it may be the fan, but the temp was very high while cruising. i checked the overflow, and it was empty except for about a 1/4" in the bottom. any help would be great.

ps. my current diagnosis is the t-stat, but im not sure. when i started it this morning, the fan was not on (should it be?). after driving about 2 miles to my friends house, i checked, and again, the fan was not on.

and my worst fear...the head gasket. that would mean that every car i have owned has blown a head gasket (2 cars, but still its every car.)

thanks.

whiteboy4life74

Yea you t-stat could be getting stuck closed so check that out, it should'nt be to hard.

PyroProblem

sounds like your just low on coolant...Are you having to add some every now and then?

snowshooz

Hey 9-5 hatch do you check your fluid level regularly if so and your sure you are not losing fluid from a external leak check your oil.

First get a clear glass container and drain some of the oil into it, you don't have to drain it all since water is heavier than oil the water will settle at the bottom of the pan. Check for discoloration in the oil, sometimes the oil will appear milky white.

Your fan will only come on when the engine temp. rises above the predetermined value- Im not sure what that would be. If you leave your car running for a while the fan should eventually come on. If you see that the fan does not come on when the overheat condition starts then you have other issues.

Give more details about your car any recent work, any mods, bolt-ons etc.

Try theese sites hondahookup.com or I have some other manuals I could e-mail ya if you want.

FATBOYeg6

unfortunately, no i don't check my fluids very often. i did check the oil the other day though, and its been about 2500 miles since my last oil change and the oil looks as good as the day it went in. i guess this is my wake up call to pay a little more attention to the car.

as far as mods...nothing. i removed the big silencer tube that went from the air box to the front of the fender well. nothing else, well, no interior. but nothing engine related. i think i will just add some coolant...how much is enough though? sorry if i am coming off a little stupid, but this is the first honda i have owned.

thanks a lot guys!

jlacoy82

The coolant reservoir is marked "MAX, HOT, COLD"

If your engine is cold, fill it to the cold line, if the engine is warm, fill it to the HOT line.

dubzxallxstar

i have the same problem on my 95 civic it wasnt the thermostat, it wasnt the coolant, or any of the sensor.... you might want to check the relay thats inside the fuse box next to the battery....it could be a blown fuse or a short in your relay but it cost about $ 30 for a new one dont let auto mechanic rip u off...do it yourself youll save money on labor and parts... hope it works

FATBOYeg6

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dubzxallxstar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dont let auto mechanic rip u off...do it yourself youll save money on labor and parts...</TD></TR></TABLE>

i do all my own work on my car. i put some more coolant in yesterday, and its been fine. i will check the relay. is it labeled, or do you know which one it is. its snowing like crazy right now, so i think i will stay inside for a while!

dubzxallxstar

outside the fuse box its labeled "cooling fan relay" i hope this is your problems mines was ...

FATBOYeg6

cool, thanks man. im gonna go check that since it stopped snowing.

edit: the damn relay is stuck. i broke the side plastic on the fuse box trying to get it out. i pushed my finger down the side between the plastic and the relay, and cracked the fuse box. oh well. i will check that when its not so cold and i can move my fingers a little better. thanks.

FATBOYeg6

ok, now im worried. i filled the coolant reservoir to where it should be on the 21st. the problem went away, and i was happy. it started happening again last night, so i drove to my friends house to help him with his car. its about 35-45 minutes to get there, about 60-70 mph the whole way. all the way there, the temp would go up to about 3/4 the way to hot. when i let off the gas for a few seconds, it would go down. when i got back on the gas it would creep back up to where it was. so while i was there, i checked the coolant reservoir again, and it was empty. i am not sure where the coolant is going because in the time between when i first filled it until now, it has only been parked in two different spots. neither of them have any coolant on the ground. so i drove home the same distance, and it was fine. until the engine warmed up. once it warmed up, it went right back up to 3/4 to hot. all the way back the temp would fluctuate between 1/2 and 3/4. i then got off the interstate, and stopped at a gas station to get something to drink. i checked the coolant, and it was still full. so wherever the coolant is going to, its going slowly. i left the gas station, and accelerating on the on ramp, it shot up to a hair below full hot. i got to my house, and left it running for a minute to idle. after about 5-10 seconds of idling, the idle started to surge like it was about do stall out. at that point i turned it off and came to type this out. i am really worried becuase i have no idea what the problem is, and i have always figured out whats wrong with my car fairly quickly. if anyone knows of anything that would help, PLEASE, let me know.

thank you.

FATBOYeg6

bump

oiboy94

Maybe your water pump might be out i may be wrong but its possible

dubzxallxstar

try changing your radiator cap...it could be a faulty one...whenever you change your coolant... your suppose to change your cap also.... the plunger under the cap probably cant handle the pressure??... so it just releasing the coolant everytime you drive..hope this help

FATBOYeg6

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dubzxallxstar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">try changing your radiator cap...it could be a faulty one...whenever you change your coolant... your suppose to change your cap also.... the plunger under the cap probably cant handle the pressure??... so it just releasing the coolant everytime you drive..hope this help </TD></TR></TABLE>

good information. i will try that. i have a couple people telling me to do the t-stat also, so i think i will try that too.

thanks

edit: today is monday, the 28th. saturday the 26th i filled the reservoir because it was empty again. today, it was empty again? i can't figure out where my coolant is going to? i felt the radiator pipes going to the engine, and the top one that goes to the front of the engine was warm. the bottom one that goes to the back of the engine was cold though? at this point i am thinking either water pump or t-stat? anyone know about how much they would cost? thanks


Modified by ninefivehatch at 4:02 PM 2/28/2005

FATBOYeg6

ttt

hondacivic_si

Sounds to me like a T-stat as well, I don't believe those really cost all that much, correct me if i'm wrong, but only like $40-$60? Or you can go to a junk yard!

dubzxallxstar

it cost about $25 for a new thermostat... buy a new one get it from your local honda dealers or local automotives auto parts... why risk using a old one from a junk yard....