My Civic Never Reaches Operating Temp But Overheats At Stoplights
Posted in Internal Engine Parts | Asked on Feb 5, 2012
I’m posting this in the maintenance category and the Honda category to get more opinions 
I have a 1998 Honda Civic dx coupe. Since a week ago, my engine temperature gauge never reaches halfway like it used to. Now, it only points about 2/5 (or like 40%) up the way of the gauge (sorry, it doesn’t list degrees). However, if I sit at a light in the hot sun for like 5 minutes, it starts to point past halfway, like 60%. When I start driving again, it cools back down to about 2/5s again. It has never reached the red mark on the gauge, but since I live in FL, I’m afraid of what will happen when the weather starts reaching 100degrees out. It doesn’t heat up at all if I’m at a light or parked and the weather is nice or cloudy, only when I’m in direct sunlight.
I checked the coolant, it’s filled to the max mark and is clean and bright green. I put my car in park, looked under the hood, and the fan was on and blowing cool air. What could be the problem?
OK, the air wasn’t “cool” per se, it was like air that comes out of a regular table fan at home. I consider that cool but I don’t know, I guess you could call it “regular air”.
There are 5 Answers for "My Civic Never Reaches Operating Temp But Overheats At Stoplights"
Fans not running right ,check fan relays
Fans blow regular air, not cool air
I had the same issue with my Honda. A fan was broken so it’d overheat when i was sitting still, but while i was driving, enough air would get under the hood to cool it off. I had to be going about 45 mph though or else it’d still over heat.
but you said the fan wasn’t broken so really i have no clue.
You need a thermostat!
Get it to a shop, sounds like the fan isn’t working under the hood. You need to get it looked at asap before more damage possibly happens.
Well…its your thermostat,It helps regulate coolant so that your engine runs at its best efficiency level. The thermostat closes and stops the intake of coolant to warm the engine to operating temp, then opens to variable positions according to coolant temp. It cant do this if its sticking in one position. A simple fix. Hope this helps.