I just got a Civic EX (D16Z6) and it keeps over heating...I drove it about three hours on the way home yesterday before it overheated. ( i live in northern PA and picked it up in NJ)....Today i took it fort about an hr drive up the highway and it started the overheating again....So i took it to my fathers house to see what was up...When i took the radiator cap off it came off in three peices.....spring...seal and metal cap....so i went to autozone and purchased a new cap...

I flushed the radiator out with water once the car was cooled off...Then i filled the rad with water and started it up to open the thermostat....i do believe the thermostat opened fine bc the water in the radior turned green from the remainder of the antifreeze that was in the block...

The water pump seems to be working bc you can see the water level lower once the thermostat opens and the water in the radiator is also making a surging/wave motion like the pump is pumping the water....

what else could be the issue? Tomorrow once the stores are open im going to replace the thermostat being that it is only like 15 bucks....from there what else could i do or check?

 

the car is also doggish...i am thinking someone blew the head gasket and then put sealer in the rad to try to fix it....

I am just using the D16 for temp transportation until i get enough money for my GSR swap...i had a 99.8% complete boosted LS but i got hit by a flood (check my sig)

 

Plain water? I hope not. Also stop overheating the car before you wind up with warpage.

 

Do you loose any coolant? if so your head gasket could be on it's last leg. Does your car smoke?
Is your cooling fan working? how old is the rad, it could be plugged.
My guess is whoever you bought it from already new that there was a problem. Most likely head gasket.
Check the fan operation first.

 

I always ask...........does it happen say driving, or just idling or both?

 

yes plain water.....do you have $10 a gallon for antifreeze to fill it every time it over heats? if so send some cash my way bc that hour trip to my father house would have cost me about $60 bucks....

which answers the question....yes i a losing water but i think bc it is steaming so much.....

It only smokes when i get on it (if that is even posible for a D series automatic)...i have NOT gotten on it at all since the overheating occured....

Cooling fan does turn on...

have not seen it over heat idling yet and i let it idle at my dads for a while

 

and second off it is only a D16...they are a dime a dozen...but im not gonna dump a few hundred dollars in a motor that costs a few hundred bucks...which is really why i post this post...bc if its something simple that i am missing (like a cheap thermostat - even tho it seems to be opening) then ill replace it....if it is something major like a head gasket...then ill park it until i get my LS/manual swap and my turbo rebuilt from the other Ej1 i have with flood damage...or order a swap from hmotors...havent decided yet

 

any ideas? i am gonna replace the thermo here in a few hours....just woke up

 

I would do the thermostat and check the hoses for pressure (you shouldnt be able to squeeze them very much) If it runs doggish that leans it more to a head gasket though. If it still overheats then i would pull the oil drain plug and check for water its a dead give away to a bad headgasket. I hate when people sell cars without being honest. I bought a 240sx (for 300 bucks) the guy said it ran great when he parked it a month ago just needed a new battery. I started it ran good, started driving home it overheated had to have it towed. The water pump belt was gone, the thermostat was stuck, the radiator was cracked, the radiator cap was seized, and the head gasket was blown.

 

Yeah pretty shitty the way people work...going ti advanced now

 

How about running a rad flush? Clogged cooling port??

 

GO ahead and continue to drive it while it's overheating. You'll be looking for a new engine shortly. Can you afford that?

 

Im buying a new ls swap from h motors in a few weeks...im just trying to use this d16 for a beater for two weeks....yep I can afford it....but not wasting money on antifreeze...must be u missed my other posts saying this...

 

You can get the walmart brand 100% and then dilute 50%.

By the way, what climate are you in? don't run water for too long in a cold climate you have other components to worry about as well.

 

Got thermo head gasket antifreeze rad cap and oil change.....ill let ya know results....if not this I got a d15 head at my mothers basement

 

I replaced the thermostat...and i also did an oil change....once i did the oil change i didnt notice any type of milky oil or any type of water in the oil....so i didnt change the head gasket hoping it was only the thermostat.....i took it for a quick spin around and it didnt get hot...but just like before....it was blowing steam out of the overflow cap...what now???

 

Did we ever do a compression test?

 

I am thinking blown headgasket.

Do a block test.

 

i didnt do a comp test yet...getting ready to pull the head for the gasket.....might just as well

 

Yet not to many other options. Good luck hope it works

 

got a compression tester today so i will check that tomorrow morning...

 

Finally got around to screwing with this car again...compression test results

#1 - 135psi #2 167psi #3 162psi and #4 162psi.....

i didnt do a wet test...

 

Stating the obvious but #1 is suspect right now. DO the wet test and a leakdown test.

 

Troubleshooting and testing vs spending unnecessary money, what a hard concept it seems.

I'm going to agree with marc on this one, finish your tests and then spend the money.
Also, if you aren't worried about it and will just be doing a swap in two weeks, why post for help? just drive it, dog it, blow it up and throw it out for aluminum scrap... just make sure you don't do this with your new engine...

 

Bc I drive an hr and a half each way to work so if I drove it for the next two weeks it would only last one trip to work and then id be towing the thing home