Rep Power: 0

Hey man I've been looking for a stage one camshaft where were you able to find one at?

 
Rep Power: 119

I bought mine from Jegs, but it looks like they're sold out. I can't find one available anywhere, sorry. I think this cam was discontinued.

 
Rep Power: 119

My Civic just started running hot at idle. What it does is it heats up to around 230 degrees at idle after a few minutes. It seems to overheat quicker if the AC is on and/or if it is idling in drive. But if I raise the RPM slightly to around 1200 RPM or higher, the temp comes down to a normal 180-200 within about 20 seconds, and it stays normal unless it's idling. I did a test where I sprayed the radiator with cool water while the engine was idling to see if it would still overheat, and it still overheats even with cool water running over the radiator. The car has a Mishimoto racing radiator, the coolant is clean and full, there is no air in the system, both fans are running, there are no airflow obstructions in front of the radiator, and the thermostat and water pump have been replaced about 1 year ago. The thermostat is OEM Honda, and the water pump is made by Gates. I am thinking that the water pump is bad and not circulating enough coolant through the system at idle to keep the engine cool. Does that sound reasonable? Thanks.

 
Rep Power: 103

sticking thermostat would be my guess. recommend you replace it with a stant superstat or another OEM or any other non-failsafe type

 
Rep Power: 119

Wouldn't it also overheat under load with a sticking thermostat though?

 
Rep Power: 103

i have had sticking thermostats where i would rev the engine a couple times, and then watch the temp drop, similar to what you describe

 
Rep Power: 119

The other thing I just noticed is that the heater won't work at idle either. I tried running the heater to see if it would still overheat, but the heater won't work unless I raise the RPM to around 1200 RPM or higher. Then the heater works great and it won't overheat.

 
Rep Power: 119

Weird. I would think that a car with a sticking thermostat would likely run hotter the more load it's under. Thanks for letting me know.

 
Rep Power: 519

Of your two guesses:
Thermostat is the cheapest and easiest to replace. Try it first.
If that doesn't solve your problem........then you can find out if replacing the aftermarket water pump will fix the problem (impeller clearance or wear or loose on shaft?)

 
Rep Power: 119

Wouldn't I still have heat at idle with a bad thermostat though?

 
Rep Power: 119

 
Rep Power: 519

You tell us.


Normally I would have guessed the radiator is low.....BUT
You already said "the coolant is clean and full, there is no air in the system" and so we all assume you already triple checked this TODAY before trying to figure if there's really another problem or not and making this thread

 
Rep Power: 119

That's what I thought. On my Dodge Stratus the radiator fan failed a couple of years ago, so I ran the heater at idle to keep the engine cool until I could change the fan.

 
Rep Power: 119

I just checked the coolant this morning. I actually jacked up the front of the car and ran the engine for about 10 minutes with the cap off to make sure that there was no air in the system too.

 
Rep Power: 512

you can always test your thermostat to see if it's operating properly. All it takes is a pot of water and a thermometer.

I don't remember the set points of the top of my head, but pull your thermostat, pop it into a pot of water and heat it up on the stove. If i remember correctly, it should be fully open at like.. 185 or 195F. If it opens just fine, cut the heat and monitor temps. Should close by like.. 135? Something like that. If it's working fine, rule out thermostat failure.

Sure, you lose a bit of coolant, but it sounds like you should have some coolant on hand.

 
Rep Power: 119

I completely ruled out the thermostat. I replaced the thermostat with a known good used one I have and it still does the same thing.

 
Rep Power: 119

So, possible your heat valve is not opening so your not getting heat out of your core.

Also possible your waterpump impeller is slipping or otherwise out of spec, or big chunk of rtv is clogging something up and maybe your radiator is crusted up inside so much it’s not letting much fluid through without the extra pump pressure.

Your heater core could also be crusted up..

 
Rep Power: 119

My heater core is new and the radiator is about 2 years old and clean. I think the water pump is bad.

 
Rep Power: 512

Didn't your company system explode on you fairly recently? Did you fix everything properly or more "good enough" fixing?

 
Rep Power: 119

When the heater core blew, I fixed it properly by installing a new heater core.

 
Rep Power: 119

I have no catalytic converter on my car, and the exhaust apparently stinks. I never really noticed much smell, but I'm used to this car, and I don't have a great nose. But a friend with a great nose got stuck behind me in traffic while we were going to eat, and she told me that my car smells terrible to the point where she had to turn on recirculate and open the windows in the rain to get rid of the smell. Is that normal for a car with no cat, or is something wrong? I would think that a modern car shouldn't stink that bad if it is running correctly, even with no cat. Anyone know what it should smell like with no cat? Thanks.

 
Rep Power: 519

ABSOLUTELY

People like you are the reason so many places require emissions inspections.
(hugs a tree)
Wrong.

Exactly what your car now smells like.
Also: Like any old lawnmower or other small engine that has no cat. But a car engine is bigger so there's a lot more of it.


The only thing that can really affect the "flavor" of the stink is the fuel you burn. I run 92-93 octane in my scoot and it smells a little different from the 87 in the lawnmower.

You should have been around back before the age of catalytic converters. The "stink" was impossible to escape, and if you were really sharp and sensitive you could tell if it was too rich or too lean by how bad it makes your eyes water. NOT KIDDING.

 
Rep Power: 119

Thanks. I didn't take off the cat on purpose for the record. It melted and I couldn't afford to replace it, I'll have a cat welded on as soon as I can afford to. Is a Flowmaster high flow cat okay?

 
Rep Power: 519

Depends on your expectations.

 
Rep Power: 119

I expect that it will not fail due to a flaw for at least 5 years, I expect that it won't kill my power, and I expect that it will do a decent enough job at cleaning the exhaust that it won't **** off the PCM. Will it meet my expectations, and if not, what will? Thanks.

 
Rep Power: 519

What's the warranty period on it?

How long do YOU need it to last?

 
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It has a 5 year 50K mile warranty, but I don't want to pay to have it replaced 50 times either. As long as it will last that period of time and will meet my other expectations, it works for me.

 
Rep Power: 519

Is it certified California CARB compliant?

 
Rep Power: 119

It's 49 state compliant.

 
Rep Power: 519

Pay?


Grab an original cat from a low mileage car in a junkyard and bolt it on?