i have a 89 civic with a swapped b16a
for the past 5 months that ive had it cooling has been fine but recently ive noticed the temp gauge has been getting quite a bit higher while cruising around at like 2300-3000 rpm

what i have also noticed is that if its high like that and i down shift and drive at a higher rpm without going any faster the temp gauge goes down almost immediately
i had a kinked hose but i fixed that and the issue is still present
my thoughts are it might be water pump failing or thermostat sticking

just wondering if you guys had any input before i go blindly trying to fix things

 

how is your coolant level? when my water pump has started leaking on my cars in the past, it would start out slow enough that i wouldn't ever notice a puddle, but eventually i'd start to see the temp gauge doing that. checked my coolant and it was really low.

i'd say check your coolant and see if you can figure out where/if it's leaking.

 

yeah coolant level is correct rad right full with some in the overflow

 

Park the car and leave it running for a bit. Then check to see if the top radiator hose gets super hot. If it does then your thermostat is working. Quick question? Does the fan come on?Any trouble codes?etc

 

no trouble codes and unfortunately the previous owner hooked the fan to a switch on the dash but this problem happens with fan running or not running doesnt seem to make a difference

 

lol. i like your screen name.


sorry, i have no other advice other than check the obvious things like radiator cap, water pump and thermostat.