Steam, overheating, boiling

Tiny
BECKALOU
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 HONDA CIVIC
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 197,000 MILES
Okay I have a 1997 Honda civic ex it has 197000 miles. I keep it maintained. I've had it for a year and 3 months but since may it has been sitting in my driveway. Since I've had the car I've put new
1. Water pump
2. Timing belt
3. Thermastat
4. Distributor ( all of its components)
5. Radiator cap
6. 4 brand new tires
7. Spark plugs and wire on 1 of the things
8. Fuel filter

I think that's all. But my car overheats and then begins to smoke or steam I think steam from under the hood on the passengers side with this burning smell but not like fire smell. It overheats a lot when I'm stopped and then cools to normal temp when I start driving again but soon just stays overheating while stopped or going. And when I park and turn it off is when u hear the overfill tank boiling. I've watched it so I know that's where sound cones from. And there is now coolant all under my hood from it boiling out while I drive, please someone help me. And the radiator doesn't keep the coolant in it. I have to fill it like every other day. My fans work, there are no visible cracks in radiator, there isn't water in my oil so not a head gasket. HELP ME PLEASE!
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 2:14 AM

12 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Get it chemically and pressure tested to find out more-
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 4:53 AM
Tiny
BECKALOU
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  • 6 POSTS
What does chemically consist of?
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 5:20 AM
Tiny
BECKALOU
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Oh I forgot to say that it looses power. I will damn near have my pedal to the floor and it just does not even go. Or I will be driving on the freeway and it is just really slow. It happens more when it overheats but it has happened in the past shortly before it began this overheating bs.
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 5:23 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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Check with the major chain parts store-for the bloc chek-liquid in the bottle turns from blue to yellow when there's hydrocarbons in the coolant

Also check the exhaust for restriction to rule out the catalytic converter this could caused your overheating problem
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 7:10 AM
Tiny
JEOFJINGJEFF
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  • 4 POSTS
This exactly happened to me also when I still had my Civic '94 last year. I had my radiator overhauled. I always kept my eyes on the temperature gauge, and once the car overheats again, I had to stop
the engine for it to cool down. In this case, you're better off taking your car to an automotive expert. We, as customers have peace of mind when taking our cars to well-established auto repair shop.

Since then, my Civic was working well. I just sold it last month. I decided to purchase a new one.
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Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 AT 3:08 PM
Tiny
BECKALOU
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
You are lucky that you found a repair shop that did you right. My mind is not at all at ease when dealing with them. My last car I took to a shop paid 800 dollars it ran for one week and never started again. I donated it to Polly Klass Foundation in January. So idk about shops.

But I looked for that chemical that turns colors at two different spots. I bought this stuff for the cooling system that you use a uv light to see where it leaks. I'm knowing already that's not what you were talking about. I'm going to return it. As far ad my cat. The guy recomended this stuff I think called sea foam? He swears by it. He said it will clean out any gunk that's in my exhaust system. And by the way. What is a radiator overhaul?
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Friday, July 1st, 2011 AT 3:03 AM
Tiny
JEOFJINGJEFF
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  • 4 POSTS
Oh, that's was too much of a hassle on your part. Paying $800 is not worth it at all. I even experienced my Civic '94 took two weeks before the engine started again. I had it repainted (at a shop which I would hardly recommend to anybody) before I sold it. Unfortunately some parts of the car were not properly returned, which affected the computer box. The engine wasn't working anymore. I was hopeless. I thought I'd end up with a junked car. Good thing, I had it fixed at a very affordable cost. By the way, my radiator was overhauled at only $50 and spent $160 for computer box labor. Well, I am in the Philippines (1USD= PhP43). We experienced the same car problem, same brand of car but the only difference is our country of origin.
My brand new car is still Honda. Afterall, Honda cars are known to be durable and of good quality. I forgot the brand of the coolant used for my previous Civic. I seldom used it. I just refilled it with distilled water. Just check your water reservoir. Make sure it has always water in it to prevent overheating. Some potential radiator problems may include a restricted or blocked grille that needs to be cleaned by overhauling the radiator. Enough work is done on the radiator unit to make it fully operational again. So you have a choice of either replacing your radiator or having it repaired. In my case, I chose to have it overhauled in one of the best shops here since they recommended it so I won't have to spend another bucks replacing it.

