Rep Power: 0

I have a 2003 Honda 4 door Civic. It now has 173,000 miles on it About 2 years ago it started to over heat. The mechanic told me I had a crack in the radiator and replaced it. It still overheated. They replaced the thermostat. It was good for about a month and then it overheated again, this time with steam pouring out of the engine. It was New Years day in the boondocks. After getting towed to the only open body shop they told me I needed a new head gasket. I said no thanks. They thought also the new thermostat was sticking so they replaced that and I was on the road. On the way home, it overheated again. I had a friend drive to where I was 60 miles away and he took out the thermostat to get me home. I took it back to the original mechanic and he agreed the head gasket was blown. He had it taken off, sent out and put back in. Was fine for a few months and again it overheated. He thought the head gasket was blown again and was not done right the first time so he sent it out again and put it back on. Somewhere in all this I had a third thermostat put in. Well, it was fine for the past 6 months although I severely cut back on long distance driving and almost completely avoided any hills and mountains. 2 weeks ago it started overheating again. The temperature in in the 80s and 90s now. I am not sure any longer what to do. The coolant level seems fine. I just put a factory Honda radiator cap on and a new overflow cap as well. I am about to get a coolant system check up at the dealer but expect them to give me bs that the engine block has a crack. There is no leaks in the car. No burning oil and a clean dipstick. Thoughts?

 
Rep Power: 313

Probably a head gasket. Make sure your using an OEM thermostat. Chances are at this point with the overheating youve done some permenant damage (like cracked the block) or warped the head. When doing the head gasket are they checking the head for trueness? That's very important or the gasket won't adhere to where it's supposed to. My recommendation is OEM thermostat and see where you are. Has anyone checked the water pump or for blockages in the coolant system? There is a ton of crap it could be but generally once you overheat you can say bye bye to the head gasket. It's best to diagnose WHY the head gasket blew rather than saying the head gasket is the cause of the overheating.