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

I Have A 1995 Honda Civic EX. I recently was having problems with my air conditioner not blowing cold air, so I took it into a shop specializing in these repairs. They evacuated the system, and topped off the system with oil and r-134a. No leaks either.

After a day or so, It wasn’t blowing cold air. I notice that when the AC button was pushed, the compressor clutch did not move, nor did the condenser fan, and no cool air.

Today I turned on the system and noticed something: when I have the AC set to on, and firmly pressing and holding the air re-circulator button, the clutch and fan both move, and the system seems to function. My question: Is there possibly a bad connection at the button, or a short in this wire? Where exactly does this button locate to? The compressor? Your expertise is willfully and greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi there,

I would be very curious to know if the system was low on Freon again now. If the shop evacuated the system (means to suck out all the old Freon, compressor oil and any contaminates which might be in the system….which you usually only do when the system has been opened or a part was replaced in the system like a compressor…I am assuming they thought the system was low enough on Freon that it warranted evacuating it. Normally if an air conditioning system is low on Freon, you just add and top off with Freon and don’t evacuated the system.

You said the air conditioner worked fine for two days or so after they worked on it and filled the system with Freon. So my question is, is there a Freon leak somewhere they overlooked and is the system low on Freon now? If the system is low on Freon the compressor and the condenser fan will NOT come on…due to a functioning low pressure switch that is doing it’s intended job.

The only thing that IS strange though, is what you are saying you can do to the control head button to make the system work. I have replaced one or two Honda air conditioner control heads (the actual levers and buttons on the dash that control the air and heater) but I must say that is rare.

If you were at my shop ( and I suggest you return to the previous shop for a re-check) I would do this

1. Hook up my air conditioner gauges and see if you have a low Freon problem

2. Check to see you have power going to the compressor clutch and if not back track the power supply to the control panel until you find the problem.

3. Check to make sure the condenser fan is working properly and has power to it….if the electric condenser fan does not come on neither will the compressor.

Keep me posted

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Hi Austin:

My husband changed my electronic speed sensor on my 1992 Honda Accord LX 4 dr. but my speedometer still does not work. He also changed my brake pads today any connection?

It’s been a year since it was not working but I could gauge my speed because it would go to 10 and that was 40 miles and 20 would be 60 miles but two weeks ago it went haywire and stopped. Any suggestions?

Thank you–gale

Hi there Gale,

The speed sensor is located behind the instrument cluster in the dash. The speedometer is part of that instrument cluster. If you replaced that speed sensor and you still have problems you could have a problem with the instrument cluster itself. Do you have a speedometer repair shop in your area?

I would look in the phone book and see if you do and take the vehicle to them or give them a call. We would replace the sensor in my shop, but if there was still a problem we would send the entire car to a speedometer place for further repair.

I don’t think the brake pad installation had anything to do with it….you said the speedometer has been out for a year, and the brake pads where recently replaced?

–
Blessings,

Austin Davis

2003 Honda Civic oil pump failure

I hope you can give me some guidance on how to deal with recent car trouble. I brought my 2003 Honda Civic in for inspection on Monday and they told me that it needed a new battery, a new tire, and an oil change. Fine. I paid about $350 and got the car back the same day.
Previous to the inspection we weren’t having any trouble with the car.

Then on Wednesday — two days later — my husband is driving home from work and the engine seizes. He manages to get the car off to the side but the car is totally dead. He gets it towed back to the mechanic and this morning the mechanic tells us that the oil pump has failed and basically there was no oil getting to various engine parts, some parts are damaged, etc.

He said our options are: 1) buying a used engine for about $2300 2) buying a new engine for about $3500 or 3) getting a new car.

The Civic has 131,000 miles on it. We’re not opposed to getting a new car, but even if we chose that option would a 2003 Civic that doesn’t even start have ANY trade in value?? Would we have to have a used engine put in even if we want to trade it in?

This is all complicated by the fact that I’m due to have a baby on Monday. Today is Thursday. If you have any advice I would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

MB
Philadelphia, PA

Hi there MB,

Sorry to hear about your Honda, but excited to hear about your new baby…congratulations.

Did you guys check to see if there was oil inside this engine? Could the mechanic not have installed the oil after the oil change, or was there a major oil leak somewhere…like the oil filter??

