ok so i just got this car, its an 89 civic lx all stock. i finally got it running last night. go to drive it today and coolant begins to steam/boil/spill back out the overflow tank, then it starts overheating... so i'm like wtf. put in a new thermostat, fill her up and take it for a spin... seems fine then boom, starts doing the same thing. so i limp it home and it gets pretty hot. you think my head gasket will be ok, and what could cause it to lea out the overflow, and would it do this if the overflow tank was sealed?

 

Headgasket, bad thermostat, air in the coolant passages, bad waterpump.

Oil milky looking? Y/N (N, then probably not the head gasket)

If no, then move on to the rest. Make sure you get all the air out of the system, or it will create pockets. Check and/or replace your thermostat, and check your water pump for leaking.

How many miles, what work have you done to the vehicle. The more information you give, the easier it is to diagnose the issue.

 

the oil is not milky looking, the car has 220,000 on it, and as far as work just a general tune-up. how can i check if the cap is bad? how can i check if my water pump is bad? thanks for some help.
Tony

 

bump.. need some help asap

 

Does the rad fan work? I mean with that milage i would think headgasket if it hasn't been replaced recently and I'm sure it woulldn't hurt to do that and timing belt/water pump

 

ok so today i let it sit and run for abit with the rad cap on so any air in the system could escape, runs ok but it just seemed to steam/smoke out of the radiator/overflow cap.. you guys think this is my headgasket? sorry for such newb questions... this is just my first car with pistons

 

also the rad fans were not on when it was idling.

 

bump, same problem here. narrowed it down to rad cap or water pump