Rep Power: 0

my car is constantly overheating and i know for a fact that it isn't a gasket or thermostat problem and the fan still comes on now and then but it never seems to come on when the car is overheating. so now the only thing i can think of is an electrical problem and i'm not too sure what controls the activation of the radiator fan. can someone give me some insight on what my problem might be? maybe its my thermoswitch? can someone tell me what the thermoswitch does and if it is likely for that to malfunction.

 
Rep Power: 258

I'm not sure on the 7th gen but on my 91 civic there was a thermal switch that screwed into the block that told the fans when to come on. On some of the earlier models this switch was located in the bottom of the radiator. Not sure if this is the same on the 7th gen. If this switch goes bad though the fans shouldn't come on at all.

 
Rep Power: 319

well if ur thermostat isnt opening up when it its 190 degrees than u need to replace it...cuz at 190 is when the thermostat opens up and lets the coolant flow through the engine and heater core...or ur water pump has gaskets leaks than it might not be flowing coolant through...the fan wouldnt be the problem...could be a headgasket tho...dont be too sure about things when it comes to engines...maybe an inner seal on the headgasket is blown so u might need to replace it

 
Rep Power: 0

when i drive on the freeway, the car never overheats because i'm getting a **** load of air to the radiator but as soon as i get into town with the stop-n-go traffic, thats when the overheating occurs. thats why i'm assuming that its the thermoswitch because the fan doesn't come on anymore. even when i turn on the ac fan, usually the radiator fan and condenser fan activates but it no longer does that. with all that said, how much do you guys think a thermoswitch would cost?

 
Rep Power: 0

Water pump might be on its way out as well

 
Rep Power: 258

Not knowing what year or model your car is makes it tough to say, but for an 03 Civic EX, Napa has one for about 20 bucks and another for 25.

 
Rep Power: 315

I havent really check our cars, but in general you can short the connector from the sending unit to make the fan run "always on". A good test!

 
Rep Power: 302

Check the fuses and 2 relays in the engine bay. One relay is for the regular fan, the other for the AC helper fan. If you turn on the AC, both fans should come on regardless. If they don't, check the relay and fuse in the box under the hood.

 
Rep Power: 295

now my 03 civic is doing the exact same thing. DAMMIT!

 
Rep Power: 0

Yeahhhh ur fans are going to be the problem cuse it is not overheating when ur on freeway. You should get an "ETM" or electrical trobule shooting for the civic it will help you find the problem problem. Check the simple things like relays and fuses and such but it mostlikely is the coolent temp sensor for the fans cuse they dont kno what temp to turn on that is all just get an ETM it helps : )

 
Rep Power: 0

I agree with tinman. I think its a fuse or relay. if it was something else, the engine would over heat on the on the freeway too. the fans not coming on when you turn on the ac is a dead give-away. check all your fuses and have your relays checked out and I'll bet you'll find the problem.