93 civic overheating..HELP!

i own a 93 civic lx with 198,000 miles on it. just recently i have
been having problems with it overheating. Just last year I had to
replace the head gasket and the cylinder head. However, now it is
beginning to overheat again. My fans are not turning on, but i did
jump the wire to test the fan itself and it does work.

today i replaced the coolant temperature sensor and when i cranked the
car, the engine light came on. I decided to let the car idle for
about half an hour and it never overheated nor did the fan turn on.
however, right about half an hour it started running like crap again
to the point that it almost felt like it was goin to shut off. i push
the accelerator and i get the white smoke, so i know that is the head
gasket. as for the engine code, it was a code 6, which is the coolant
temp sensor! why is this? and why isn't the fan turning on at all?

thanks for your help

 

Believe your indications. The most prominent is that you
have white smoke coming out the exhaust. With everything
else, the first thing to investigate is whether the head
gasket repair was done properly. The next thing that comes
to my mind is whether the mating surface for the gasket was
milled to flatness again. When the engine overheats, this
surface can warp.

Who did the work? Did they say they had the head surfaces
milled?

On the fan not going on, my guess is a different sensor
activates the fan.

 

Actually me and my dad did the work with the gasket and new head. I
have had nothing but cooling problems with this car since a got it in
2002 at 135,000 miles. It has been a constant battle. I know that
usually if the thermostat is closed shut the fans will not turn on. I
am going to check that after the rain quits. I can deal with doing
another head gasket this weekend but until then i need to find out
what is going on with the fan. I have had this problem before but it
was the fuse under the dash that was blown, it's a different problem
this time.

thanks

 

Little caveat on getting the fan to turn on: Even with
everything working, 40+ minutes in winter temperatures may
be required before the appropriate sensor gets hot enough to
turn the fan on. I base this on numerous coolant changes
(accompanied by air purges, which require the fan coming on
twice).

I trust you are hearing me re the possible flawed head
gasket job: The metal surfaces to which the gasket adheres
need to be checked for flatness.

I would not monkey with the fan at this point until I was
sure the head gasket was not blown again. Steam (white
smoke) in the exhaust, along with signs of either coolant
loss, oil in the coolant or vice versa, means the gasket is
blown.

 

oh yeah i definitely hear you on the head gasket issue and the white
smoke, event though it only gives smoke when i'm idling or sitting at
a light. I'll try to have that taken care of this weekend because
there is no doubt in my mind that that has become the bigger issue
here. As far as the fan goes, I have pretty much narrowed it down to
the thermosensor on my thermostat housing. I jump those wires and the
fans began to run, which tells me the sensor is probably bad so I will
have that installed by nightfall. Its been a wonderful rainy day in
Tallahassee and I've been stuck outside working in it. Thanks for all
your help!

 

To be a tad more complete, the factory service manuals (free
online) at
http://www.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html are pretty
good for troubleshooting the cooling system and sensors.

For the 93 Civic, try especially the 95 Civic manual, the
90-94 Concerto manual and the 89-91 CRX manual.

Check back, some others will undoubtedly post with good
counsel. Good luck!

 

wow, great website. thanks. I can cross reference that with my
Hayne's manual. Just bought a new cooling fan switch that fits on the
thermostat housing. I plan on taking care of the head gasket deal
this weekend. thanks again for all your help

 

just an update....me and my dad have pretty much decided that i should
try to find a used or rebuilt engine. i may have a cracked block and
to avoid dealing with this situation continuously(which this same
exact thing happened this same time last year), we are just going to
replace the whole thing. if anyone has any places in mind that i can
get a really good deal on a used or rebuilt engine please let me
know...but keep in mind, i am a college student..however, i know i'm
lookin at around 900 dollars or so. i'll start calling the junkyards
now....

 

Search the net using words like {Honda engine used}. This
comes up now and then, and I have read on the net about used
Japanese engines being available. It's definitely worth
exploring. Check for the warranty. I think you should find a
low mileage one for $900 or possibly quite a bit less.

Your local import shop may also have a good connection for a
used engine.

An update is welcome. Lots of folks asking about this these
days.