I would look under the vehicle and around the engine to see if there is oil spilled everywhere due to a leak. Also pull the dipstick and make sure there is oil inside the engine…although the mechanic could have already put oil back in it by now.

Oil pump failure is very rare, and even more rare on a Honda….I kinda suspect something else happened here.

This is going to be a costly repair, so I would HIGHLY recommend you get another opinion before you do anything. Have you used this mechanic in the past? Do you have a good relationship with this mechanic…..do you trust them?

Has the timing belt been replaced? Could the timing belt have broken? If the oil pump fails, or there is not enough oil inside the engine….the RED engine light would/should come on the dashboard. You did not mention that?

If the engine is seized up completely the engine will not turn over or try to start when you turn the key, it will just make a clicking noise. If the engine turns over and over but wont start….the timing belt could have broken.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Dear Mr. Austin Davis,

First of all, thank you very much for having trustmymechanic.com for the public.

I have a Honda Accord 2001. Two days ago, while I was driving up to the hills, I had to stop and go in rush hours. I tried not to use the brake and stepped on gas and let go of it. Then, after a few times of stepping on and letting go of gas, I had to use my brake.

I am not sure if it was right after or a few seconds after, but after I stepped on my brake, I noticed that the indicators for battery, engine oil(?), and all doors and trunk in the dashboard were lighted on. I didn’t know what to do. I turned off my radio to figure out what’s going on. Then, I had to move forward.

So many cars were after me, and I had to move. When I let the brake go and hit the gas, it only moved backward. I hit the brake right away, but slight hit the car behind me. I heard people hunking at me so hard, but I couldn’t do anything. I put the emergency lights and stayed there for a few minutes. Then, I decided to turn off the engine and turn it on again. It worked and it’s fine for now.

I am afraid that it might happen again in the future. I am scared of climbing up to the hill now. I took it to Honda service this morning, but they couldn’t do anything about it. In the report, it says that they duplicated the situation but the problem didn’t occur. What an unhelpful test and comment it was, considering even after the event, I faced the same situation a few more times and the problem didn’t occur!

I got my engine oil changed last Wed. (a week ago, but four days ago before the incidence happened), and on that day, I smelled something burning very badly in the front part of my car. Would it be possible that Honda must have touched or damaged some code connecting the battery and starter when they checked my battery or other parts (they do this service along with engine oil change)?

Thank you very much for your answer. I know that it’s a time to get a new car, but at the moment, I can’t afford to anything new.
Sincerely,
Liz L.

Hi there Liz,

Thanks for the kind words. This is definitely a strange problem alright. My first thought would be there is an electrical problem, probably with the alternator or a lack of electrical grounding type of issue. I have seen a similar issue with all dash lights and gauges coming on, and it was a bad connection at the alternator that caused it.

Since the problem went away and has not returned…it will be very difficult to diagnose unless the problem happens when the mechanic has some test equipment hooked up to your car.

I would make sure that the Honda dealer checked your “battery load test” and the “alternator output”. At this point though, about all you can really do is continue to drive the vehicle until it happens again, and make note of anything else that you did or the vehicle did leading up to that failure point.

I don’t think going up the hill had anything to do with it, so don’t be afraid to do it again. Maybe there is another hill or incline with less traffic you can try out before heading back up there? Make sure you have a way to contact the tow truck driver DIRECTLY by cell phone just incase this does happen again leaving you stranded after hours.

EVERYONE should have at least one cell phone number to a tow truck driver that can take your car to a safe and secure place after hours. Also, make sure this tow truck company can bill your mechanic so you dont have to carry lots of cash in your car.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Hi, my Honda is only getting between 200-300 km per tank. A few years back it was going near 700 km. I had $600 worth of service done a few months ago. I change the oil every 3 months. Air filter has been changed. New spark plugs.

The car is running excellent but it did not improve fuel efficiency. It passed air care easily. I showed the air care report to a mechanic and he said there was nothing else he could do to help. Any ideas what could be wrong?

Thank you for your help.

