First post ... I've been coming here for a while but usually am able to find the answers to my problem by following other people's posts. This time I'm coming up blank. I've found similar topics but none with my particular issue... so here it goes.

The car is a 96 Civic LX. I've been having some temperature problems with it for a while. The scenario is usually the car doing well for example on a 40 mile trip to work... no temperature spike, reaches destination fine. I might park it the whole day (or drive it back inmediately) and then maybe halfway back the temperature starts to rise... never to a point of reaching top temp and staying there, it rises then on it's own levels down... then rises again then back down and so on until I get home.

On one of those episodes the Mrs was the one driving and the radiator plastic top cracked... she didn't notice, ended up blowing the head gasket. I had the radiator and engine fixed, hoping maybe that would take care of the problem... it didn't. Continues the exact same way and it's driving me crazy. On some longer trips I've noticed that for example when the car is climbing a hill temp starts rising... as soon as I'm over the hill it starts going back down. Not sure if it's the inclination factor or the engine working harder when going uphill.

What has been done or tested:
-replacing the cap
-replacing the thermostat
-removed the thermostat
-repairing and cleaning the original radiator
-replacing the radiator
-tested the engine for leaks with pressure
-always on fan (in case it was the fan not coming on when it should)

My next shot was trying a 1.3 lbs cap to see if maybe the 1.1 it currently has is not up to the task.

So there it is... any suggestion or any Civic wizard out there that can point out anything else I'm missing I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

 

I don't see "bled the coolant system" one of the most basic steps when introducing air into it.

 

Thx..

I was going to thy that over the weekend. What's your suggestion on the best way to do it?

 

Raise front of vehicle, turn heat on in car, remove radiator cap, start engine. Fill as necessary. Wait until the lower hose gets hot nor the fans cycle on/off twice, meaning the Tstat is open. Reinstall the OEM thermostat...meaning the one you bought from a Honda dealership, anything else is asking for trouble

 

Got it!! will be doing that this weekend.... crossing fingers....

 

If your fan dont come on, check the relay, or the coolant temperature sensor

 

I think thats the name of it haha.

 

Thanks....the fan does come on... I have been able to confirm that by now since I've had this problema for a while

 

when head gasket poped did you have head checked for warped? its very possible it happen before you bought the car and has a bad spot in the head.

 

Well the gasket was replaced when that happened. And the head was taken to have it measured and rectified in case it had warped too...

What leads me to believe that's not the problem is that the temp issue is exactly the same before and after all that happened.... as if the problem was somewhere else.

 

right but i was leaning towards was overheated prior to your owning. does it ever loose coolant? alao you said you did. pressure test to system was it done warm or cold? as i have seen little tiny leaks (that cause overheating) that would only be found when car was hot/warm.

 

Couldn't really say if it was done cold or hot to be honest... it was done at a shop.

I don't thing that the problem comes from before I got the car because I've had it for about 4 years.... and the problem goes back to about 2 years... I was able to make very long trips before without any heating problems whatsoever.

It doesn't loose too much coolant in the radiator... but it does in the reservoir...

 

well you deff have a leak then. it is a closed system and should not loose any. my guess is your loosing just enough to make temp go up because coolant can not cool off "enough"

 

That's not definite. He could be burning it. Headgaskets are failing left and right in these old cars.

 

^ yes i am just throwing out "common" things. always the what if this or that.

 

Yeah the water that it does loose looks to me more due to temp and that it's leaving in a manner of vapor through the reservoir... because it's a small amount throughout the several days...

 

Any milkyness under the oil cap? Even the slightest?

 

Do the compression test. Also, do the pressure test again and if you can, do the leak down test at the shop.

 

this.

my guess is you have an issue with either the block surface of something with the head.

 

How old is the water pump? Have you inspected it to make sure the fins haven't rusted away completely?