My car is overheating and I can't find out why?
I bought an old 96 Honda Civic from a friend and it's been sitting for while. It's been started every month or two. He told me it runs and drives but overheats and he can't find out why. I've changed the thermostat and the radiator and after the car warms up for a bit it still overheats and coolant even boils in the overflow tank. Also white smoke comes from the exhaust manifold area.
These are why mechanics exist. If it's safe to drive, take it to a local Honda place that has a repair shop, or other local repair shops, and ask for estimates on repairs. See what needs replacing now, and what can wait. Once you find out what exactly is wrong with it, look online and see if you can do it your self, and get the parts online or at auto stores. Otherwise, choose the repair shop that best fits your budget. Estimates are free at modern repair shops.
The two most common causes are a leaking head gasket or an overly-lean fuel flow. Do a compression check on the cylinders - That will show if one is leaking. If that shows OK, start looking at the O2 sensors - They tell the engine computer what the oxygen content of the exhaust is, and they are usually the culprit in a lean fuel condition.
The head gasket is likely blown. Get a chemical analyzer and test the head gasket.
It's definitely a blown head gasket. That's going to cost somewhere between $600 and $1000. The car's probably not worth much more than that, but you were a dumbass and bought it without having a clue how to diagnose car problems. There are probably other issues with the car because it has been overheated, and cars generally don't blow head gaskets unless they've been pretty badly abused. Good luck because you're going to need a lot of it with that old heap.
Too bad he didn't give it to you. A blown head gasket is expensive to fix.
Hi so stop being such a skin flint and replace the radiator cap.
YOU may also want to check the cooling fans to make sure they are working, check water pump, check for any crimped hose, flush out the heater core, also make sure the thermostat is opening and there's good circulation of coolant through out the system.
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