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Trust My Mechanic

Your Free Car Repair Advice and Auto Repair Help

Car Overheating – What Can it Be?

Austin Davis, October 11, 2013September 29, 2014

car overheatingHello Austin. I have a Honda Civic and is has been overheating a few time I Have taken it to a few different mechanics and replaced the radiator, all the hoses and also the thermostat. So why does it continue to over heat??? Any ideas I checked the coolant levels, leaks etc.. and nothing? please need your expertise.
Thank you
Lucy

Hi there Lucy,

Does it seem to overheat when you are sitting at a red light or idle speed for longer periods of time??

If so, I would check to see that the electric cooling fan motor at the radiator is coming on. That electric motor should cycle on and off as the engine heats up.

You might have 2 electric fans, 1 for the radiator and 1 for the a/c compressor. The a/c compressor fan should come on when you turn on the a/c and the compressor is running.

Get back to me with what you find.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Follow up

The fans are running properly and it overheats after driving it for about ten minutes and then it passes the H. A couple of times I had to stop because you can see like smoke coming from the hood but it was the water evaporating from the somewhere?

Hello again Lucy,

have you watched my engine overheating video? (below this post)

If you are seeing smoke from UNDER the hood, it leads me to believe there is a coolant leak somewhere under the hood which needs to be repaired.

Did you get a cooling system pressure test done to help find the leak?

When the engine is at normal operating temperature the upper and lower radiator hoses should be about the same temp, and the upper hose should have pressure on it and be kinda hard to squeeze with your bare hands…caution will be hot!

If the upper hose does not have pressure and can be squeezed easily then you have a pressure loss issue…due to a leak somewhere, even a bad radiator cap can cause this to happen.

Also check to make sure there are no air pockets in the cooling system, which can be hard to “bleed” out after replacing a radiator. Turn on the heater (which should be blowing hot air) to help remove air pockets as you top off the radiator with coolant.

Next time it runs hot, turn on the heater and it should be blowing hot air and help to reduce the engine temp. If heater is blowing cold air, that means there is not enough coolant in the system…due to a leak, or large air pocket.

My overheating video to help you rule things out

Keep me posted

Blessings,
Austin Davis

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