HiImBrandon

Hello all,

I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but no expert, which is why I would like a couple more opinions from the forum. I have a 97 Civic LX that started overheating during a hot Florida day yesterday. It has overheated before, but once I topped off the coolant, it would stop. It would normally happen when the AC was on and I was stopped somewhere, but turning the heat all the way up and starting to drive again would bring it back down. This time the temp shot up and turning the heat all the way up did nothing, the car still blew colder air. I immediately pulled off the road. The side of the motor was spraying off coolant and it was smoking from under the hood. Luckily I wasn't too far from home and managed to make it there. The oil is still brown and all the coolant leaked out underneath the car. Any ideas what the problem could be? Let me know if you want pictures of where the coolant was leaking from if that would help. Really struggling with money at the moment so if this is something I could fix myself that would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

ezone

You DO realize that overheating can do serious engine damage, right?
Sometimes all it takes is once.



You may as well post them, let's have a looksee.

HiImBrandon

I am aware. Like I said, every time before the temp gauge even started to climb, I immediately turned the heat on high and it went down or I shut the car down until temp decreased then I would add coolant and the problem would go away for 1-2 weeks.

I will post pics of where the leak is coming from in an hour or so once I get to a computer.

HiImBrandon

This is where coolant is leaking out from underneath.

ezone

I don't see any fingers pointing at anything in the pic LOL so I guess you mean it's leaking antifreeze from under the distributor?

If so, you probably have a bad heater hose that's right under the distributor, and they typically fail because it's been oil soaked from leaks like the distributor O ring and valve cover gasket.

Be aware of possible engine damage from overheating. Head gasket failure and whatnot. Sometimes the damage isn't apparent right away either.

HiImBrandon

Yeah, sorry, I actually just took better pictures and was going to circle what I think is the heater hose in paint. It's the one that runs towards the back of the engine bay, correct? How difficult are the parts you listed to replace? The hose, distributor o ring, and valve cover gasket? I'd rather replace them all if it's just going to happen again if I only replace the hose.

ezone

Yes, I think it goes from the cylinder head to the water valve.

Easy for me, but I do it for a living. I can't assess your toolbox or skills, but I think it would be very basic level repairs.

Couple things here....
Pull off the distributor cap, see if there is a bunch of oil inside there. If there is, it needs a distributor housing.

See if it needs a cap and rotor, since you are gonna have it apart. Any other tune up parts needed now?

I make a reference mark from the body of the dist to a point on the head area so I can reinstall it exactly as it was before, see this pic:




Mark doesn't have to be exactly as in the pic, just somewhere so you can get it back on in the exact same position it came off.
If you pull it out without marking it, you will need to find a timing light to set ignition timing.


This is the O ring at the base of the distributor that usually leaks oil (pic may not be for your car, but it's similar):




Valve cover gasket replacement is very basic. Don't strip or break any of the bolts.

Hose replacement is basic but getting trapped air to burp out of the heater system may not be easy. Probably easier to reach and work with while the distributor is out of the way.

HiImBrandon

All this info was great. I got the o ring replaced, hose replaced, and no leaks anywhere else. Only problem is now the distributor won't go back in all the way. There's about a 1/4" gap between it and the head. I've tinkered with it for what seems like hours and it just won't sit properly. I've lined the grooves up and everything. Any suggestions?

ezone

DO NOT TIGHTEN ANY BOLTS OR YOU WILL BREAK EXPENSIVE THINGS!!!!!

Drive lugs are not aligned with the camshaft.
Refer to the above pic where it says "distributor end" and "camshaft end" with the huge circles.
OR maybe it's hung up on the new O ring (smear a little oil on that new O ring so it can slide)


With the distributor cap removed, push the distributor with your hands into the hole and slowly spin the ignition rotor (to spin the dist. shaft) until the drive end lines up with the slots cut into the end of the camshaft. When it reaches that point-- the entire housing should go the rest of the way into the hole with ease.

The drive lugs are offset just a little bit so it can only align at one spot. If it feels like it should have caught but it did not drop all the way in, then rotate it another half turn or so while you push by hand.

HiImBrandon

You were correct. For some reason the o-ring wouldn't get through despite it being about the same size as the old one. I got a smaller one today that worked though, hopefully that won't result in a leak? But I put everything back together and it won't start. I'm assuming I somehow messed up the timing?

ezone

A correct new O ring will fit tightly, it must be tight in order to seal properly. An old one will have shrunk and hardened, that's why it leaks.

You got a smaller one? How? You just picked one from a boxed selection at a parts store?
It may not be right. The ring has to be made from a material that is oil resistant or it won't last.
A correct O ring from a dealer should only be a couple bucks.($2.20 suggested retail)

Everything plugged in?

Did you pull the spark plug wires out of the dist cap? They must go in a certain sequence (firing order) around the cap.

HiImBrandon

I'll call Honda and see about getting the correct o-ring from them.

Yeah, everything is plugged in. Never pulled the plug wires out. It just keeps trying to turn over but no luck.

ezone

Ok, square one.

Spark?

Fuel?

Compression?




See how large an air gap your spark can jump. It should be able to throw a lightning bolt (arc) across about a 1/2 inch gap or more.

Pull out a spark plug or two and see if it is wet with fuel or dry.

HiImBrandon

Alright, I got the o-ring from Honda yesterday morning and it fit tightly, but went all the way in unlike the other one I had tried. I put the distributor back on and car started fine. Whatever the plug is that is connected to the distributor, I must not of pushed all the way down on until it clicked. When I first started it there was smoke coming off the header area but after letting it idle for 25 minutes or so it went away. I drove it to the gym and back (roughly 7 miles or so) with no overheating and no leaks. Hopefully I'm in the clear. I appreciate your help a lot, man. You saved me a good bit of money.