Short story.....B16 in a 98 civic dx... Car's overheating....Tried everything....Anything anyone can suggest I've tried. Thermostat, thermoswitch, air in lines check, water pump isn't leaking out the weep hole, head isn't warped, coolant isn't leaking, it's got just enough coolant, head gasket is brand new and completely sealed, radiator cap is new. The only thing I can think of is two things! First, when I opened up my radiator cap and let the car run with AC on full blast, I saw that the water was just sitting there....I know it's suppose to be flowing "I've seen it before when I opened up a cap on a chevy 350" , but then again, a chevy flows more water per liter on their pumps... Does anyone know if honda's need the pressure in the line to be able to flow correctly and that what I was looking at was suppose to happen? The only other thing I can think of is clogged radiator/ heater core. It doesn't overheat in initial idle, but when im in stop and go traffic, then stop at a light for a minute, it will idle up and start overheating, then I'll accelerate and it will go down slowly.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

are you sure the thermostat opens correctly and lets the coolant flow? the correct thermostat? some aftermarker thermostats open up at higher temperatures and if your engine's safety it's best to use OEM.. so that would mean a thermostat for a B16 and even though the water pump isn't leaking, are you sure it's in working order? it might not be pushing the coolant as it's supposed to...

also make sure that you've "cleanly" connected the ground cable on the thermostat housing

 

I thought that too, I tested the thermostat, it opens up close to actual values...I'll check the grounds tomarrow. Thanks!

People keep posting...I'd love more ideas

 

BUMP

 

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