Civic 2004 1.6 overheating

richardsheil

A friend just bought this car.

not being savvy he didn't know that heater not throwing out warm air was not good.

Came to me this evening and the temp gauge was on max and there was a very hot smell.

Opened rad cap and it sprayed out

Topped up with water in expansion and radiator.

Engine wouldn't start- no firing, eventually did start and ran smoothly ( a bit suprprised)

No codes on code reader.

Running smoothly, upper rad hose hot, lower one not hot, pipes to inside not hot.

I am thinking head gasket but hoping it is thermostat( but top rad hose being hot has me worried as that would indicate open thermostat)

What do you think-
is it an airlock?
a thermostat?
headgasket.

Any help appreciated.

thanks

dooroy

How long has he had the car ?
Was there any sign of a coolant leak - or is there any warning light for low coolant level ?
If there is a leak the level could have dropped enough to cause overheating - no output from heater due to low coolant.
When you topped it up it could have an airlock - some engines are more prone to this than others. Does this engine have any bleed points for getting air out of the system ?
If it hasn't squeezing the hoses a number of times could help get coolant through.
Sometimes you need to rev the engine a bit to get coolant through the heater.
If you get the heater working then drive the car and see how it goes.

greasepalm

Yikes not sounding good,temp on max not good as it could have blown head gasket and next morning will be the test to see if engine turns over.Top up coolant and think there is a bleed screw new stat housing which needs to be opened to let trapped air out.Squeezing the big hoses can help also,when running car keep an eye on the gauge and have heat setting to hot it should get warmer inside.
Rad fan should come on about or just after 1/2 way to show water is circulating normally.
Keep a an eye on oil and water levels to make sure nothing bad is happening.

richardsheil

Car is 1.6 auto. He has owned it around a month.

Will try a compression test, probably a new stat and a good bleeding and look for a leak.

Any doubts on compression we will stop right there.

Anybody know if the auto engine is different to the manual one as second hand ones seem cheap ish but may not be compatible?

Great suggestions there guys.

greasepalm

If head gasket is gone engine will run on 3 cylinder then 4 when water is displaced.
All engines have their own engine code logbook and engine should match details.
Unsure if manual engine differs from automatic as one uses flywheel and other torque converter.

dooroy

Do you know was it driven far (or for how long ) in this condition ?
Any sign of oil film on the coolant surface ( or on coolant cap)- or has oil begun to look 'milky' ?
If the low coolant level was initially caused by a leak ,and car had not been driven far then all could be OK.

richardsheil

Engine oil and cap are perfect. Engine is running beautifully.

Measured compressions today all around 10bar.

Changed thermostat today and bled the system.

All working well, beautifully warm inside, fans switching on and off. All good. Engine silent and smooth.

Left it run for half an hour while we had a cup of tea.

No heat inside. No new water on ground.

Told owner to get to our mechanic to diagnose whether it is a leak or head gasket. Out of my scope at this stage and not prepared to lie on wet ground to look for it.

Hopefully the head gasket repair is fairly straightforward if that is what is needed as the rest of the car is good.

Thanks for the help

greasepalm

Car needs a drive to get air bubble out of interior rad and keep an eye on temp gauge as it goes for a run around the block having checked levels before and after when COOLED.

richardsheil

greasepalm wrote: »

Car needs a drive to get air bubble out of interior rad and keep an eye on temp gauge as it goes for a run around the block having checked levels before and after when COOLED.

Air bubble was gone as the heater was toasty.
It has returned.

greasepalm

Ok if heater was toasty and now not maybe water level has dropped again,was it topped up after it cooled down.Is exhaust emitting plenty of white smoke to indicate possible head gasket.Engine needs a pregnancy test to say if combustion gases are in cooling system.

richardsheil

greasepalm wrote: »

Ok if heater was toasty and now not maybe water level has dropped again,was it topped up after it cooled down.Is exhaust emitting plenty of white smoke to indicate possible head gasket.Engine needs a pregnancy test to say if combustion gases are in cooling system.

Yes, mechanic will have to do that.