Civic - Honda :: 1998 - Overheating / Temperature Drops Back To Normal When Reach A Consistent Speed
Mar 10, 2011
1998 Honda Civic EX. This has been a great car and have got a ton of good miles on it. The problem that I am having now is with the temperature gauge. The measurement is completely all over the place while driving. While moving around town, the gauge shows the temperature VERY hot. As soon as I reach a consistent speed, the temperature drops back to normal (moves very erratically!). The gauge seems to get even hotter while idling. Another issue (may or may not be related) is the heat coming out of the vents is only working while the car is in motion. While stopped, it pumps out cold air. The temperature immediately changes when I get going again. Both problems seem to be getting worse. The car has coolant, and all other levels of fluids are normal.
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I have had my 1998 Honda Civic for about 5 years now... I bought it used. Occasionally I have noticed my oil levels have been low every 2 months or so. Oil is not being burned and doesn't leak. It hasn't affected performance from what I can tell. I have basically monitored the levels and everything has been fine. There was also an electrical issue since I have had it.
About 8 or 9 months ago, I noticed the temperature gauge was basically in the red while driving. I pulled over and noticed the oil was reading empty. I put oil in it and took it to the shop the next day. They told me the head gasket was bad and that the oil and coolant were mixing and recommended I replace the engine. I asked them how long I could manage before the car quit entirely and he said maybe a month, two if I kept doing oil changes.
I put the heat on while driving it, and the temp was normal. I took it to another shop the same week. They couldn't get it to overheat for a couple hours. The guy told me it was probably the fan but wouldn't know unless he could see it overheat. He said the fan would cause it to overheat at stoplights when there wasn't air on the engine. When the car gets hot, it doesn't get worse at stoplights and is only after I've been driving like 20 minutes that it heats up. I asked that he call me as soon as he knew what it was and I would decide whether I wanted it fixed that day or not. Then I didn't get a call for awhile, and when I called them, they said the guy was out getting the part. I felt like they were rushing so I would replace the fan. I asked if it was the head gasket because I didn't want to fix a fan if the engine needed to be replaced. They said it was not. I didn't replace the fan. They also told my husband that we could save wear and tear on the engine by putting the air conditioning on instead of the heater. When we do this, it overheats. Its only when the heater is on that the temp stays normal.
I have been driving the car for 8 or 9 months now with the heater on with no performance issues. It doesn't overheat and even when I forget to put the heat on it goes up to the red, but doesn't "overheat" with the steam and whatnot. It doesn't seem to do anything to affect the performance of the car. We have replaced the radiator cap, which had pieces falling off, and it didn't work. The check engine light came on yesterday and the code indicated something to do with the transmission.
We took it to a third mechanic today and he said I needed a new thermostat... I do not see any sort of film in the oil. We just flushed the coolant today and there was no sign of oil. I'm totally lost on what to do. I feel like the mechanics have lied to me about what was going on. They contradict each other and the little things they told me don't seem to be the case or don't work.
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I have a 2004 Honda Civic that has about 183,000 miles.The problem is that when I start my car in the morning, the car never totally warms up when it's cold outside (I live in VA), until I press the gas pedal and rev the engine. Until I press the gas pedal, the temperature gauge stays at cold, and the heater blows cool air. I've taken it to the dealer 12 times for the same issue, but they can never find the real problem.
They flushed the A/C hoses and radiator, replaced the radiator cap, installed an upper hose, installed head gasket, water pump, and while there, the timing belt. They've also "burped" it numerous times. Also, when I have the heater on and fan on high, the temperature gauge drops as I'm going down a mountain and not pressing the gas pedal. After driving, and I stop, it also slowly drops while idling for about 5 - 10 min.
When it's warmer outside, I don't have any problems, because I don't have the heater on. This has been going on for about 1 1/2 years now, and it's starting to get cooler again, so I need to get it fixed or sell it.
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For reasons I can't figure, the Temp gauge on the wife's Explorer is shooting from normal to high in just seconds. Then, it drops back to normal. When I looked at it this afternoon, I noted 2 things.
1) There was no sign of a coolant leak or overheating.
2) There wasn't ANY coolant in the tank!!!!!!!
The truck has evidently been running fine while this is going on.
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I have a 98 f150(4.6 V8) that has 'seemingly' overheated for about 5 seconds twice in the last month. I noticed the temperature gauge went all the way up after about 1 mile of travel, then it immediately fell back down to normal. The truck has 198k miles.
I flushed out the system using a Peak Flushing Tee, replaced the thermostat with spring facing the engine block, and refilled the system.
