Engine Running Hot

The radiator was installed around Jan 08, and the water pump, timing belt, and thermostats were installed in May 2008. And yes, I do hear the fans click on when I'm idle. Now the check engine light is tricky. It doesn't come on and stay on and every time I go to get it checked the light is never on to get a reading (must terrible timing or something).

The code that popped up was 9. I looked it up and was surprised that 9 referred to the distributor. Is this correct? I would be surprised if it was the distributor because I just got a brand new distributor installed last September.

And to update with the radiator situation. I brought and installed a new radiator cap a few weeks ago and haven't had the problems with the radiator needle since. It now never goes past midway.

Ok, more about my Honda. I have another question up which explains the problem I am having with my coolant system. My head gasket was done three times and on the third time the mechanic put stop leak in the system.
Ok, new part of story begins here:

After the mechanic put stop leak in the system I had changed the radiator, but even when backflushing the new radiator I noticed stop leak pellets coming out. My heater core is pretty clogged also. Here lies the main problem.

When using my car to make long trips it seems that an air pocket builds up in the coolant system around the fan sensor. The fan comes on late and the car runs hot until I bleed the system using the piss valve on top of the engine near the top radiator hose.

When the car has this blockage of air the upper and lower radiator hoses are mushy, even though the car is running hot and should have plenty of pressure. My radiator cap is good and working. After I bleed the system of air and the car cools down the coolant system pulls the coolant it needs in from the overflow tank.

When I restart the car I notice that the upper and lower radiator hoses are hard and not mushy and the car runs fine and my temp gauge doesn't go over 1/3 of the way up. When my car is running correctly the temp gauge never moves. It always stays at 1/3 of the way up.

Does this sound like another problem besides the head gasket going again?

My car had its head gasket done three times. The first two times the morons who fixed it didn't include new head bolts with the job and the head was always a little loose until the third time they fixed it when they included new head bolts. They also put STOP LEAK in the coolant system. (IDIOTS)
Problem:
I have to run the car with the heat on to give additional cooling to the antifreeze since I believe the radiator is partially blocked and so is the heater core. I had someone do a backflush, but not a power flush, just using a hose and we saw STOP LEAK pellets come out.

When I drive the car long distances the car starts to build up air pockets in the coolant system which build up around the fan sensor is. This makes the fan come on late and the car runs hot until I use the bleeder valve to clear out the air pocket.
I notice that when the car runs hot with an air pocket that the hoses are mushy, but when I clear the air pocket the hoses are hard and the car runs fine. I can't afford to keep putting money into the car. What should I do with it besides junk it?

1993 Honda Civic 4 cyl Automatic 200, 00 miles

I have had my car for a little over a year it has always gave me a problem with running hot! About 6 months after I got the car I changed the radiator it done fine for a little while then in about mnths later I had got a new thermostat, water pump, head shaved and it done fine for about 7 mnths. There is sludge in my radiator from it running hot here lately what do I need to do! HELP

I have a 1989 honda civic 1.5 engine over 100,000 miles and I recently had the head's repalced, the oil pump, the head gaskets, and the oil changed, well my car keeps running hot once it got almost all the way to the hot but we stopped and cooled it off and put water init, but the water was allready full so we can drive it around in our area but if we go more than 10 miles away it runs hot we had the oil checked there is no water in the oil so its not the heads, both fans are on, but it seems the more gas we give it the more the temperature gauge moves so we'd have to drive really slow to keep it from running completely hot. What do youy think do you think maybe my radiator is clogged or do you think may be its the thermostat but it it lets us know when its hot it gets hot in the middle also, and the check engine light comes on.

ALSO I NOTICED THAT THERE IS GREYISHLY LIKE SMOKE COMMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE AND I CAN HEAR A LITTLE RATTLING NOISE UNDER THE CAR SOUNDS LIKE IN THE MIDDLE OR CLOSER TO THE FRONT

Your catalytic convertor is clogged up.