ok i have a 2001 honda civic lx. i got this car not to long ago, and its been nothing but problems and headaches for me. it keeps overheating and i dont know what else to do anymore..... ive done the following.

changed the thermostat
changed the radiator
changed the radiator cap.
changed the overflow tank
changed the coolant temp sensor
checked for leaks on hoses (none)
checked for leaks on the water pump (nothing)
fans work and turn on.
i have no leaks.

i thought maybe it could be the head gasket but ive been told by various people that, that isnt the case because there is no coolant that is mixed with the oil and there is not coolant leaking into the spark plugs......

im so lost.

my car has 186000+ miles on it.....

 

You can have a blown head gasket and not have the oil and coolant mix together. Happens all the time.

Are you losing any coolant?

Does the reservoir overflow while/after driving?


Both radiator hoses are getting hot?

Does the heater intermittently stop blowing warm air?



Anyhow, you might want to flip through this thread. https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-2001-2005-78/01-05-civic-cooling-system-q-overheating-fans-inoperable-etc-2889523/

Lot's of information in there.

 

my heater gets pretty hot but not right away, at times the heater does stop blowing really hot are....

and i havent checked both hoses to see if they are both hot but the hot one gets really hot. the reservoir has only over flowed once but since i drained it, it has stayed the same....


how do i check for a bad head gasket.


p.s. it was only overheats once in a while... i will drive it around for couple of days no problem and then out of no where starts overheating like crazy.

 

For this year year range when the head gaskets blow its not like other engines where it over heats all the time it's a minor blow but still a major fix...just got my wife's done and haven't had that problem since.

 

Im new to hondas but I have seen similar stuff like you are mentioning and it was air in the system.
I would do a cooling system pressure test. Most auto part places will let you do that for free in their parking lot its very easy.

 

Bleed the system thoroughly if you haven't done so

 

Check to see if the AC condenser fins are folded over. That will not allow air to reach the radiator and thus cause your car to overheat. My 04 had that issue after 8 years and 160k miles of hwy driving.

 

Likely overheating because it's running out of water.
The water is probably escaping somehow.

Do this: Fill the water every single day. Assume water is escaping somehow.
So keep it filled. Fill it every day before you go to work. Make sure you always have water in the system.
For temporary use, you can just use water. Unless it's still getting down to freezing in your area. Or get coolant if you want.

Then, your car probably won't overheat. If your car then never overheats, because you have water/coolant in it, then you've narrowed down and described the problem correctly:

You have a water/coolant leak.

It's easier to fix the problem, after you figure out what the problem is:

The problem is: Where/how is your coolant escaping?

The "overheating" is not the problem. It's overheating because it's out of water. Just keep water in it, while you're trying to troubleshoot where the leak is.

 

^^hes not leaking any coolant or water as far as he knows.

buy a compression gauge and check compression on all 4 cylinders. If youve already replaced all those parts, bled the cooling system, and both hoses are hot once the fans turn on, that would be my next step.

 

Another thing that can be done is a hydro-carbon test. This test can be done at your local garage and this checks to see if any coolant is getting into the combustion chamber via a bad head gasket and escaping out the exhaust. This issue will slowly deplete the coolant and you will have to fill it every few days to a week depending on how the gasket is.

 

I took my car to a honda specialist. (Only works on hondas) and he confirmed that my head gasket is the cause of all my problems...

So i will be shaving the head and replace the head gasket

And pray to god. That this is the last thing I do to this damn car......

 

Keep in mind that the cars previous maintenance or lack there of is not the cars fault . Honda makes good stuff . Granted they all have problems but just love the car for what it is. Glad it's getting fixed and think of it this way it could be a cavalier that way when you get done doing the head gasket you have the joy of riding around in awful gm interior and having abs that could potentially kill you.

 

hopefully hes charging you a good price. Good luck and were glad you were able to find the culprit!