91 civic temp gauge

Discussion in 'Civic' started by NoOne, Jan 6, 2005.

  1. NoOne

    NoOne Guest

    Hi-

    Just picked up a '91 civic dx hatch for $150 for the wife to get back and
    forth to work.. Runs good, a/c works, no rust - a pretty good deal I think.
    When it was driven home approx. 15 miles and parked, it smelled pretty hot
    from outside, but temp gauge was in the middle for the whole ride steady as
    could be..The car had been parked for about 3 months without being run at
    all during that time.
    So, I put about $250 into it the next day for battery, wipers, front pads
    and both sides rear brake wheel cylinders, drums and shoes, 4 quarts
    max-life, a haynes manual and a new oil filter
    We put it up on her uncle's lift and started working. I told him about the
    hot smell driving home the night before, so we pulled the t-stat & he boiled
    it and found it to be working. Put the t-stat back on and now the temp gauge
    goes crazy. Goes up and down rapidly, seemingly with no rhyme or reason.
    it'll show hot (all the way up) when driving at a steady rate, then go back
    down to the middle less than a mile later, then go to all cold and suddenly
    shoot back up to the top. This happens while driving at a steady pace,
    accelerating, sitting still, basically all the time.
    Did we foirget to plug something back in when we took out the t-stat? He
    looked at the manual to make sure to put the t-stat back in correctly. Is
    there a sensor we could've broken? Nothing looks abvioulsy amiss to my eyes.
    Any ideas?

    Thanks.
    --
    NoOne


    "There's a man racing towards third...."
    Harry Caray
     
    NoOne, Jan 6, 2005
    #1
  2. NoOne

    motsco_ _ Guest

    --------------------------

    Your rad has to be FULL when you open the rad cap, and the reservior has
    to be full to the line. You may have to bleed air out the nipple, near
    where the upper hose goes into the head. Your fan sensors and the guage
    sender are 'full immersion' devices. They won't work right if they
    aren't surrounded in coolant.

    Don't put any tap water into your cooling system. Use R.O. or distilled.

    'Curly'
     
    motsco_ _, Jan 6, 2005
    #2
  3. NoOne

    Joseph Wind Guest

    Make sure the reviver is intact. The plastic bottle form cracks after a
    while and start leaking. I would drain the entire system and put in a fresh
    mix of anti-freeze (if you live in a cold climate) and Distilled water. If
    you don't use anti-freeze, use an additive, like Wet-Water or Water Pump
    Lubricant. Then check for leaks. Also check to see if it changes when you
    have to heater turn up of off. Also check to see if the electric fan is
    working.

    It is possible your radiator may be clogged or the water pump needs to be
    replaced.
     
    Joseph Wind, Jan 7, 2005
    #3
  4. NoOne

    A Guest

    Make sure your radiator fans, er one radiator and one condenser fan. I
    gotta ask, did you put enought coolant in it and if so is it 50/50 mix or
    antifreeze to water ratio? Too much water or antifreeze is both equally bad
    and make sure there are no air pockets in the system. Honda's are bad about
    this thats why there is a bleeder screw on the thermostat housing where the
    thermostat goes. Its a little nipple looking thing and I believe its 10mm
    bolt type thing. Just top off the radiator and reserve tank to between min.
    and max. when cold. After the levels are correct observe the level in the
    reservor tank before and after you bleed the system with the engine running
    at operating temperature. I hope this helps, Craig.
     
    A, Jan 9, 2005
    #4
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.