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Hey my girlfriends got a 2003 civic thats driving me crazy!
The car started over heating about sixs months ago, everything seemed to be fine (coolant level, fan ect.), so i started with the simple parts like the thermostat.
After that things were fine for a week or so until i noticed it was overheating again. The car would overheat and lose some coolant out the overflow, afterfilling up the rad again, it would run fine for a few days then start to overheat any time it was really driven on the highway or at high rpm.
now six months later i've changed the rad, got a new relay for the fan because some where along the way that stopped working, and even tried hard wiring the fan under the assumtion that the fan switch was malfunctioning.
now after all that, with the fan going full bore you could drive the car for a day or so, or you could get in and drive down the road, i never know when it will happen it just randomly overheats still????
its got 167kms on it and is going in for a new timing belt and a valve ajustment next week. i would really like to solve this myself instead of paying hondas rates, if anyone has any ideas im all ears!! thanks

 
Rep Power: 235

Classic symptoms of a head gasket failure. Your gonna need to have the heads worked on.

 
Rep Power: 217

I say head gasket as well.

 
Rep Power: 0

Really at only 167kms? there's no signs of coolant in the oil and its still got great power??? any thoughts on a possible clog or air pocket in the cooling system.
i respect your oppinions i just naturely really don't want to have to do that head gasket if there is any other explantion.

 
Rep Power: 217

If you wanna rule out an air pocket, go ahead and drain(from both the block and the radiator) and refill the coolant. Make sure you run the car with the cap off to make sure you get all the air bubbles out. Work from the easiest cause to the most complex. Hope you figure it out.

 
Rep Power: 214

How does it over heat, does it do it when driving and while sitting or just when sitting. When you changed the thermostat to did help it at all or did it still over heat right after you changed it.

Edit: I seen now that it was fine for a week then it over heated again. If it was ok for a week then over heated again then its probably the thermostat.

 
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02civicsi02- i actually changed it twice, once when the problem started and just two days ago when i put a new relay in for the electric fan, i thought it was fixed and then today it overheated again just driving down the road with the fan on.
while driving down the road or parked it will not constantly overheat it seems to overheat then cool down then sit kinda half overheating its f*cked.
i just sat idlng in a parking lot for ten minutes and it didn't over heat then i drove like two minutes back to my house and the temp was all over the place?????

 
Rep Power: 512

I'd start off with a drain, flush, re-fill, and bleed, just because it fairly inexpensive. And change the rad cap and thermostat while you're at it. That'd prolly run you $30 and an hour or so in a driveway.

I did that with my car when I had overheating problems and I haven't had one since. If that doesn't work, take it in to a shop for a compression test

 
Rep Power: 214

Well is the car actually getting hot. Kinda touch the radiator or coolant pipes and see if they are extremely hot. I say do this cause if the temp gauge is going crazy like going up and down then stay down then go up down again then it might be the coolant temp sensor. I would try getting the fail safe thermostat that is designed backwards to where if the thermostat gets stuck it stays in the open position. The things I can only think of is the coolant temp sensor, thermostat or the radiator is clogged.

 
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its getting hot. the rad hoses are hot (the lower one is slightly cooler). i think the temp sensor is good beacuse like i said it can run good for a day or so sometimes. im going to flush the system out tomorrow and clear out any air pockets.
would there be any more signs of the head gasket going if that could potentially could be the issue??

 
Rep Power: 214

Things you can tell if its a had gasket. The car can either smoke, there can be sediment in the oil on the dipstick, coolant where on the o2 sensors (they will be completely white. Sediment in the coolant. And there are some more but forgot. If any of those things are there then its the head gasket.

But do the rad flush, and see if that helps if not then thermostat. And if not that then maybe the radiator.

 
Rep Power: 512

Oil looking like a milkshake (coolant mixing in the oil) is another symptom.. I've never personally seen it though.

 
Rep Power: 208

Take the radiator cap off and run the engine. If it bubbles a little and does not stop, then it's a bad head gasket. It may still be bad even with out this symptom.

Do a compression test.

02civicsi02: The car will actually steam from the tailpipe. Not smoke.

 
Rep Power: 214

Thanks for correcting me .