overheating, black smoke

HONDA CIVIC
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ATHENE
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I have a 1993 Honda Civic with 185,000 miles. Yesterday my wife told me it was idling and running "rough". I took it for a spin, at first it ran OK, but after it heated up it started running real rough and black smoke was coming from the exhaust. I also immediately noticed the temperature guage rise. The coolant/antifreeze was very low when I checked it. There was some grease/oil/grime at the radiator cap. I just replaced the radiator last summer so I do not think it is that. What else could it be?
Jan 10, 2007 at 6:23 PM
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BRUCE HUNT
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Being low on fluid can cause a problem with engine idle. Is the oilly residue in the radiator brown/black or reddish?
Jan 10, 2007 at 8:09 PM
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ATHENE
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it is black and gritty
Jan 10, 2007 at 11:30 PM
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BRUCE HUNT
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OK, with the engine running and the radiator cap off does the radiator emit bubbles. What does the oil look like?
Jan 11, 2007 at 7:30 AM