Car overheat randomly

[Rlcky]

Hi Guys,

I have Honda civic 2003 we have it since 2008 and no issues, as I’m from Montreal it start 2 years ago when I run the car it take time to get warm temperature inside the car, once I start driving the car 5mns later I start getting the heat and my car get warm from inside.

Last summer I was stuck in traffic and for the first time I saw the temperature goes up to half or maybe a bit above the half then it went down.

I have my wife brother in law who is a mechanical, I asked him and he told me it could be the heat radiator under the passenger, so he put a product to block any clogged drain and he start blowing an air to get a good circulation and a tube it till cold which is should be hot.

Any I used the car daily and after 6-7months I was stuck in traffic and car again overheat, I stopped on the side and I heard the were working also I notice once I open the hood there’s water (coolant) were on the fan it’s like coolant got blow out. When I went back home I fill up the radiator with antifreeze coolant.

I notice recently I have a check engine which it showed up and since April up till today the car had 2-3 overheat the last one happened 2 months ago while driving on the highway to work from nowhere the temperature start going up and it reached a level really high. I stopped right away and waited 5mns before driving to my brother place and park it there.

I asked my wife brother in law and he told its head gasket. So I fill up the radiator with coolant and I decide to use just inside my city ( to go to grocery stores and visiting my mother in law no more going far from home)

I used it like that for 2 months and it was doing great no overheat, I did almost 500miles.

Up till yesterday I took the kids to soccer game and when coming back I was on the highway 2mns from my house and temperature went up to medium level then went down then went up so I had to stop on the side. I found the fan didn’t turn and still high. (FYI during the past 2 months fan was always working and always hearing it even I opened once the hood and I saw the fan running).

My question now. I have 2 issues and I don’t know if they are related.

1- Overheat.

2- Heat take time to get car warm during winter.

From where should I start, Changing Thermostat, radiator or head gasket or other options should I check before changing parts? I don’t want to change part and it’s not the cause. Should I check for the code of the check engine? There’s a way to check without the need of the tester?

Is this true that if there’s no coolant in the radiator fan won’t work and fan won’t turn on (that’s what my wife brother in law told me) correct me if he’s wrong.

As I’m from Montreal, winter temperature is between -20 and -30, if head gasket why during winter I didn’t had the car to overheat?

Thanks.

 

[Em2cole]

Do this, never put water on radiator, anti-freeze is recommended, if it keeps over heating, change thermal state, and do a new oil change, and if it keeps over heating again, go to autozone or any place you want and buy this head gasket coolent, it looks like glitter, add to your radiator, if non of this works, buy a new radiator,

 

[Rlcky]

Do this, never put water on radiator, anti-freeze is recommended, if it keeps over heating, change thermal state, and do a new oil change, and if it keeps over heating again, go to autozone or any place you want and buy this head gasket coolent, it looks like glitter, add to your radiator, if non of this works, buy a new radiator,

If i'm driving the car inside the city (without taking long ride highways) all is good and what happen this sunday i had to take the high and drive the car for about 40mns all is good once i got close to my house (3mns walk) and doing the stop i had to stop because it was already a stop sign, i notice the temp start climbing. i stopped right away and i was like few seconds from my house.
what i notice when i opened the hood, there's water around the fan and could be coolant has flushed out of the radiator and not sure if from radiator or the white bottle next too.
between I've already changed the thermostat 2 weeks ago, we keeped the car running for 15-20mns until the fan turned on.

Also since i changed the thermostat i was checking everyday if the coolant level in the radiator is ok and all seems good i wasn't loosing coolant.

 

[daperez13]

Hello RIcky,

The first thing to do is to obtain the codes stored in the ECU. In other words, take the vehicle (if you can drive it) to a local shop where they can pull and read the codes for you, if you do not want to purchase a scanner. Some vehicles have the capability to flash the codes in a manner that the CEL (or a light on the ECU) will blink in a sequence, according to the code, by jumping (connecting) certain pins together on the ECU. This will not indicate what is causing the car to overheat but rather, what is mechanically or electronically wrong with the engine.

Whenever troubleshooting an issue, you should generally start with the simplest and least expensive parts first. In the instance of your overheating issue, you need to make sure that there are no leaks in the entire system, potentially having it running low on coolant. Look at your owner's manual for the recommended type of coolant, mix and capacity. Never run just water as a permanent replacement. Perform a complete flush and refill according to the recommended specifications. Replacing the thermostat should be done anytime a vehicle overheats (some might argue). Make sure that it's appropriate for your vehicle and climate range. If the thermostat is not opening at the right temperature or none at all, this could be the main source of your issue. There's really no easy way (depending on vehicle) to test the water pump but consider replacing it as well with an OEM or a high quality replacement part. Yes, they can be a bit pricey but well worth the peace of mind. Your radiator should not be corroded, damaged or have any blockages, either inside or out. You can disconnect the hoses from both ends and run some clean water through it. This will not only flush it but you will be able to confirm that there are no blockages. Check the fins on the outside to make sure they are not bent, blocked with debris or damaged otherwise. The system should build pressure, check your hoses and radiator cap.

If the head gasket is damaged, you will need to replace it (obviously). There are a couple ways to check for a blown head gasket. You can do a compression test or perform a leak-down test. Check the oil for signs of coolant/water. I recently discovered that those Civic's are prone to having coolant leak into the crankcase. If the head has been warped, it will need to be resurfaced, possibly rebuilt.

If you plan on doing the work yourself, get yourself a repair manual for your vehicle, it will help a lot. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[lowlife9]

it could be as simple as a bad radiator cap, check the cap to make sure its in one piece and functioning properly. also check to make sure there's no air in the cooling system by burping the radiator. check all hoses and radiator for leaks also check the hoses by touch to make sure the output is cooler then the input.