2002 Honda Civic

2002 HONDA CIVIC
140,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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JDILLAMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
We have had a continual problem with our '02 Honda Civic. The temperature guage goes to "hot" and then back down to normal. It does this often. We have had numerous things replaced--thermostat, ELD, spark plugs, etc, etc. We have had this problem looked at 5 different times. Occasionally, it will go to "hot" and not go back down. Last week it went to "hot", did not go back down, and promptly died in the middle of the road. What could we inquire about? We have been to three different mechanics and none of their "computers" can find anything wrong.
Feb 25, 2009 at 12:34 PM
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KHLOW2008
  • CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi jdillaman,

Thank you for the donation.

Do you have coolant losses? Check radiator coolant level when engine is cold.

Are the cooling fans working and stopping intermittently without the AC turned on when the gauge is showing high? If yes, the engine is not overheating and the high gauge reading is a false reading.

Falese readings are uaually caused by bad ground connections. Clean the ground wires connections behind the headligghts.

When the engine stalled the last time out, were you able to restart and was it easy?
Feb 25, 2009 at 1:39 PM
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JDILLAMAN
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When we first purchased the car (4 years ago), two days after purchase it got hot. We noticed that there was nothing in the radiator. So, we filled it, and it did the going to hot thing. We took it back to the dealer ship, and they replaced some kind of seal.

How often is normal to have to add coolant?

I do not know about the fans coming on.

The car died and would not start this last time. It is currently sitting at a garage waiting to be looked at, but I thought maybe I could get an idea of what they could look for this time, as it is the same problem again and again and again.

Thank you for your time.
Feb 25, 2009 at 2:13 PM
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