Rep Power: 0

I'm going to college up in the mountains, and recently i've been going with some friends driving for fun. We drive around "exploring" as it were with my navagation system for fun roads. Anyway, last outing we found a particularly fun gravel road with some great corners. The problem is that my temperature guage has been unusally high lately since that outing. I've looked over the engine bay, checked all the fluid levels(radiator, oil, transmission), everything looks to be fine(no leaks as far as i can tell, no wierd noises or smells). I was wondering what i might check, and what i might look for in the future if this gets worse. Right now there is no check engine light, and the temperature guage is right about in the center or a little bit above. (horizontal)

My car:
2002 civic ex 4 dr auto.
mods: aem short ram intake

The car was in an accident about a year ago, I had the radiator and engine mounts replaced, no problems since then. The temperature guage used to be around 1/4, or at about -45 degrees from the horizontal.

Any help would be great! thanks!

 
Rep Power: 284

take the radiator cap off and check the level in the radiator itself. Make sure the surge tank has the proper amount of fluid in it.

If that doesnt help, replace the thermostat because it may be stuck.

If that doesnt work, have the radiator tested for any blockages.

If that doesnt work, there are numerous other more serious issues it could be. Check the water pump and the head gasket.