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01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
brandonrainbolt@yahoo.com
May 13, 2009, 11:39 AM
Post #1 of 5
(12063 views)
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01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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2001 Honda Civic
Hang in with me here. I need to give some background on the issue(s). I've taken it to 5 different shops, and have gotten conflicting reports, and no solutions. The car has 170k miles.
The first problem I experienced with this car was overheating while not moving at 40mph or above. When I would stop at a light, or in traffic, the car would get hot. If I was moving at a decent speed, the temperature would come back under control.
The first time I brought it in, NTB couldn't really see any problem, so they reccommended a coolant flush, thermostat and radiator cap replacement. I did that, and it seemed to deal with the issue for a few weeks. After that, it slowly started acting the same way.
At that point, I brought the car to a Honda dealer, and was told that the head gasket needed to be replaced. Looking for a second opinion, I brought it to a small shop run by a buddy I trust to tell me the truth, and he could not find any problem with the head gasket, and said the symptoms I described (even though he didn't see them) were inconsistent with a head gasket problem, so he replaced the thermostat again with an OEM part, and again, that dealt with the overheating for a while.
The problem started slowly coming back, and it also started running slightly rough when I would first start it up. After 5 seconds of idling, the car would run smooth. All of a sudden one morning, the car ran so rough at startup that it would not stay running so I had it towed to another NTB. That shop also told me that the head gasket needed to be replaced, so again, I brought it to my buddy, and as soon as he tried to start it, it behaved nomally. It started normally, and it would not overheat, even after hours of operation.
I left the country for a few weeks at that point, and had my Buddy keep an eye on it. He ran more tests, and found an error code indicating that the Electronic Load Detector was faulty. He replaced it, and didn't have any problems with the car while I was gone. I picked the car up two days ago, and it ran fine, with the exception of again running slightly rough when I would start it, but again it was for only 5 seconds.
This morning, the car would not start. I towed it to a Goodyear, and upon arrival, it started and ran just fine. They don't see any issues with the head gasket, and are going to keep it overnight to see if they can duplicate the problem tomorrow.
So at this point, I've had 5 shops look at it. Two of them replaced the thermostat. Two of them said the head gasket needed to be replaced. Two of them said they don't see any problem. That seems like fuzzy math, but my Buddy replaced the thermostat even though he didn't see any problems first-hand.
Any ideas?
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dmac0923
Enthusiast
May 13, 2009, 12:03 PM
Post #2 of 5
(12048 views)
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Re: 01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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check to make sure the fans are coming on before anything else
__________________________________________________
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2002 Ford Ranger
2004 Toyota Corolla
1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1
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Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran
/ Moderator
May 13, 2009, 5:23 PM
Post #3 of 5
(12036 views)
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Re: 01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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Agree with dmac, 100%. To add, when the overheating occurs, is the coolant level dropping? Are you having to add, at all? When you are moving, you don't need a fan. But, at stop and go type driving, the fan(s) must come on to provide air flow through the radiator. The rough/extended crank/start issue may or may not be related. If the head gasket is leaking coolant into the combustion chamber, that can cause a rough run condition. Of course, there are many reasons that can cause a rough idle. If the coolant level is dropping, the CTS could be causing an overfueling condition which will cause a rough idle, as well. The cooling system can be checked for exhaust gasses. Has this been done?
Loren
SW Washington
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hothonda
Anonymous Poster
lry65@yahoo.com
Aug 12, 2009, 6:03 AM
Post #4 of 5
(11917 views)
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Re: 01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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I have the exact same issue, with my 03 honda LX, i have replaced the ELD, thermostat, water pump, relays, to no avail... driving me nuts  , i have 135k, havent taken it to a honda dealer, frankly I have no confidence in them. Anyone help me please? I have seen others with the same issue, but havent seen a positive result, Head gasket is fine , no water in oil or coffee colored foam. there's gotta be something im missing. Thanks all for listening. Cheers
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Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran
/ Moderator
Aug 12, 2009, 11:44 AM
Post #5 of 5
(11913 views)
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Re: 01 Honda Civic mystery problems (overheating/running rough)
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hot honda; First, it's best to start a new question than to add to one that is so old. A head gasket can leak, causing overheating, without getting water/coolant into the crankcase. Are you having to add to the cooling system? Any steam out the exhaust? Cooling fans coming on? Exhaust gasses leaking past a head gasket into the cooling system will 'superheat' the coolant and over-pressurize the system. Easy test. Chemically, or with an exhaust gas analyzer.
Loren
SW Washington
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