My sisters 93 honda civic 2 dr started running hot a couple weeks ago and so i did some snooping around and found that she needed a new radiator cap. so i replaced that and filled her fluid. Now she calls me the other day saying that her car started running hot again when she was in the Mcdonalds drive through. What could be the problem if her car doesnt heat up when she is driving or stopped shortly but does run hot when she is stopped for longer periods of time? could it be the thermostat? any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Check if the radiator fan is running when the car is sitting and getting hot. If the radiator fan is not running, either the thermostat switch is no good or the fan is no good.

 

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when the car is in motion the air is circulating over the motor to cool it, when it is sitting still the fans job is to cool the motor. Either the fan is broke or the thermostat needs to be replaced since its not telling the fan to come on. You can also get a cooler thermostat that will run 10-20 degrees cooler. Cost about $15

 

Don't put a cooler thermostat in, won't help anything anyway. Overcooling the engine tends to make the oil get dirty faster nd also the ECU may not control it properly. Just fix the fan.