Before I sold my Civic since the radiator was last overhauled, I was using it for almost a year so I was confident it was in good condition. I also had the engine tuned up a couple of month before it was sold. Since then, my buyer gave me a positive feedback. I am happy now with my brand new Honda car.

Before you ask the shop to take on your car, be sure that the company offers a guarantee on the service that they give you. If it won't work for you, try calling Honda cars company whichever is closest to you. They know better what to do.
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Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 AT 3:35 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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  • 75,992 POSTS
Could be caused by the catalytic converter if its clogged-no power and engine overheating
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Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 AT 3:39 AM
Tiny
BECKALOU
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  • 6 POSTS
Okay.I really appreciate the time both of you have taken to help me. U have no idea esp. Rasmataz, since you're the expert! So I put this stuff in my gas tank to get to my exhaust system to clean it all out (the cat.) But it seemed to have worked so far. I drove it around the block a few times wit the AC on and no overheating or steaming occurred! But when I got back home I popped the hood and the overfill tank was boiling still. Not out, but still boiling. I know that couldn't possibly be normal because I know this never happened before. And it still smells kinda funny. So now what do ya think that means?
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Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 AT 6:42 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Try bleeding it out-could be airlock in it all that time you been refilling it- Thermostat how long ago could be sticking. I suggest you follow my instructions

The only thing you're getting from these other user here is their nightmare experiences-

For you two I'll be checking if you're legal to advertise if not you'll be immediately banned from here-

For the one selling Rolexes I'm right beside you not to far from PI. They call it Give Us American Money not Gooks Under American Management
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Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 AT 9:41 AM
Tiny
BECKALOU
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Okay so that **** I used to unclog the catalytic converter didn't work. That was high hopes. I went to start my car the next day. It started and immediately shut off. Than I went to start it again and now my damn check engine light is on! I had to rev it for it to stay on for like 20 seconds. When I drove it to my buddys house I had to keep it rev'd at the red lights so it wouldn't shut off. And of course it started to overheat on the way there. It also took me the length of 1/2 mile just for my car to reach 60 MPH! I was on the damn freeway and ppl werent liking me. Now my rpm needle doesnt work or it will just start tweaking going up and down hella fast. And my car would like make some weird sound right before I would shift. Almost like it was about to do itself. Oh and when I was rev'n it in my driveway it wouldnt go past 4000RPMs it would stop and sound stuck. Im about to just beat the **** outta it with a bat. When I got to my boys all you would here from under the hood was a whistle from all the liquid in the overfill and then came the puddle underneath the car. This time was the opposite, I would drive, it would overheat, but when not on gas. Temp went back to normal. Im starting to seriously get depressed over this ****. I am about to drop it off at a shop. Luckily one of my friends has a friend who has a shop and knows his ****. Im hoping I can trust his work and it wont cost me too much because really I cannot afford to even take it but I feel like everything I try only fails. I am limited to what I do myself because well I dont know **** about cars. It sucks being a girl sometimes! And what sucks even more is my dad is a f*ckin mechanic. But he out 12 yrs ago. The *******! Any final tasks you think I could do before takin to shop?
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Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 AT 12:15 AM
Tiny
RIVERMIKERAT
  • MECHANIC
  • 6,110 POSTS
Make sure the timing is set right. Make sure the engine isn't running too lean (not enough gas). A lean burning engine runs hotter than one running properly.
Perform the block check that razmataz mentioned. You may have to go somewhere like a NAPA store to find it. The fluid you bought will tell if there is an external crack, but not if there is an internal crack. A pressure tester will also tell if there is a leak, with external leaks being more evident.
The radiator overhaul is where the radiator is removed, the tanks removed and the cooling tubes cleaned out. We call it boil and rod, because the radiator is boiled and a thin rod is pushed down the cooling tubes.
For the catalytic converter, disconnect it temporarily by removing it, and drive around the block. See if that brings back the power and stops the overheating.
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Friday, July 15th, 2011 AT 1:24 AM

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