So for the past few weeks my 95 civic cx hb has been having over heating issues swapped out the t stat. did not over heat for about 3 days then boom in the red again, it had just run out of coolent refilled it. After runing for about 20 minutes steam would start coming out of the overflow hose figured it might be the rad cap. replaced that still doing the same thing. Tryed flushing the rad out and no change anything you guys can think of that i could try?

 

while the car is running do both radiator hoses feel hot? if your top one is hot and the bottom isnt most likely you need a radiator.. theres also a tool that pressurizes the system that you can you rent at autozone or most parts stores to look for leaks.. also check to see if you have smoke out the exhaust while the car is running, and check the condition of your oil and the bottom of your oil cap to see if its milky.. i hope not but just some things to help you diagnose

 

Should have also mentioned that i changed the oil no milkyness, both rad hoses are hot. and i know that it is leaky coolent via the overflow hose i just dont know how to stop it. The hoses also do not feel as hard as another cars so i dont know if they system is even pressurizing at all.

 

you need a rad. most likely you have a clog that is restricting flow. had that happen to me. wasn't completely clogged but enough to slow the flow down.

 

i would rent the tool from the parts store just incase its free you cant go wrong the worst thing to do is replace something that didnt need to be

 

before picking up a new radiator. how about you burb the system. let the car cool down, open the rad cap, start the car then pour more fluid. that should take car of the problem. if not look for a leaky hose.

 

How big of a leak would there need to be in a hose to prevent the system from pressurizing?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GCOAP &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How big of a leak would there need to be in a hose to prevent the system from pressurizing?</TD></TR></TABLE>

there can be a big leak like a hose bursting or pump going, where coolant will be everywhere.

or a pin size leak where coolant leaks and dries over a period of time.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philosofy1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">before picking up a new radiator. how about you burb the system. let the car cool down, open the rad cap, start the car then pour more fluid. that should take car of the problem. if not look for a leaky hose. </TD></TR></TABLE>

do this first and see what happens.

 

check for head gasket problem... drive it or let it run for a little bit and then open the radiator cap and see if it smells like exhaust in the coolant...or do a leak down test...

 

ive never had coolant smell like exhaust lol but ive had exhaust smoke that smelled sweet leading to the conclusion of burning coolant any progress? and NEVER open the radiator cap after the car has been running unless you want a nice shower of antifreeze in your face and a visit to the hospital