OK problem

Overheating - Random Occasions

1st off i bought a 99 honda civic DX from a dealer in Virgina (I live in Jersey)

Drove the car back up the same day on the way back I ended up going to a gas station to fill the car up with gasoline and noticed that the car was overheating a bit.

(1) I checked the radiator reservoir tank and saw it was empty but the tanks was black and dirty.
so i bought a gallon of 50/50 anti-freeze.

no problems from Virgina to Maryland (about 60miles)

Got to Maryland it overheated yet again.

(2) I ended up taking the cap off the radiator and noticed BROWN NASTY GUNKY of Antifreeze in my radiator.

All I could do at this stop was fill it up to the top and start driving again.

(3) I ended up getting from Maryland all the way to North Jersey (about 180-200 miles) well my exit to my house when it started overheating again.

Went up and down nothing too High.

I ended up flushing the whole system the next day.
Installing a new thermostat and gasket. (Running the car while everything was out to flush it out well I turned it on and off really quick)

EMPTY system

Refilled the tank and the radiator we were good to go.

Over heated again the next day I guess air in the system.

(4) so I aired out the system again... just aired it out.... and NOTHING for about 2 days.
TODAY I GO TO EAT and it overheats.... AHHHHH

I arrive at my location.... then on the way home it doesn't over heat. I try to make it over heat as much as I can even reaching 100MPH on the stock single and nothing.

THE FAN KICKS IN
THE RESERVOIR TANK IS FULL
AND THE SYSTEM IS AIRED OUT (SOME WHAT I THINK)


what can be the problem sorry for the long explanation just need to state everything so people know exactly what i did.

 

is it smoking out the tail pipe?? is ur oil milky looking?? does the exhaust smell kinda sweet ?? ,...........may be a blown head gasket ,.........bad temp sensor,.......or air in the coolant system/

 

no smoking - oil change happened today so i doubt it was that the old oil was black and GUNKY so no cant be that....

Exhaust no smell burning rad fluid smell in the front from maybe the flush and leakage from pouring.

going to air out system again NOW

 

is it actually boiling over ?? or are you just seeing it on the gauge?

 

The gauge goes UP and DOWN alot.

BUT this is awkward...

i went to drive it right now instead of airing it out because of the sudden non-overheating drive I had going back home from the restaurant.

I DID THE SAME DRIVE to the restaurant.

I floored it
launched it going from 1st-3rd
even reached a 105mph at the straight away.


NO SIGN OF OVERHEATING YET AGAIN...

WTF i think my car is cursed...........


smoke a bit on ONE launch ... after that nothing at all.......

(Cousin was following me)

 

pretty safe to say you can and have adequately bled the system of air enough times. maybe for for some reason your coolant system has become full of gunk in which case you might try cleaning out the radiator and see if it has any effect on the temperature fluctuations.

if not that then i'd say it sounds like a blown head gasket.

the crap you found in the radiator could be carbon buildup from the exhaust gases which are entering the cooling system. either test the coolant for the presence of hydrocarbons and or do a cylinder leakdown test. if the hg is blown you will most likely find air bubbles making there way from the cylinder/s into the coolant jacket and then out through the radiator opening.

 

leakdown test. you could do a compression test before that since most people have gauges in their garage, but leakdown will pinpoint it.

luckily, d16 are like legos and SUPER easy to do HG if it happens to be that. while you are at it you can change the water pump and t-belt.

 

I would consider it to be the HG but the problem is...

im not really burning radiator fluid the white smoke isnt coming out of the exhaust as it should be from headgasket leak.

But I am going to do a leakdown test tomorrow and keep you updated.

might have been air in the system in my eyes but i do not want to jynx it.

Steps im taking tomorrow.

(1) leakdown test. - if its a negative step 2

(2) Temperature Sensor (On the Thermostat housing) if it still goes up and down step 3

(3) Water Pump Replacement.

I guess give me your opinion on my steps on following this problem.

 

sounds like a plan to me ^

as far as not seeing any smoke from the exhaust i can tell you from personal experience that you won't always see white smoke when the hg goes.

 

your troubleshooting progression seems ideal to me. good luck.

 

thanks guys if their is anything else you think I should do please post.

As i will keep everyone updated.

99ekHatch build thread starting after i fix this problem- just wanna have the car moving right so I can MAKE MOOLAHHH for her.

 

exactly. it can be a situation where compression simply leaks into the coolant jacket, pressurizes the cooling system, trips the rad cap, and you end up overfilling the reservoir, but this dude is showing no losses or gains at all - quite perplexing.

leakdown should tell all in terms of cooling system integrity if done properly - then you know you most likely have a sensor issue or something.

 

Also the sensor for the gauge is the one wire plug under the distributor not on the thermostat housing.

 

i didn't notice that. good catch there ^

 

check your exhaust system make sure your cat is flowing good.
fluctuating exhaust flow is a bad sign. have to check my paper work for the prob.
more than 50% of cooling is through the exhaust.
your plastics covers that attach to the bottom of your front bumper have to be there which divert the air directly to your engine for cooling.
.......
try running your engine and and check the temp of your radiator at different levels bottom to top.. if its not a even temp. all around you could have a clogged radiator.

 

ooo yea sorry i got confused.

well isnt the one on the housing the one for the fan switch???

and if its the gauge one on the block i will replace that tomorrow first so i can drive the car to work and blast it on the way there maybe its went rouge on me and broke becuase those sensors look really dirty...

 

fluctuating exhaust flow will tell you if you have bad compression.

 

Get the coolant checked for combustion gases

http://www.tpub.com/content/construc.../14264_227.htm

 

from what you have described i put my money on Head Gasket gone (assuming there is no leak).
1-go inside the car and put the heating on Max (red colour, but do turn the fan on).
2- fill the radiator to the full.
3- open the bleed screw and let the air out.then close the screw.
4-close the radiator and turn the engine on.
5-then carefully open the radiator and bleed the system again and fill with water if necessary. then close the screw and the radiator.
if your car overheat again then the reason is your head gasket gone 100%.
don not play around in changing this and that or ... etc get it done or do it yourself. your cylinder head may need to be skimmed??

 

The sensor on the thermostat housing IS for the fan, it controls the on/off function of the fan.
The sensor on the block under the distributor is what controls the reading on your gauge.

 

there's actually 2 sensors under the dizzy. the 1 prong is for the gauge on the gash, the 2 prong sensor gives the ecu a temperature reference.

 

if you are going to check head gasket really way is to pull either dipstick or just unscrew oil cap for cover and see if there is bubbles on either ... it will indicate there is water mixed in the oil=blown head gasket... you will only see smoke in the initial start up or after sit for long time cause it is water vapor that makes the smoke

 

not necessarily. combustion chamber(s) could be introducing compression into the cooling system, but not the other way around. that could very well mean crankcase (engine oil) will have no coolant in it, and also that no oil would be in the cooling system. the only clues would be that you'd have air pockets, and eventually, a pressurized system tripping the rad cap, which means overflowing overflow, or atleast bubbles in the reservoir.

 

So...

it was the headgasket lmao.

i did a leak down test right now i just ordered all the parts i might do a write up on how to replace a headgasket since i will be doing the service myself.

THE RIGHT way ...

tell me what you think.

 

if you just bought it take it back and make them do it, there has to be some sort of warranty or take them to small claims and get some money out of it