2001 Honda Civic overheating

Asked by GuruVH5VJ Aug 24, 2018 at 11:45 PM about the 2001 Honda Civic EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a Honda Civic Ex 2001 and I have been
having ptoblems with it overheating. Fans weren't
working, fixed that issue. Also, changed the
thermostat and topped off the coolant. There is no
obvious leaks. It heats up to about half way, normal
temp but after about 15 minutes gradually goes to
H. What else can be the problem??

4 Answers

60

I'm not shur about that model or year of car but I had a 99 civic had same problems, I finally found online a radiator that was double in size capacity, installed it and it was fine ever since. Also when you fill up coolant raise fronr of car on jack stands and let it run at operating temp until bubbles stop coming out . Strange but true. It's a honda thing. But it works. Maybe verify the radiator size, but I know they had undersized radiators for awhile, then when they are older even if they did ok they build up stuff inside and cant keep up with engine. I got aftermarket fan and double sixes radiator for 70$ problem solved, hope you have same luck.

6 people found this helpful.

Perhaps the radiator is dirty inside or outside. Try a flush but a new radiator is pretty cheap.

10

I got the same model vehicle and it overheat bad i took the thermostat out and it still over heats, HELP

1 people found this helpful.
20

I have a 2003 Honda Civic LX and I’ve been battling this intermittent overheating issue for 2 + years (since I bought the car) and before that the previous owner was as well and she owned the car for 7+ years and had it in and out of Honda dealerships..it’s a good running car ,zippy, great on gas but this seems to be a common occurrence with these models so let me tell you what has helped for me thus far....replace the radiator..no Duralast universal one size fits all dealio..go OEM Denso (Rock Auto has OEM Denso radiators dirt cheap..for your civic year..exact replacement brand new for around $50, meanwhile Autozone’s Duralast replacement (which the part fit up isn’t exact I’m told and cumbersome,might have to hillbilly a few things for the hose ports to line up runs over $100 bucks..thanks but no thanks Autozone,I’ll take the first choice..then while you’re at it, once again add an OEM thermostat from Hondapartsnow dot com (where I got mine, around $30) or wherever you fancy,maybe rock auto carries that as well just do it and make sure it’s OEM..replace upper,lower rad hoses with fresh new ones(around $20 for both,rough estimate)..you don’t have to but for $10 bucks I replaced the coolant over flow tank with a new one as well as the small connecting hose which is connected to it that runs from the bottom of the overflow tank to the radiator cap..new radiator cap as well OEM ( cheap too) autozone carries this little hose attached to the reservoir and radiator cap in store..Think it was prestone brand..(super cheap).. guess I kinda buy from all over..another hint..before you slap all this on flush and back flush your upper/lower hoses with a garden hose real nice and good with crappy old rad disconnected ..I realize this is basically refreshing the whole cooling system but it’s not that bad price wise and an investment and will help by process of elimination for troubleshooting especially if you use OEM original..I did the work myself because I wanted it done right and not rushed and half assed while being tacked with a $300+labor with cheapo crap parts Bill ..takes around 4 hrs depending what rustiness and breaking bolts you run into..another thing,pull them GD pinch pressure clamps off that whole area while you’re in there replacing the hoses..them things suck and are a pain in the butt..horrible ,lose pressure overtime and cause you more overheating issues/coolant loss issues..replace with screw type worm clamps that are worth a F for peace of mind, save you future hassle..I put mini worm clamps at the bottom of the overflow tank as opposed to that little paperclip Honda put on it to save on production costs and little cheap spring clamps..even at the rad cap but don’t over tighten as them rad ports are plastic..it’s ok,some people say leave the stupid springs, but I’ll go with the replacement worm clamps that the Haynes Honda Manual suggests..replace the transmission cooling tranny fluid spring clamps that attach to bottom of the radiator as well with worm clamps..both ends..I buy jumbo bags all sizes at Lowe’s..just be careful with ports and cooling fins on rad when your doing install..I watched three or four videos on YouTube prior on pulling different techniques and execution as well as pulling tips from Haynes Manual..after all is flushed and attached refill with prestone 50/50 premixed Asian car blend specifically designed for All Hondas all makes and yearss..and burp system while still jacked ..make sure to take a pic with your cell of saved radio stations and have your radio anti theft code on hand as you will need to pull and disconnect battery to do all this safety without fear of frying something electronic,anyhow you will have to remove the battery to unbolt the coolant reservoir from where it attaches and wraps around the cooling fan that sit passenger side in front the radiator ..you really don’t need to remove the cars front grill to do any of this..that’s optional,I chose to just remove the black plastic near the radiator fill port near the hood latch to do all this just by removing this only and loosening the condenser brackets for wiggle maneuver room..it takes a few Phillips or flat heads 3 4 5 6 I forget and can be done by gently prying the plastic back near the hood latch..hope this helps, helped me but if all else fails,roll with coolant always,keep and eye on your temp gage and shut that engine off to cool before you hit the red zone,drive with the heat on and windows down if you have to..sometimes on long commutes and be sure your splash shield is tucked where it should be as I’m told this being missing or hanging,damaged can cause overheat at highway speeds..something about how the wind is designed to flow to the rad,don’t know how true this is but I did have it overheat after install then realized when I jacked the car up for this work it took that(slash guard) out of place and left it hanging but after it overheated I realized that the jack clipped it and left it dangling and once I pressed it back into place where it’s supposed to be ,didn’t have a problem.. surprised I didn’t lose that slash guard on the highway but luckily when I found it it was barely hanging on still left hanging on the front tow hooks.

2 people found this helpful.

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