2002 Honda Civic Coolant

2002 HONDA CIVIC
19,300 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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SHEILA MINDZORA
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My car overheated. It blew the overflow cap off and needed to replace the radiator cap and I have no leakage that I can see but have to put antifreeze in every day. not alot but alittle bit. I havent overheated since but after driving for a period of time ithe tempature guage goes up if im in traffic. Not everytime though. if i put the heat on it goes down and once i start getting airflow it goes back down. I have checked for leaks--water coming out of tailpipe, no wter in oil, no hoses leaking that i can see. am i just being over protected or could there be another problem that im not seeing? I thought maybe the thermostat needs replaced but I dont have the money to keep replacing parts that arent really broken. Could you please help me out?
Jun 17, 2010 at 8:54 AM
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KHLOW2008
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Hi sheila mindzora,

If you need to top up coolant often, then there must be a leak somewhere.

If the radiator fan is not working, the the high pressure would send the coolant out to the recovery tank.

Temperature dropping when in motion indicates insufficient cooling and did you check if the fan is working?
Jun 23, 2010 at 3:01 PM
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SHEILA MINDZORA
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The guage hasnt fluctuated at all. I dont see leaking anywhere. i dont have a cap on my overflow. Is it possible for me to have too much antifreeze in radiator and it backs up in resorvior? I was topping it off every day cuz it was to the top but for the last 3 days i havent and i still have coolant in overflow (to the top) It hasnt ran hot or anything and for few days i have been in traffic driving. i dont have alot of money to keep buying parts. The auto store said maybe i need a thermostat. I thnk maybe i just overfilled it. I have to go on a long trip and wnt to make sure it good. should i just take it and get a test?
Jun 23, 2010 at 3:23 PM
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KHLOW2008
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No, there will never be too much antifreeze in radiator. In recovery tank is possible. If coolant is being poushed to the recovery tank, either there is a head gasket problem, the radiator cap is bad, thermostat is stuck or the cooling fans are not working.

The reservoir should not have too much coolant in it. Check that there are no leakages in the tube between the radiator and reservoir. Any leakages would result in the radiator depleting while the recovery tank would overflow.
Jun 24, 2010 at 9:31 AM
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SHEILA MINDZORA
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thank you so much. i was told it could be the thermostat. guess i will try that now. fans do work. god i hope its not a head gasket. i replaced the radiator cap when i overheated but could it be bad again? again thank you so very much.
Jun 24, 2010 at 12:25 PM
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KHLOW2008
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The thermostat should have a rating of 1.1 Bar ( 108 kPa). Ensure it is of the correct specs.

If the thermostat is stuck, the upper hose would be hot while the lower hose would be much cooler.

If coolant is being pushed out to the recovery tank while the fans are working, then it most likely is a bad thermostat.
Jun 25, 2010 at 7:20 AM
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KURTVILLANUEVA
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did you found out waht the problem was?? ive found coolant allover my hood in the inside an the top of the engine and i was looking this up. i am not sure of waht the problem is.. any recomendations?
Aug 21, 2012 at 1:26 AM