Rep Power: 0

Hey all...I've owned this 2000 Civic Ex for about 3-4 years and sometimes it has overheated in the past. Usually it happens while it is idling for a long time and the temp gauge needle will start to climb but has never gone into red. We changed out the thermostat twice but basically used the "Duralast" brand from AutoZone. I took it in recently to get the timing belt service performed and it got a new timing belt, new drive belts, new water pump, and a coolant change but don't know if the coolant was flushed. The mechanic had told me some of the stuff was actually melted on the car and showed me the timing covers which were melted from it overheating before. It overheated again last night and the temp gauge needle went about 3/4 up before I was able to turn the heater on and get it back down to normal. The mechanic told me to get a genuine Honda thermostat for starters but what else should I look into? The car has 179,000 miles on it and has no engine modifications done. Thanks for any help!

 
Rep Power: 185

Does your radiator fan kick on? Also, you can flush your radiator to see if it is plugged.

 
Rep Power: 0

I know when the mechanic put it back together he waited for the fan to come on to check that...but not sure if it is dysfunctional. I'll have to wait for at least Monday before I can get any work done on it though like a coolant flush.

 
Rep Power: 313

If your car has a history of overheating and your doing the timing belt you SHOULD change your head gasket as well. OEM honda thermostat is the ONLY one I recommend and most others will cause overheating issues... Fan could be a problem.

I'd never reuse coolant once its out but I bet ya a lot of shops would.

 
Rep Power: 0

When the mechanic changed the timing belt he put actual genuine Honda coolan back into the car. I verified this cause it's light blue and we had I believe green coolant in it before. We didn't change the head gasket. I went back to the mechanic and his wife (?) said don't waster money in coolant flushes. She suggested changing the head gasket cause it might be blown...but it's not showing any signs of a blown head gasket. Now the car is overheating not just at idling but at any time. I opened the hood one time and the fans weren't on at all (A/C and Heater was off) when the car was overheating. So it must be the fans or maybe the engine coolant temperature sensor??

 
Rep Power: 0

Also I got a Honda thermostat and Honda coolant but am waiting on a radiator hose cause the front upper hose has a bulge in it....

 
Rep Power: 313

Bulge is dangerous because the hose could blow but it shouldnt cause overheating. You need to flush the air out of the coolant system. Air pockets will cause overheating. If that doesnt work you need to look further into what the issue is.

 
Rep Power: 0

My dad checked out all the sensors and switches. It seemed like the engine coolant temperature switch (thermo system switch) would/could be the only issue so I just bought a new one. Now the fan is turning on when it should. We also replaced the duralast thermostat with the genuine honda one and the hose and coolant. I think there was an air bubble in the system after we did all this cause the car was running hot yet again and then there was no coolant going through the lower hose...but we fixed that and I think the car is good now. I ran it for a while and it didn't get hot at idle or while driving. I'll be keeping an eye on it. Thanks for all your help, guys!