hey guys i need some help here. my friends honda civic is overheating, and i am trying to fix it. first the problem was overheating and low power. it has been a bit of a chore getting this car running properly, first thing when i took the car from him the car was overheating and the catalytic converter was glowing bright red. my first idea was the cat was clogged and causing the over heat. got it out and the cat seemed fine i replaced it anyways. then i started going through the basic diagnostics. starting with checking for spark. 1 and 2 checked good, three shocked the hell out of me, then 4... no spark, weird... go back to three, no spark there either, nore 1 or 2. ended up loosing voltage regulator in the distributor. got that replaced with a junk yard part, re timed, and it runs strong on the road now. however it overheats at idle, also the idle bounces up and down. i saw something here about idle air control valves sticking, apperently cleaning them can help the idle jump? psi do have an engine code that also points to idle control valve per all data flow charts. so i plan to tear into that soon. but that doesnt help me with the overheating. idk can anyone hear help me?

 

Bleeding the cooling system may take 20-30 minutes.

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push/turn the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat. Fan need not be on.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below

 

Inspect thermostat, may be stuck in closed position. Can run without one to see if it helps or replace if you don't feel like doing the job twice.

Idle Jumping? yes, clean out the IACV and your throttle body too. You never listed what year and model.

 

Is your exhaust blowing white smoke?
Id try the ones listed already and if those dont work id look into waterpump failure or headgasket.