Overheating engine

It could be the fans are not turning out here is a guide to help test the fan motors and a general guide on over heating.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-electric-fan-motor

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Please run down these guides and report back.

Great guide I found out my radiator motor was burned up got a new one for $76.00 all fixed! I love this site.

04 Honda 1.7,had bad water pump rattle over heat.replaced pump timeing belt . put back togeather ,cranked first turn over. run hot ,replaced thermostat. still ran hot lower radiator was cold top hot. tried to bleed system bottom hose got warm ,not hot and could get not heat inside car. heater on . fan off.car run great,runs up to normal on heat ,race motor are drive it it gets really hot. any help. thanks

So how did you bleed the cooling system?Sounds like you have air in the system.

I tried several ways ,I took the cap the cap off and fast idled idle the motor that didn't work. then pulled the fan switch out as a bleeder and tried that. it snowed 12 hrs yesterday and is 5 % here today so I thought I would ask for advice before playing in water again. any thing you tell me will help.thanks

Saturn tech9,think i solved the overheating problem. I had to let it get cold and then bleed it just did that and got heat and so far no over heat. I had done this on 05 Nissan and just had to open cap and let air out,more air with water pump I guess.thanks for answer back.

Glad to hear it usually the hondas have a bleeder screw up top you start the engine and crack open the bleeder and wait till you get a steady flow of coolant out of it.

My car has been overheating. I have had the radiator, thermostat and even a head gasket replaced and for some reason it is still overheating. I cannot figure out why the coolant has been changed and flushed. The vehicle overheats randomly and it smells like burning rubber. any suggestions or help would be appreciated. thank you

yeah satt9,i guess that would have been to easy I looked every place ,no dice .thanks again.

You did not mention whether the radiator fan is turning on. When does the overheating occur? If it only overheats at low speeds, the fan is the best suspect. Also, check for debris blocking air flow. If the car has air conditioning, the condenser can become blocked which reduces air flow through the radiator.

Has the engine been rechecked for a leaking head gasket? It is not uncommon for a new one to leak, although the way you described the symptoms, this is probably not the best suspect, but it is not something you want to overlook.

Your welcome anytime.

Yes the fans are coming on. And it has not overheated since I have been leaving the heat on.

The heater core is a small radiator. If blowing fresh air through it keeps the engine cool, that suggests the radiator is not doing its job. Since it is new, there is not enough air flow through it. You still did not say at what speeds this occurs.

Also, check for a rubber seal along the front of the hood that runs from side to side. If that is missing, air can blow over the top of the radiator instead of through it.

'04 Honda Civic-1.7L
First the car started overheating only it was sitting in idle. As soon as you would go or if you revved the engine the needle would immediately drop after a few seconds. Replaced the thermostat. It seemed fixed, but started doing it again, put in a new thermostat incase other one was faulty. Still having same problem.
The system was pressure testing and everything was fine. Then had the system flushed and new thermostat put in. It worked for about 150 miles and started doing the same thing.
Brought it in for the water pump, the old one was corroded and warped so it seemed like the problem. After about 100 or so miles still overheating when idle.
We had the radiator replaced, the old one was complete junk, thermostat replaced too. I drove it like normal in town for a day, the next day it started overheating, this time it was doing it while driving, got to about 3/4 up. Turned the car off for a bit, and it didn't do it anymore on the way home.
Today I was driving and it was fine for 4 miles, I sat idling for 1 minute, after driving 1 more mile it started overheating, temp gauge got to halfway. I parked it for a bit and started driving, there was no heat coming from the heater, I had it full blast, nothing but cold air. The car started overheating again, once again halfway. Parked for about 3 minutes and then turned it on, temp was fine and it was blowing full heat out, the car temp was fine the whole way home, no more overheating.

The next step we will take is to replace the head gasket and/or heater core. Is there anything else that this could be? Literally the same week the overheating started, the rear lights were having issues and one time there was no power to the windows. Then the door locks would stop and then work again intermittently. The door locks no longer work at all. Not sure if it is just a coincidence, maybe everything is breaking at once. But there has been no loss of coolant and the oil and coolant consistency have been normal too.

I will add, all the repair work except the first two thermostats has been done by a mechanic. The car has previously made it just past 3/4 on the temperature gauge, recently I do not let it go past halfway as it is climbing and I shut it off to wait for cooldown.

Sure sounds like your fan's not working properly to me.

Thank you. I am going to bring it into another mechanic to have it checked out.

I have been fighting this overheating issue for close to a year now. Car will be fine for a few months then overheat again. Thus far I've had head gasket replaced and head checked for cracks with no cracks or warping noted on head. The radiator all hoses and water pump has been replaced as well as several thermostats. The head gasket was replaced relatively early on in these repairs. And since then I have not had car heat to red line again. Car is still pressure testing fine but continues to overheat. About 5 days ago had car towed to shop for overheating. They replaced radiator again stating seal was defective. Last night car overheated again. Now they think its the gasket causing pressure to build and causing radiator to malfunction. At this point I'm not sure what the issue could be but I'm sick of the car overheating. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You didn't mention anything about the electric radiator fan. Have you checked to be sure it's turning on?

