Hey guys,
I'm relatively new at this DIY vehicle maintenance, so I'm not sure as to what in the world is going on. Here's the problem (or should I say problems) that I am having. I have a 1990 Civic Dx that I bought from a friend. It started overheating so I tried to find out what the problem was. I noticed that there was a small crack at the top of the radiator where the antifreeze was spewing out of... sorta like a massive volcanic eruption. I managed to get that fixed but it is still overheating. It takes 5- 10 minutes for the vehicle to warm up, but when it does the hot and cold gauge blows it's top off.I start thinking maybe it's the thermostat. The top hose gets hot, but the lower hose remains cold. The next problem that I was running into was the fact that the engine seems not to be getting power. It drives along fine for a while, then all of a sudden when you press the gas pedal it doesn't want to go anywhere. It stumbles for a little bit then it picks up speed as if nothing were wrong, until you stop the car again. I thought it may be time for new spark plugs... I don't know....Someone please help...
Nala

 

The hot cold symptoms that you mentioned sounds like it is for sure the thermostat. As for the other issue... It could be a number of things. I would look at the cap and rotor as well as the plugs. Find out if possible when the last time the fuel filter was changed. Like I said, it could be a number of things. Look for check engine lights and see if you can replicate the problem.

Good luck.