1990 Honda Civic temp fluctuation

Tiny
REDFLOYD
  • MEMBER
  • 1990 HONDA CIVIC
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 125,000 MILES
I have a 1990 honda civic hatch, auto trans. Car runs very good. I live in somewhat mountainous area. The temp gauge always stays around the 1/4 mark until I begin a steep climb. It then quickly rises to around 3/4 on the gauge. It is still in the white area but, I wonder if this is normal? As soon as I level out or start going downhill it quickly goes back down to around the 1/4 mark. I don't push the car hard when I am going up the hills. Thanks for any help.
Thursday, June 12th, 2008 AT 3:07 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi redfloyd,

It should not happen this way.

When going up hill you tend to have the engine at a higher rev and if this brings the temp up, most probably the radiator is partially clogged resulting in insufficient cooling.

See if the coolant is due for replacement.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 AT 3:13 PM
Tiny
MERLIN2021
  • MECHANIC
  • 17,250 POSTS
Check the level too! Fan operation, and thermostat.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 AT 3:18 PM

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