Sarahwv2910

2004 Civic LX - I'm having some overheating issues and need to know what part/s to order. I had it worked on a few weeks ago on the side and have a list of parts replaced - head gasket (sent to machine shop), radiator, thermostat, numerous sensors (he didnt list which ones), sensor in the thermostat housing. He said I need a sensor for the cooling fan switch because the fans arent turning on like they should. Also said I need a new "hose". He is now nowhere to be found, wont answer calls or texts, so now I need to find someone else to do the work. I need to know WHAT to order before I have it worked on. I dont loose coolant unless it gets hot. No heat rising and it holds coolant great. Before it was a head gasket and a leaking radiator. Those are now fixed but still having some minor overheating issues. Temp gage will raise, turn on defrost fans and it will drop. Sometimes, if its really hot outside it will get almost to the red before it drops dramatically. When it drops fast I can feel the cooling fan kick on.

About 2 months ago I had a shop put new cooling fans, a relay and new radiator cap on it.

Any suggestions?

mikey1

it still sounds like your head gasket is the problem to me

alex_nyc

the switch is right near the thermostat. maybe you need a honda part instead of a no-brand part.

keep bleeding the air out of the coolant system

the heater core could have a leak too! bypass it for a while to see it thats the problem.

overheating is very bad, so turn it off when its too hot! if it already got too hot, you may need a new head gasket already.

drhawkinz

Does the temp gauge move when it idles or have you driven it?

I'd try driving it up on a ramp and burp the radiator to make sure you don't have an air bubble in the coolant.

I can't feel the fans kick on in my car so I'd sit there and let it idle and watch them to see if if they turn on or not. If it starts getting toward the top of the temp sensor pull over and pop the hood and see if they are on.

Sarahwv2910

Ive had it back a week. The temp gage has gone to the red once but I was able to pull over, turn on the defrost fans and get it cooled. It will climb but doesnt go above 3/4. He bled the system but only once. I can bleed it again. Fans are NOT coming on, so I know its got something to do with that. I can order a honda switch and have it put on.

drhawkinz

I think you want part 16 from this diagram: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...+PUMP+-+SENSOR

Sarahwv2910

Stop and go traffic for the last hour and it started getting hot. Pulled over, popped the hood and the cooling fans are not on. Ive now got the engine off and the radiator fans blowing waiting for the temp gage to drop so I can fill up the coolant cause I know its low again. It burns up when the gage climbs. Ive checked and checked for a leak and cant find anything unless its gotten too hot and boiled the coolant. Then I can see dripping underneath.

mikey1

how is the coolant level in the overflow bottle?....is it at the top? high? completely full? if so thats your head gasket

Sarahwv2910

Reservoir tank was very low, almost empty. I filled that up first and then filled the radiator

alex_nyc

after all that coolant gone, it sounds like a bad head gasket or bad head! does it blow out steam when its hot? any sign of water anywhere?

when you turn the AC on, doesnt it turn on your fans?

if you post your city, maybe someone here has a mechanic to help you.

Sarahwv2910

No, the only fans running are the radiator fans. No steam, no white smoke, nothing. Just heat and loss of coolant once it gets hot. I fought with it all evening trying to keep it cool.

Im in Charleston, WV.

On a good note, the guy that worked on it last just called me and is going to put the parts on it tomorrow. Im praying this fixes this issue and it becomes the reliable car again that its always been...

ezone

Why does this sound like some clown off of craigslist?Um, the sensor whose wires stick out toward the front? That sensor in the thermostat housing WAS the fan switch.
Overheating is never minor! It only takes one good one to trash the head gasket that was just replaced and warp the head.

Someone has to figure out what is actually wrong first.



Maybe start with figuring out if the wiring at the fan switch on the thermostat housing will turn the fans on.
Disconnect the switch and use a paper clip to bridge the two wires in the connector, turn the key on and see if the fans start running.

Sarahwv2910

He may have said that... im not a mechanic so am not sure what all he replaced. He works for a shop here but is doing the work on the side so we both save money. We're going to work on it tomorrow and hope it doesnt overheat again

mikey1

if it has already overheated then chances are the head gasket is toast

Sarahwv2910

The temp gage got about 2 or 3 notches below the red and I was able to pull over and let it cool down. It hasnt hit the red yet.

alex_nyc

theres no way to tell the exact temp or if there was damage

if you continue to loose coolant, IMO its either Head gasket/warped head or heater core leak.

Sarahwv2910

Im only loosing coolant when it gets hot tho. It didn't get hot driving to work or to lunch and back and the levels are normal

Sarahwv2910

Next step is going to be flush the heater core and see what it does. Another head gasket fix will have to wait til we've exhausted all other options. The mechanic wouldn't work on it last night because it started to sprinkle.... guess he thought he'd float away. So im taking it to the shop my friend uses and dropping it off for the day to see if they can diagnose it and work on the heater core

mikey1

alex_nyc

I had to stop working on my civic several times yesterday due to the rain too!

To save time you might want to bypass the heater core and see if that's the fix.

pjb3

I doubt there is a problem with the heater core. Heater cores leaking in Civics is rare and a leaking core is usually pretty obvious. A small leak will usually show up as fogging on the windshield at the defroster vents and a bigger leak will dump coolant out of the floor heater vents. Antifreeze also has a sweet smell that would think you would notice if the leak was anywhere in the heater.

ezone

Accurate diagnosis and quality repairs save money.



This thread sounds like the equivalent of rewiring an entire house then discovering the lamp was just unplugged.

mikey1