I had no problems with my car for 10 years. Moved to Oklahoma from Texas and it has been one thing after another. I got a new starter and need new back brakes (I guess). But, it won't stop overheating. Thermostat and sensor (?) were changed and fans are working. The mechanic referred to me says it's probably head gasket because coolant is leaking out and burning off and wants $800 to fix it. And he said I have a small oil leak. But, when it gets hot in traffic or a drive thru I can watch the needle go back down to half way to C. It goes up and down sometimes. Sometimes it stays near H and doesn't cool off until I start driving. It will not run hot until a week or two after filled with coolant. I need to drive from Moore to Houston a lot (7 hours one way), but I'm afraid it's going to croak on me. Im a single Mom and cant lose my car. Any suggestions??? Oh and I live in Oklahoma City area if that helps. Thank you for any help

Everything you described sounds like a leaking cylinder head gasket. That occurs from time and mileage, not location or type of driving. The cost you were quoted sounds reasonable.

There is a quick chemical test to verify the diagnosis. It involves drawing air from the radiator while the engine is running, through a glass cylinder with two chambers partially-filled with a special dark blue liquid. If combustion gases are present, the liquid will turn bright yellow.

The two main symptoms are the loss of coolant and the varying coolant temperature. Coolant will leak into the cylinder, be burned, and will disappear out the tail pipe. When combustion gases go the other way, they sneak into the cooling system and can pool under the thermostat. That prevents it from opening because thermostats only open in response to hot liquid, not hot air. The closed thermostat causes engine temperature to go up, as you observed, then when some hot coolant splashes onto it, the thermostat opens and lets coolant flow to the radiator and engine temperature goes back down.

Okay. Thank you so much!

Dear Sir,

My car temperature in not normal. when my engine running for more than half hour temperature goes high of to the Max limit. but sometimes it goes down rapidly which is hard to explain. my motor fan is working properly and normally. And the water in the radiator decreasing rapidly.

Hi there, start with having a cooling system pressure test done this will locate any external leaks, if that is ok, you will need to get the system check for exhaust gasses in the cooling system, a sure sign of a head gasket problem.

mark (mhpautos)

My car is fine while driving, but when I sit in park for awhile the temperature gauge starts to rise. Once I begin moving again it will go back down to an average temperature. I also tried using my heater and the moment I did that it only blew cold air and my temperature gauge started rising. Also, when I drive it sounds like somethings rattling under the hood. Any answers?

You're describing multiple problems. Lets start with the most important one first. It's pretty likely the radiator fan is not turning on. The clue is the overheating only occurs when the car is standing still. When driving, natural air flow is sufficient, and the fan is not needed or used. The two most common causes of a dead fan are a defective fan motor, and a fan motor with tight bearings, (also meaning defective motor), but that will draw excessive current and blow the fuse. If you want to try to diagnose this yourself, I'll look at a wiring diagram to figure out where to start.

I have just changed my theromostat due to my Honda Civic EX over heating. My car was working great for about a week and then I noticed the temp start to rise again. I opened the hood and noticed a low level of coolant in the radaitor, but noticed I had a full overflow resivor? Does anyone know what this is happening? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

John

Hi thompsonjdt. Welcome to the forum. This sounds typical of a leaking head gasket. If you see the coolant bubbling in the reservoir when the engine is still cool, suspect the head gasket. The best test is what I call the "sniffer" test. Your mechanic will use a glass cylinder filled with two chambers of a special dark blue liquid. Air is drawn from the radiator through the tube while the engine is warmed up and running. If combustion gases are getting into the cooling system, the liquid will turn bright yellow.

caradiodoc

I was driving back from Washington to California and my car started to slowly overheat so I pulled over. popped my hood and coolant was everywhere! I refilled it and my car was fine and was able to drive it over four hundred miles until I got home. any ideas what the problem could be?

You would need to pressure test the system to see where it has a problem. It is possible that you have a head gasket starting to fail or it is possible it is just a bad radiator cap. Pressure testing would show you which. You can "borrow" the tester from many parts stores (they basically charge you the price of the tool, when you return it they refund the money).

That is what I will do then. I really hope it is not my head gasket. I am hoping it is just the thermostat.

Hard to say but normally coolant doesn't spew out, then stop after you re-fill. Just fill with water and test, look for a leak. A trick to look for a head gasket issue is to remove the spark plugs, lay them in order side by side and look at them. If they are all the same in terms of color and deposits on the tips iy may not be a gasket. BUT if you find one or two that look really clean you probably have a problem. The steam from the water in the combustion chamber will make a plug as clean as new in a few minutes.

why does my 2004 honda civi dx keep
s over heating

Faulty thermostat, coolant leaks, faulty radiator cap, blocked radiator, check these first.

mark (mhpautos)

I can not drive. Keeps overheating. I put coolant in and then drove it and it overheated again. Any suggestions?

start with finding out where the coolant went. get a pressure test to verify the leak. the fact that you drove it overheated, you may have blown a head gasket. get a leak down test as well to confirm.

Roy