Reader Question

Hi,

I was checking your website and its great how you are helping out people like myself with common automotive problems.

I need your expert opinion about an overheating problem I am having with my car.

Car: Honda Civic 1996
Motor Miles: 130,000

Problem: The car does not overheat in normal driving conditions. But with the air conditioner turned on, when I am pushing the motor to more than 5000rpms, the needle starts creeping upwards from the half way mark and then comes down again when I settle down to between 3-3500rpms. Also while driving uphill, the car starts overheating and I have to turn the air conditioner off so that the temperature settles down. While driving on highways or in stop and go traffic there is no overheating problem.

There are no coolant leaks, no signs of head gasket failure, water pump and thermostat were replaced last year when I was replacing the timing belt. Radiator fins look fine from the outside and are not clogged. Radiator fan’s airflow is normal as well and it turns off and on at the right interval.

The lower radiator hose has a slight bulge at the part where it connects to the thermostat. I think it needs replacement, but I don’t think that is causing any overheating issues. I got my valves and timing adjusted from the Honda dealership, thinking that it might be a timing related issue. But that didn’t solve the problem.

Now the only thing that I can think of is a clogged radiator core. I would appreciate it if you could give your expert opinion on the above problem.

Sorry for the long email, I wanted to be accurate with the problem description so as to give you a better picture of the problem. I appreciate your feedback on the same.

Regards
Naeem

Hello Naeem,

I would be highly suspect of a restricted radiator that needs to be replaced……….not flushed, flushing will not remove the rust and mineral deposits at the bottom of the radiator. You can buy a fairly inexpensively from your local auto supply rather than the Honda dealer.

Blessings,
Austin Davis