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car died... now what? - Page 2

post #16 of 27
9/22/09 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lbcgav View Post
This makes me think that the problem was actually the water pump. If you're driving on the freeway, the fan isn't really needed--the speed of the car allows plenty of air flow through the radiator. The fan is really only needed at idle.

yeah at the beginning, my car was only overheating in traffic. the last time it overheated though i never hit traffic and it was a cool day. buh
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post #17 of 27
9/22/09 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shellshock View Post
yeah at the beginning, my car was only overheating in traffic. the last time it overheated though i never hit traffic and it was a cool day. buh
That supports a fan-related hypothesis, especially now that you've ruled out the thermostat problem. This happened to a Jeep that I had before, and it turned out to be the fan controller that was the problem. Keep in mind that even on a cool day, your engine temperature is still much hotter than the ambient temperature. So, if you're not moving fast, there's not enough cool air to cool down the radiator. This is when it's the thermostat's job to tell the fan to turn on, but if your fan or its controller isn't functioning, there's nothing that cools down your radiator. As a result, your car overheats, even on a cool day.
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post #18 of 27
9/22/09 at 3:45pm
Good luck
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post #19 of 27
9/22/09 at 4:35pm
It's really easy to fix your car. I had the same car and it was the most reliable thing I have ever owned. There are only a few parts on the civic cooling system and they are very cheap. Easy thing to to is just replace them. Radiator sells for new with dual core on ebay for $50. Replace the thermostat in the motor and the radiator cap. If you have a new thermostat then just replace the radiator and cap. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Civic...=p4506.c0.m245 Should cost you $75 in total. Oh and your mechanic sounds like he sucks. Get a new one. Civic came with very small radiator so the jump to dual core will kill this problem in it's tracks. Hell even if the fan didn't work it wouldn't overheat.
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post #20 of 27
9/22/09 at 5:02pm
I can't see OP replacing her head gasket DIY

here's what the job entails http://hondaswap.com/general-tech-ar...ts-pics-71528/

doable and cheap but not for a woman who says she doesn't know anything about cars..

I guess if you're sure that it's the head gasket (by testing exhaust gas) then maybe you could enlist a handy friend to help you out, are you cute because that would probably help
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post #21 of 27
9/22/09 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Night Owl View Post
I can't see OP replacing her head gasket DIY

here's what the job entails http://hondaswap.com/general-tech-ar...ts-pics-71528/

doable and cheap but not for a woman who says she doesn't know anything about cars..

I guess if you're sure that it's the head gasket (by testing exhaust gas) then maybe you could enlist a handy friend to help you out, are you cute because that would probably help

The head gasket has got to be one of the worst engine components to have go. Given that the thing is spraying coolant, it's quite likely. It's an expensive job, so expensive that it won't be worth having done. I believe it will involve pulling the motor out. It certainly does in a Volkswagen. The car is scrap now, if that's the case.

Not that you shouldn't get a second opinion.
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post #22 of 27
9/22/09 at 5:47pm
And you start taking it apart to replace the gasket and find out that the head is warped from overheating
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post #23 of 27
9/22/09 at 6:00pm
You said it was spraying coolant. If it was a head gasket you would have oil and coolant mixing together. You would even have the car sputter and have coolant and oil out the exhaust.

If it's overheating and spraying from the radiator then it's not a head gasket.


Those motors sell for $500 and are easy to change. I wouldn't spend $1000 on replacing a ehad gasket when you could get a motor with less miles for very little money.
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post #24 of 27
9/22/09 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by turboman808 View Post
You said it was spraying coolant. If it was a head gasket you would have oil and coolant mixing together. You would even have the car sputter and have coolant and oil out the exhaust.

If it's overheating and spraying from the radiator then it's not a head gasket.
(...)

Those were my thoughts, kind of. You should be able to look into your engine compartment and see the dried anti-freeze on various components - that should give you a rough idea of where the leak is. Could be the radiator, could be a hose with a pinhole leak. You might alternatively start it up, drive five minutes, and then open the hood and watch for leaks or sprays.

Although, if your mechanic hasn't done that, then he sucks really badly.
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post #25 of 27
9/22/09 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Night Owl View Post
And you start taking it apart to replace the gasket and find out that the head is warped from overheating
Yep, have a machine shop resurface any aluminum head when replacing a blown head gasket. Warped heads are hard to see and any amount of warpage and you'll be doing the job a second time. I agree with Thomas - might be a hose leak or something as silly as loose hose clamp. Sometimes you can just grab a screwdriver and get lucky on this one. This is a stretch, but I had a car that overheated and it turned out to be trapped air in the heater coil, as it sat physically higher than the radiator. You needed to rev the engine a little while filling the radiator to fully circulate. Good luck!
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post #26 of 27
9/23/09 at 12:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas View Post
Those were my thoughts, kind of. You should be able to look into your engine compartment and see the dried anti-freeze on various components - that should give you a rough idea of where the leak is. Could be the radiator, could be a hose with a pinhole leak. You might alternatively start it up, drive five minutes, and then open the hood and watch for leaks or sprays.

Although, if your mechanic hasn't done that, then he sucks really badly.

the times it started to overheat i pulled over and checked the hoses, the fan kicked in, and i didnt see it spraying/leaking.
the last time it started to overheat was when the coolant was visibly coming out and there was like white smoke.

i took it to the mechanic the first two times, the first time he replaced the thermostat and that didn't fix it. the second time was when he said it was the head gasket, as he said emissions were coming out of the radiator. both times he couldnt get it to overheat and didnt see any leaking.

anyone know a mechanic in SF? i guess i will try one more opinion hopefully they don't charge to find the problem.
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post #27 of 27
9/23/09 at 5:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shellshock View Post
the times it started to overheat i pulled over and checked the hoses, the fan kicked in, and i didnt see it spraying/leaking.
the last time it started to overheat was when the coolant was visibly coming out and there was like white smoke.

i took it to the mechanic the first two times, the first time he replaced the thermostat and that didn't fix it. the second time was when he said it was the head gasket, as he said emissions were coming out of the radiator. both times he couldnt get it to overheat and didnt see any leaking.

anyone know a mechanic in SF? i guess i will try one more opinion hopefully they don't charge to find the problem.

Free opinions are usually worth what you pay, I guess that includes mine

Exhaust gas leaking into the cooling system and vice versa coolant leaking into the engine (white smoke) is going to be a head gasket (and possibly more) and I wouldn't waste $60 to find out what you already know
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