civic started running hot tonight.....
- Thread starter kenwin30
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you can do a half assed check of the thermostat by feeling both of the top and bottom radiator hoses when its cold. turn the engine on and feel both hoses. both should be cold. as the engine warms up the bottom one should get hotter and hotter. there is a point when the thermostat opens to cool the engine. at that point, both hoses should equalize in temperature.
dont get your fingers chopped off by the fan when doing this check.
dont get your fingers chopped off by the fan when doing this check.
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Originally Posted By: kenwin30
what is it gonna cost to replace the thermostat?
The high cost will be the add ons. If they also service the system, expect a bit more. This is a $25-$40 job U-Do-It ..complete (drain, clean/flush, fill, new stat). They do it ..plan on $125+ in Jersey $$$ ..maybe more. I haven't paid market in so long I get sticker shock at normal pricing.
what is it gonna cost to replace the thermostat?
The high cost will be the add ons. If they also service the system, expect a bit more. This is a $25-$40 job U-Do-It ..complete (drain, clean/flush, fill, new stat). They do it ..plan on $125+ in Jersey $$$ ..maybe more. I haven't paid market in so long I get sticker shock at normal pricing.
Originally Posted By: sayjac
Bad themostat.
+1
Bad themostat.
+1
If the temp gauge heads for the hills in a Honda, something is certainly wrong.
It takes a pretty drastic increase in temperature to get the needle climbing from its usual place.
If the hot running is random and unpredictable, I would suspect either a cracked head or a bad head gasket.
Incidentally, while you troubleshoot your car, ensure that you don't subject it to prolonged overheating.
The all alloy engine won't like it.
Finally, if you have either a blown head gasket or a cracked head, compression will leak into the water jacket and disrupt the flow of coolant.
When this happens, you will notice that heater output becomes nil.
Next time the needle begins its steady upward march, check and see whether you have heater output.
If not, a compression check will verify either a cracked head or blown head gasket.
I have known people to simply replace a head gasket with no machine work at all with good results, although if you can't do it yourself, this might be the engine's final illness.
If the car requires either a head gasket or a head, you might be ahead (pun intended) finding a JDM takeout.
I bought one of these once, for an '86 Civic we bought used (and cheap) with known problems. Generally a good deal.
OTOH, I don't think you have the mechanical experience to R&R it yourself, so you'll need to find someone who can do it cheaply enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.
It takes a pretty drastic increase in temperature to get the needle climbing from its usual place.
If the hot running is random and unpredictable, I would suspect either a cracked head or a bad head gasket.
Incidentally, while you troubleshoot your car, ensure that you don't subject it to prolonged overheating.
The all alloy engine won't like it.
Finally, if you have either a blown head gasket or a cracked head, compression will leak into the water jacket and disrupt the flow of coolant.
When this happens, you will notice that heater output becomes nil.
Next time the needle begins its steady upward march, check and see whether you have heater output.
If not, a compression check will verify either a cracked head or blown head gasket.
I have known people to simply replace a head gasket with no machine work at all with good results, although if you can't do it yourself, this might be the engine's final illness.
If the car requires either a head gasket or a head, you might be ahead (pun intended) finding a JDM takeout.
I bought one of these once, for an '86 Civic we bought used (and cheap) with known problems. Generally a good deal.
OTOH, I don't think you have the mechanical experience to R&R it yourself, so you'll need to find someone who can do it cheaply enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.
I had a similar issue on a 90 Geo Prizm. I thought it was the fan not turning on early enough because of the temp. sensor gone bad. So I got a new sensor and installed it. It made no difference. Then I bought a tstat and installed it....Bingo, problem fixed. Compared to the tstat the sensor was expensive. Wished I had chosen the simplest answer first. (Occam's razor)
I don't know if your tstat is bad, but unless you have diagnostic experience, that would be the least expensive place to start. And, depending on accessibility, it could be a relatively easy DIY. In any case, the least expensive of more serious repair options.
I don't know if your tstat is bad, but unless you have diagnostic experience, that would be the least expensive place to start. And, depending on accessibility, it could be a relatively easy DIY. In any case, the least expensive of more serious repair options.
hey guys got the thermostat installed and i had to replace the plug wires because i broke one during the process, anyway, the [censored] car wont start, it tries to turn over and it just stalls, did i somehow possibly mess the wires up??
You really should have replaced wires one at a time as length is not a great indicator.
It seems, best I can tell, the firing order is 1-3-4-2 going clockwise on the dist. I'm not positive about this but you check what you have/and can try it.
It seems, best I can tell, the firing order is 1-3-4-2 going clockwise on the dist. I'm not positive about this but you check what you have/and can try it.
Probably a bad thermostat.
They are about $15 for a good one.
Add a gasket or some sealer to that cost.
I'd drive it for a while first and note if anything unusual happens again .
They are about $15 for a good one.
Add a gasket or some sealer to that cost.
I'd drive it for a while first and note if anything unusual happens again .
List exactly what parts you touched when you did the job.
Well, the tstat installation should not be a factor. So, it now should be related to whatever happened to the plug wires. You need to confirm that that is the correct firing order (which I think it is). Then you need to check/confirm that the installed plug wires are OK. If it was starting before and you only touched the tstat and plug wires, the issue should now be related to the plug wires. Beyond that, I couldn't say. I'll post a link for you to look at. scroll to the picture.
fyi, some dielectric grease applied to the plug wires at the connection/contact points helps with installation, I don't think that's the issue, but a bad contact could cause issues. Hopefully you didn't damage the dist. cap.
Hope that helps.
VG is right, you need to go back/retrace and check/confirm anything you touched or removed/installed in the process.
fyi, some dielectric grease applied to the plug wires at the connection/contact points helps with installation, I don't think that's the issue, but a bad contact could cause issues. Hopefully you didn't damage the dist. cap.
Hope that helps.
VG is right, you need to go back/retrace and check/confirm anything you touched or removed/installed in the process.
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Sayjac, I've got a second car now - a 99 civic Si.
That forum you linked to, is that the main biggest forum for the civic?
That forum you linked to, is that the main biggest forum for the civic?
It had the best real pic of the wires, distributor cap, and firing order. I go to a similar forum for our 01 7th gen civic. Though I've had no issues with the auto tranny or other parts on the 01, the sixth gen. seems to have better reliabilty record.
Low speed overheating = airflow
High speed overheating = coolant
Make sure fan blade / hub is securely attached to the electrical motor shaft. Passenger side fan is for the radiator. For some reason the securing bolt on my 93 stripped around 300k miles and was turning when the fan motor was on, but was only turning about 10% of what it should have been = low speed temperature rise.
High speed overheating = coolant
Make sure fan blade / hub is securely attached to the electrical motor shaft. Passenger side fan is for the radiator. For some reason the securing bolt on my 93 stripped around 300k miles and was turning when the fan motor was on, but was only turning about 10% of what it should have been = low speed temperature rise.
if the fans dont come on there is a problem with the fans or the wiring or sensor
Turn on the a/c if one of the fans come on and car starts to run cooler after 5 minutes or so that is your problem
Turn on the a/c if one of the fans come on and car starts to run cooler after 5 minutes or so that is your problem
kenwin30,
List exactly what parts you touched when you did the job and your problem will be solved. The wires aren't hard - they should be numbered on the distributor - line them up to the appropriate bores.
List exactly what parts you touched when you did the job and your problem will be solved. The wires aren't hard - they should be numbered on the distributor - line them up to the appropriate bores.
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