91 Honda civic dx heating up at slowspeeds


  #1  
Old 08-15-06, 11:36 PM
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Unhappy 91 Honda civic dx heating up at slowspeeds

How are you guys tonight?

I have a 1991 Honda civic dx with 1.4 eng.
For the last two weeks my car's temp gauge will go up at slow speeds after about half hour to hour of freeway driving. usually I commute to SF from martinez and just when I get to the toll bridge she starts to slowly heat up. I turn on the heater and she cools down. then after I get off the freeway to stoplights the temp gauge goes up a little more dramatically. I noticed sometimes if I go slow it'll heat but that when I get going to speeds above 50mph she'll cool back down... I had top radiator hose pop, I replaced and then two days after I commuted to and I was at a point where the car normally heats up and she stayed steady, does that mena my heat gauge may have went out? or was I just lucky that day?

I read somwhere it maybe a stuck thermostat. Any other possibilities?

Plus I don't know where the thermostat is on my honda civic. replacing the radiator hose was the first do-it-yourself thing I have ever done on a car.
 
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Old 08-16-06, 02:35 AM
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airflow

make sure you fan is coming on if not it could be the sending unit or the fan itself, just leave it at idle and wait for it to heat up the fan should come on before it gets into the red. Before changing anything first thing i would check...you can unplug the fan and jumper a wire directly to the battery to make sure it runs , only if you are comfortable doing this stuff ,then when you idle it , if it does not turn on good chance its the sending unit.
 
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Old 08-16-06, 09:23 AM
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Thanks!

I'll give that a try. One of the guys who I work with used to be a mechanic I'll sucker him into helping me with that.

then of course reply back here!
 
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Old 08-16-06, 09:54 AM
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91 civic troubleshoot

Yea definetly check to make sure your fan is working, I had a similiar problem and the fan was the issue....
 
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Old 08-16-06, 11:49 AM
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sticky thermostat, or crud- built up around it making slow coolant flow. please also check that you have enough coolant in your system. low coolant can also present the symptoms you are describing
 
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Old 08-16-06, 09:51 PM
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coolant and fan fine

Well I checked the fan and it was running while the car was heated up. The car isn't Over heating not even getting red

Car @ normal
this is the car just a tad above normal temp

CAr getting hot
and this is about to where it gets. It hasn't really gotten higher than that.



I tired to watch it for a few minutes to see if it would get hotter and it didn't really. But I don't really like to push it either.

I had my system flushed like 3 months ago cause there was rust in the water system so the coolant levels should be fine and the fan is running... so it must be the thermostat.
 
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Old 08-16-06, 09:54 PM
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soory html is off. um check the links if you are interested in seeing where the temp guage needle is at in my car when normal and where its getting when heating up!

Normal= http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/skribble212004/08-16-06_1110.jpg

heated= http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/skribble212004/08-16-06_1108.jpg
 
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Old 08-17-06, 05:20 PM
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troubleshoot reply

Dude to me that looks like a perfectly normal temperature in both of your pictures. My minivan temperature needle sits right smack in the middle like yours, so I think your cars temperature gauge is just fine....... Now why it goes up and down I don't know, but for the heck of it replace the thermostat...keep us posted
 
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Old 08-17-06, 05:31 PM
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after checking the thermostat and fan check your timing.
 
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Old 08-17-06, 10:35 PM
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will do, I am replacing the thermostat monday. so if it keeps acting up, I'll check timing, but I don't think thats it.

As far as my temp looking normal... the one with the pic at it lower IS its normal running temp. While yes the higher isn't dangerous it does mean something is wrong cuase its never there. and I'd rather not let it get higher
 
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Old 09-01-06, 10:45 PM
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Angry Con-found-it

Hey just an update. I did replace the thermostat. ran fine the first day, second day it got extremely hot as I was parkign at a local resturant. I let it cool and took it home. I had no time to call the mechanic had to be to work. I work 9-5, he works 8-5...

So I decided to risk it. Ran fine from martinez to SF (about 45 min to hour and 30) depending on traffic. Coming home it acted like it was gonna lose power. like the lights faltered out and the temp gauge would drop like it would when turning the engine off. but it held steady. Just as I entered my neighbor hood My car got extremly hot, I pulled over intending to let her cool then take her home the remaining mile. Went to turn on car to see where temp gauge stick was at. Nothing, no lights.. no power.. no turn.

I checked the belts they are fine. Have yet to check oil. but will in morning. The Battery is brand spanking new too. plus I don't know why the car is heating up more now that I have a new thermostat.

someone metioned maybe they put it in backwards.

Still doesn't explain total loss of power. Any ideas?
 
  #12  
Old 09-02-06, 04:18 PM
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A poor ground would explain all the things that are happening, check your battery cables and make sure they are clean, unbroken and clamped properly to both the battery and the chassis.
 
 

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