Hello there,

If the engine is truly running properly, as the air check report SHOULD indicate. I would spend a little time investigating the following

1. Are you using the correct WEIGHT of engine oil? Probably 10W-30 should be used anything else would be too heavy and decrease mileage.
2. Double check your tire pressures. Under inflation is probably the biggest cause of poor fuel mileage.
3. Check the spark plug “gap”. Are the proper spark plugs installed, and is the gap between the electrode set correctly
4. Are the spark plug wires worn out and due for a change?
5. Does the car run ok? Did you have the timing belt replaced……then immediately after that you noticed this decrease in economy? If so, the timing belt could have been installed incorrectly just enough to affect the performance of the engine but not enough to show up on the air check numbers.
6. Try a different brand of gasoline, some brands put additives in the fuel that can adversely affect fuel mileage.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Thank you

Melissa

Hello Melissa,

I would say that this new problem IS probably related to the radiator replacement. Hopefully this is something simple like they left the a/c condenser fans unplugged…..let’s hope anyway. I would go back and stand firm on the fact that your a/c DID work properly before they did the repair work.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Got some questions on my 2003 Honda Civic (Date of Purchase – Oct 2003; currently at 62,000 miles)

1. Vehicle makes a hissing noise from behind (on and off, not all the
time) when accelerating or when trying turn — do not know when the hissing is caused. Looks like it is from the behind.

2. Pick up has deteriorated, should I change any transmission fluid?

3. Steering the vehicle has become much harder, any thoughts?

4. Steering wheel shakes when brakes are applied, not often, but very noticeable shake, when brakes are applied at higher speeds on freeways.

Looking forward for your responses.

Thank you,
Vic

Lastly changed radiator fluid at 45k miles, and not yet done the 60k servicing.

Hey there Vic,

The hissing noise could be coming from a vacuum leak under the hood somewhere. Open the hood with the engine running and look and listen for that hissing noise or any rubber hoses that might appear to be broken or not connected to anything.

Sometimes the air cleaner housing does not get re-installed correctly and this will produce a vacuum leak around the air cleaner/filter area. Double check to see if the air cleaner housing is properly fastened….some fast lube places are TOO fast and don’t do a good job of securing things.

This vacuum leak is probably responsible for your lack of power complaint too, so fix the leak and see if your top two issues are resolved.

The harder to steer complaint, could be due to low power steering fluid, so check and adjust the fluid level as needed first. I would also check the air pressure in the tires and inflate to the needed pressure, probably 32PSI.

If those items check out ok, I would probably want your mechanic to check the front end alignment and the front suspension for wear or looseness.

The shaking on brake application is due to “warped rotors” and you can learn more about that and how to resolve it from this link about brake rotors.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

I have a 1992 Honda Accord and the fan continuously runs after being shut off and it appears to be draining the battery. When I boost the battery, as soon as I hook up the cable the fan in the car starts running.

Insight into this problem would help a lot.

Cheers.

Dario

Good day to you Dario,

This could be tricky to diagnose.

There should be a radiator fan relay in the under hood fuse box. I would first try to swap out that relay with another relay (if there is another one in the fuse box that is similar…usually there is) or buy a new relay and pray that it solves your problem.

There is also a “cooling fan timer” located inside the vehicle in the driver side of the dash. This is going to be much harder to diagnose….and I am not sure how expensive a guess that will be to replace. If the relay does not solve the problem, I would call your local Honda dealer parts department and tell them your problem and see what they say. They should know which parts fail the most and what they sell the most of.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Mr. Davis

I found your website randomly and am really impressed by what you are doing. Very informative and helpful. Anyways I was wondering if you could give me some help.

I have a ‘94 Honda Accord that has served me well, but I am concerned about something. After driving around for perhaps 15-20 minutes, the engine temperature gauge rises very high when I’m stopped at red lights
or driving very slowly.

As I pick up speed, the temperature gauge goes back down to normal levels. This is bothering me, especially when I’m stuck in traffic as the
temperature gauge rises very high for longer than I am comfortable with.

Have you come across this problem before? Any ideas on what it could be? Thanks for your help.

-Paolo

Hey there Paolo,

Thanks for the kind words. I would first check the coolant level inside the radiator and top off with water as needed. I expect that your electric cooling fan motor located out near the radiator is not working.

This electric fan keeps the engine cool at low speeds and at stops, since there is not enough air flow naturally coming across the radiator to keep the engine cool.

The electric fan should be running once the engine is at normal operating temperature, and especially while the vehicle is at a stop.

Here is more information about this
Car Engine Over Heating Problems

Blessings,

Austin Davis