so i change the thermostat and the spark plugs along with the ignition wires because they got fried. But it seem like it still keep over heating, the things that it does. first it the antifreeze from the radiator gets thrown back to the plastic back up bottle thing next to it (ya know what i mean, not sure what is call) but from there the antifreeze will start to pour out in vapor cuz the engine starts to get hot. also the top of the radiator not the cap but the top will be hot too, and since am not the best to fix cars i want to know what it can be? can it be the water pump? or the head gasket? so if any one knows what it is let me know!! Oh yeah its a 93 civic Ex Automatic 1.6 Vtech with 200xxxmiles
I've been trying to get my car to stop overheating so far i change the thermostat but it still overheats why?
It could be a lot of things; check the following;
1. clog radiator
2. bad radiator cap
3. water pump malfunctioning
4. fan is not working properly
5. loose belt
6. bad thermostat
7. low level of coolant
8. leak in the system
9. blown head gasket
Let a good Honda mechanic check your car. Hope this helps!
I've been trying to get my car to stop overheating so far i change the thermostat but it still overheats why?
Are you certain you installed the thermostat in the right direction? I have known even experienced mechanics to install a thermostat backwards. Also have you checked to make sure your cooling fans are turning on while at idle (When the engine is warmed up or hot) if the fans are not kicking on when you are moving slow there is not enough air moving through the radiator to properly cool the fluid. check the fans make sure they are working correctly. If they are, I would remove the thermostat and see if you are still having an over heat issue. if you are I would look at the radiator and see if the core is becoming clogged. if it is, not enough water is passing through the radiator to provide proper cooling. that means you need a new radiator. this should resolve the issue.
sounds to me like your not actually filling the system. if you are not sure about what you are doing then the coolant system can appear to be full while almost being empty. this is because it is a sealed and pressurised system, so you have to play by certain rules. but sounds to me like you have a lot of air and not much coolant blowin around in there. i would let someone with more experience look at it for you (and they can show you what to do for next time), or get a nice repair manual to walk you through the procedure. but be careful, every time you overheat you run a risk of doing serious and expensive damage to your engine so dont take it lightly.
I have only once seen a thermostat cause engine overheating. It is helpful to know when it overheats - when idling or creeping in traffic, or when driving down the freeway, or both.
If it overheats at idle and low speeds but cools down on the freeway the problem is almost certainly air flow. When it is overheating and you look under the hood the radiator fan won't be running. That is usually a bad fan but in Hondas the fan relay can be troublesome. You can try turning the fan by hand (with the engine cold - it can start even with the car off when the engine is hot!) to see if it is binding up. For a '93 that is a top suspect.
If it overheats on the freeway or all the time the radiator is the prime suspect. If tap water has been used to dilute antifreeze the radiator is probably plugged with hard water deposits and will have to be replaced - flushing won't help hard water deposits.
The final suspect is a bad head gasket, which is both caused by and causes overheating. You can test that by removing the radiator cap when the engine is cold, starting the engine, placing the palm of your hand over the radiator neck (where the cap was) and pinching closed the hose that goes to the reservoir. If you feel steadily rising pressure - or worse, pulsations as the cylinders fire - within 3-5 seconds the head gasket is bad.
Get a new radiator cap, make sure it has the proper pressure rating for your vehicle. If its worn out, it will let radiator boil over into plastic over flow tank.
Also you can try running an coolant additive called Water Weter. Just a few ounces of this will drop your engine temperature by at least 20 degree's.