I haven't had another overheating instance but I am having problems with my heater....the truck seems to warm up fine and the heat starts off working well. The temperature gauge reads normal for a few minutes then drops and I lose the heat. The truck blows cool air for a while, then will start blocking hot air again.
I believe the water pump has been replaced fairly recently...the pulley has no slack and I don't see any leaks or wetness around the pump or its weep-hole.
I read it could be a blend door or blend door actuator. I don't hear any funny clicking and obviously get some heat.
Should I try another new thermostat? Intermittent water pump problems?
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I have a '98 Honda Civic with 230K miles on it. Last month, I suddenly saw few drops of coolant on my garage floor. I opened the hood and saw coolant splashed over the engine. I opened the coolant reservoir and it was empty. Surprisingly, the car never overheated and neither did the temp needle go up. I took the car to the mechanic (Honda shop) and they said that the radiator is leaking. I replaced the radiator and after driving for couple of weeks, the same issue re-occurred.
The coolant ran low in the reservoir and there was coolant splash over the engine. I took the car back to the shop and they said that the hose was not properly installed. They fixed it and said there is no sign of leak. I have been driving for a week now and check the coolant routinely. I have noticed that the coolant level has again dropped significantly. But, after the last fix, I do not see any visible sign of leak. There is no evidence of coolant anywhere under the hood. I am not sure if there is something else going on now. Is there something else I should check?
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I have a 98 honda civic ex with the d16y8, have replaced the map sensor and iacv and still have a fluctuating idle only when car is warm or at operating temperature. it has dc sports racing headers into a straight pipe then exhaust tip. does not have any o2 seniors on it(wasn't my choice was like that when i got it) will idle up and down between 1700 and 2200 rpm also after replacing iacv the car jerk when going at low speeds or letting off then getting back on accelerator.
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Our 2005 Mazda 3 appears to have a problem with the thermostat. My mechanic read a check engine light code connected with a thermostat problem. My wife has noticed that the car seems to take longer to reach normal operating temperature than it used to (close to 15 minutes of driving). Other than probably diminishing the gas mileage and having to wait longer for nice heat is there any down-side to this problem? Is it likely to get worse and fail altogether? The shop guesstimates it will cost around $150.00 to replace.
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I have a 96 honda civic that I can't seem to figure out why its overheating. I've changed the water pump, thermostat, radiator cap, and cleaned the system a number of times. It only seems to overheat when I'm on the free way and up to speed. When I get to my destination I see that the water overflow is full of water like to the top of the filler, so the water is being ejected out of the system. It also seems to have a lot of pressure in the system.
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My '97 Honda Civic overheats when driven at high speed on the highway for more than an hour. I've changed the thermostat and the radiator fan, but it still does it.
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Well, I'm still driving the same old 1998 Honda Civic DX two-door coupe, and I've got a problem with overheating. The temperature gauge needle doesn't get quite to the red, but it's popping up higher than usual, and I'm concerned to see it getting anywhere near the red. It usually spikes when I get off the highway and stop at a light, but it also does it occasionally in a drive thru, and recently, I discovered that when I give it a little gas in neutral, it brings the temperature gauge needle down to normal.
Here is the history of recent repairs and troubleshooting:
-About 3-4 years ago, I had a leaky radiator replaced, so the one that is in there isn't very old.
-Last year I had a mechanic replace the thermostat, the radiator fan, and the radiator cap when I started having this problem.
-A few months ago, I had the timing belt serviced (the entire kit, not just the belt), but since the water pump looked fine and the car has so much mileage (275,000 miles), I opted not to replace the water pump. (I regret that now. I usually replace the water pump with every other timing belt, but I've learned my lesson.)-I've been to several shops to get a diagnosis, but they have a hard time getting it to overheat at all, so they can't diagnose it.
One guy suggested the water pump might be worn out (inside, without leaking outside). Another guy suggested that "if it was the water pump, you would know it's the water pump." Each mechanic has done a pressure test on the cooling system and a flow test on the radiator, and they all say they are fine. One mechanic theorized that I might have a very small head gasket leak, but nobody else thinks that is the case and there is no sign of coolant and oil mixing. Besides, the temperature gauge has never been in the red.
-One mechanic who tried to diagnose the problem recommended replacing the plugs, plug wires, rotor, and distributor cap. After doing that, it is running better than it was, but that didn't resolve the overheating problem. He also retarded the spark timing, but it is self-adjusting, so it re-advances itself after a couple days of driving. I can hear what sounds like minor knocking, but it's always made that noise since it was new.
-Everyone who has tried to diagnose the problem says the thermostat is opening and closing as it should, and the radiator fan comes on and shuts off when it should.
