my damn civic is killin me.. spent about 3k in parts already, n she is still givin me problems!

1) I went through 3 radiator caps this month.
Like the radiator cap separated into 2 pieces, spring and the cap.
My car isn't overheating at all, not even close. any ideas?

2) Whenever I take my radiator cap off, there is something always smoking up from there [not actual smoke] it might be steam.. or is it..?

3) Whenever i got a full load in the car [5 people] my back tires felt like it was scraping the inner-wall or w/e whenever i turned.. think my suspension is nearing its death?

4) I recently spent about $400 in parts to get AC into my car.. but it doesn't even have a F**** AC button.. do EK DX's even come stock with AC? lol

ok, thats about it for now i think.
-j

 

IMO, best bet is to make a thread for each related question here, and make the title somewhat descriptive of the content.

to answer your question re: ac, any 6th gen can have ac from new, even the most base model cx can have it. i had a base model 97 cx that had option ac and option rear speakers ; )

 

first/second, rad cap and smoke/steam: possibly leaky head gasket, compression into coolant passages. Doesn't always overheat until things get worse.
#3: small cars have small weight ratings. my 94 coupe would do the same with only 2 people in the back seat until i got my coilovers.
#4 not sure, never owned an ek but my 94 is also a dx and it came w/ no a/c but still has a button on heater control panel, it's just hidden behind a little 2cm square cover that pops right off.

 

it could be your radiator cap. Are you using the same one every time?
Radiator caps can be rated at different pressures. Using a cap rated above the radiator can cause the radiator to fail. You can use a cap rated for less pressure, but it is best to be accurate of course. you do not want to go to low either. The pressure raises the boiling point of your coolant and the more pressure, the higher the boiling point. if it gets to high, it has to go somewhere, so it could be blowing your cap. I was taught that a cap usually raises the boiling point 3 degrees per lb of pressure but I may be wrong. I am not sure if this will help you, but since your not overheating and have no leaks you may want to try that.

Also, may want to get a pressure test just to make sure your head gaskets are ok. it's very simple and certainly wont hurt to have done. good luck to ya

With the load of people you have in your car, sounds like the struts could have a little wear on them, you could look to see if they are leaking.

 

my radiator cap is from checkers which is rated at 16psi i think, and my haynes manual specifies that the radiator cap is in the right range, 14psi to 18 psi. i'm not using the same one, but the same brand.


well the original owner must not have needed Ac.. even though he lived in Nevada -.- b/c where the AC button is suppose to be, there is a small gray box that is blank that probably could pop out so i could put the ac button in there.

i do have coilovers in there, from the last owner.. i think its seen maybe 8k-20k miles on the coilovers. i usually dont have a full crew in my car, only 2 at max [i never let people in my car] but i happend to see them walkin n decided to be a nice friend.. but eff that, they made me hear things that i would never want to hear during a nice drive. how long do coilovers usually last?

 

Lifespan depends on quality and abuse. what width / offset are the wheels?

 

when your cap blows are you adding coolant back (if your having to add any) and bleeding it to get the air out?

 

oo.. nope, i never though of it cuz coolant doesnt leak out or anything.
but i never did bleed it, what does that mean?

o yea about the pressure testing my gaskets, how do i do that? do it by myself or go to a shop

 

where the top hose goes into the head there is a little bleed screw. just unthread it about one turn and fill the rad until it leaks out the screw. easy as pie! Ooh i like pie!

 

i have a 1996 honda civic dx hatch my problem is not running perfect. running a 1996 dx harness obd2a non v-tech into a obd1 cpu.30 ..... my question is how to wire my oxygen sensors.. because i got two plugs. primery an secondery. how do i bypass the secondery because i think thats whats making my car sputtering on take off.

 

there is a little screw, close to the thermostat housing and the head, unscrew that and fill the radiator till the screw pours out fluid, then cap it off. If your using a funnel, then once you tighten it, go ahead and start your car and let it run a little to get any air bubbles out of the radiator. Once you've done this cap your radiator off. it's very very easy take about 10 to 15 min with run time

 

start a thread for this, you don't want to post a question in the middle of someone else's thread because people cant find it to answer your question

 

if your running an obd1.. you shouldn't have 2 o2 sensors.. i think
but hey this is my thread, go away.. jk lol

@ccarey: i'll do it tomorrow morning or even later tonight, thats called bleeding it out right?

 

or purging, yes

sound like you just have a little problem, and i really hope this helps

 

Your secondary O2 is for emmissions only. It would not cause your car to do anything at all. Just monitors for emmissions purposes. Your primary though can cause troubles if it does not work right.