Have a 92 civic LX. Car overheating. Thought it was the cooling fan, because fan wasnt coming on when car got hot, but even with the fan hotwired to be constantly on, car still overheats. I am hearing strange whining sounds coming from where I think the water pump is. Also looks as if I have a slight leak of antifreeze around that general area (Seeing slight antifreezedrippage underneath car falling from that region). Thinking the seal around the base of the pump might be bad? Could that slight leak be causing the car to get hot? Funny thing is, I can run the car around town in traffic without it getting hot, but as soon as I hit the open road, the temp guage jumps all the way up. This leads me to believe this may be a electrical prob instead, but as i mentioned earlier, I'm having issues with the water pump as well. Any suggestions on where to start in order to get the prob fixed? Thanx

 

when waterpumps go they usually start to **** antifreeze out the bottom and cause overheating problems, so I'd change your pump.

 

what u want to do is check ur radiator hoses for leaks, check water pump , check under car to c if u see any leaks. then if theres no leak.u might want to replace the themostat its cheap insurance. check relays.....

 

keys to the cooling system

water pump:
will make noises if bad when running,
often will only leak coolant while running,
could could dump it all the time if really bad

thermostat:
engine wont circulate coolant properly,
feel both top and bottom rad hoses, if they're not both hot then it could be the thermostat

radiator:
check for leaks

air in system:
bleed system using bleeder valve or rad cap open,
make sure u get all the air bubbles out, then top off.

MAKE SURE THE COOLING SYSTEM IS FULLY TOPPED OFF,
even if leaking from anywhere, if its got coolant circulating it shouldnt overheat
(although it will once enough leaks out of course).

 

check the water pump.. and also your radiator.. might be cloged too but i think the water pump is basicly dieing

 

if it's there is a coolant leaking around the timing belt area (drivers side) onto the ground it's prolly your water pump. it will also make crazy whisteling noise sometimes. You prolly busted the seals on it. I had one go out at 100K+ miles.

Check and see if you are low on coolant too, if you are low and no leaks then it's internal. low and leaks it could be hose, waterpump, radiator, heater and so on. not low then I would check the thermostat (bottom hose should be warm), this is usually the first thing to check.