ok. i'll do that tomorrow. the only leaking coolant i noticed is from the reservoir which i think comes from overspilling that came from the radiator.

so what is causing the temp to go up after exiting from hiway which is the main problem. is it because there's not enough coolant in the system and there's still air trapped?

 

That's what I'm hoping. Do you ever notice white smoke in the exhaust after the engine is hot?

 

no white smoke.

 

hi ron,

i think we've resolved the snag. i drove it again in the hiway, the exited without overheating. then i have to put gas. that's when the temp went up but not to high just a bit above half.

i then used the side streets to go home. it was doing ok. so i simulated a traffic condition, i stopped in a parking space. the temp went up, the fan went on, the temp went up further but stopped at about 3/4 mark. it stayed there even if i remained there idle for a few minutes. i then proceed with no problem.

i think what is happening is that the new thermostat would only kick in when the temp is really high. it might be that the spec is not equal to the old one.

tomorrow my son will use it to work. i told him about what i found out.

i will keep you posted.

 

inggo - Can you let me know what ever resolved this problem? I am having a very similar issue with my civic with the same symptoms. Just curious.

Thanks

 

*****,
unfortunately the same problem occurred when my son used it last thursday. please let me know what you intend to do. ron here has been very helpful.

ron,
i have not called honda yet to ask the triggering temp of the thermostat.

i will keep you posted guys.

 

I think my next troubleshooting will be to check the actual temperature gauge to see if it is working properly....all i need to do now is figure out someway to see if it works....here is how things happened for me.....

I recently got into my civic and it had been sitting for about 4 or 5 days and cranked it up and started driving. I looked down after a few miles and my temperature gauge was pegged at high. I immediately pulled over, checked the coolant & it was fine. So then I let it sit all day and night and checked the gauge with just power to the instrument cluster (via a 2 click key / ignition turn) and the gauge pegged out at high again. So here are the things that I have done to try and correct the issue:

1 - Replace the Coolant Temperature Sender (the sensor with 1 connector that sits right below the distributor)

2 - Replaced the thermostat (after a drain prior to pulling thermostate and then refill of engine coolant after replacement)

3 - Replaced the Cooling Fan Relay (in the underhood fuse box)

4 - Replace the Radiator / Cooling Fan switch (thermostat housing)

So now what i find is that i can ride down the road for a bit and the gauge will flucutuate ever so slightly - like when i hit about 45 mph it will creep up but then when i slow down it will drop down a little bit. So today, i cranked it up and let it run and it starts to overheat really slow; however, the cooling fan does not come on (however, i know the cooling fan works - because i jumper wired it from the 2 prong plug to the battery).

If anyone has any ideas - i would love some help....i may create a new thread with this info just to see if i can get any assistance...i am almost out of ideas...

 

*****

Sounds like the temp gauge and sender are fine now, correct?

Regarding the non-running radiator fan, unplug the 2P connector to the fan switch on the thermostat housing and then place a jumper wire across the two terminals of the connector. When the key is turned to ON(II), the fan should immediately turn ON. If so, the fan switch is bad and should be replaced.

 

the saga continues

this morning my son noticed that when we're revving up there's a bit of white smoke coming coming fro the exhaust. i suspected gasket leak so i put in prestone 'stop leak'. we then drove it to our disappointment that the temp went up again.

don't what to do next. any help/suggestion would be much appreciated.

thanks in advance.

 

Unfortunately, the white smoke in the exhaust is indicative of a blown head gasket. The only reliable remedy is to replace the gasket, assuming that the head and/or block isn't warped from the overheating. If the latter is true, you really should just replace the engine.