I'm done getting second and third opinions, and I'm ready to start throwing parts at it. Do you think I should start with the water pump? What are your thoughts? Don't tell me to replace the car. I just bought a new motorcycle.
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'98 Coupe, manual trans, zipping along, car lurches, tach dial drops to zero, power comes right back on. Lights on dash don't go out. Happens randomly, no rhyme or reason and no code. Once it a while stalls out, then can be rough re-starting. Checked VIN, no recall for ignition switch. Last time I went to start engine, heard clickety-click, a burp, then started.
If I rev the engine when it happens, that tends to keep it from stalling out. Problem's getting worse.
Been to two service stations and dealer. They tell me to keep going til it quits, then get towed in and they can run the diagnostics. But what if, the next day, they start it up, it runs okay and won't blip or quit on them? More driving along til it poops out and then gets towed again and again?
Distributor, TD-80, not the original. Could be igniter or coil? Ignition switch? Main relay? Fuel pump? Bad ground?
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I have never seen any of my other cars do this and I just want to see if this is normal. It happens like clockwork every time I get in the car with a cold engine. I let the car sit while the RPMs are high and as soon as the tach drops I start to drive the car softly. The engine temp gauge reaches normal operating temp in a normal amount of time, it does not just jump to the middle. But after about 1 minute it just starts falling quite quickly, as you can see in the video. It's very predictable - happens every time I drive it so it was easy to catch on video. I don't notice any difference in engine performance. Is this normal for a VW GTI or is something wacky going on?
You can skip to 19-20 seconds in the video to see the needle drop.
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Just noticed the other day when when rolling up or down the window on my 2010 corolla, when the window reaches the upper / lower stop and the switch is held down, the idle speed drops and the engine stumbles. Alternator ?
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Ok, this is something I have been battling with for some time now. Recently the problem has gotten rather bad.
I have an 01 Honda Civic EX automatic that I have been babying to get it to run somewhat smoothly, but with the seasonal temperature change it has gotten worse. The car does not want to shift from 1st to 2nd and will only do it once I reach 20mph, this was normal for about 6 months. Now the car will not shift when trying to move from a stop. My thinking is that it has not downshifted into first. I had the transmission rebuilt 2 years ago. There is a slow transmission leak but I have kept it topped off. Sometimes it will not shift from 3rd to 4th... this is new.
My thought is that the shift solenoids are worn out and need replacing.I do have random misfires, but I think that is a separate issue.
Also, it has almost no problem when driving from a cold start. It gets worse the more you drive or after the engine has reached running temp.
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My car is a 1998 Honda Civic. The left turn signal blinks at double speed when the headlights are off. When the headlights are on, it blinks at half speed. Should I replace the left-sided bulbs? Or the turn signal relay? Or something else? None of the bulbs are out in the front or rear.
One other fact: If the hazards are on with headlight OFF everything blinks in synchrony. If the hazards are on with the headlight ON the front blinkers flash alternating (left-right-left etc).
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So every morning I get in my car and start it up. Usually, It starts right up, hit 1.5K RPM and then drops to almost dead (~3-400RPM) and then goes back up to a normal idle. This has always concerned me but never thought too much of it since the car goes right back to normal after a few seconds. Today the car did the normal startup and then died. What is causing this?
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ive actually owned 4 volkswagens one of which was a 2002 big turbo gti which made 325whp..... so now i have a 2005 Jetta GLI with about 41k on it. This car has a serious idle problem. Start up is fine and it runs great and hits boost perfect. It has a 6 speed, APR chip intake, forge DV, and DP. When i come to a traffic light and come to a complete stop after about 10 seconds it hiccups and the idle drops to abou 600 and then back up to normal idle. It will also do it if i just leave the car running in neutral it will randomly stutter. I have new spark plugs and new fuel injectors and i only use 93.
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Two things are going on with my car. First, when I drive at freeway speeds and turn on the heater, the car temperature drops and then I hear the sound of a tea kettle going off. Second, I hear an off and on sound coming from under the hood on the passenger side. It sounds like metal scratching on metal or like a soft whistle sound. 1997 Honda Accord LX
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my 1990 Nissan 300zx with 136,000 miles often surges at highway speeds for several seconds then drops back down to normal. the surge is usually 1000 rpm. does not happen if not in overdrive, and will not happen unless having been driving for 15 minutes or so. also seems to occur more on hot days (80 degree +) than on cool days. mechanic has looked at this several times but not yet able to determine why.
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About 4500 miles ago, I had the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and all the accessory belts replaced and now, the water temp gauge sometimes rises rapidly from "normal" all the way to the "red" and back within about 15 seconds! This is on a 2006 Elantra GT
Should I replace the "coolant temp sensor" or do I have a real problem that needs repair?
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