i have a b18b that i recently replaced the head gasket. now i am experiencing some overheating problems. i cheked the relays and fuses and all are fine and in working order. the fan also turns on aswell. the thermostat seems to be working( the top radiator hose is hot). when i drive it normaly it does not over heat until i run it hard and then i starts to over heat. i can get the temp to go down if i keep it around 3k. dont know that to check now.

thanks

 

First thing, replace the thermo if you haven't recently. It's possible it's sticking and not openning fully or even just seized halfway so it still allows flow but not fully. Regardless, they're not expensive and not really hard to get to, so it's good idea anyway.

Next issue you may have is the fact that your running a larger, more performance oriented engine with a stock Civic half sized radiator. Depending on how old your car/radiator is, that can also play a factor and if you don't have A/C or removed it, you need to block off that opening or most of the air will just skip right past your radiator.

In my opinion, you have 2 options. Go for bandaid solutions or upgrade your cooling system. I use the term bandaid but it's not as bad as it sounds. Running a higher precentage of water than a 50/50 mix for coolant and adding something like water wetter will help keep the cooling system from boiling under heavy load. If you live somehwere it gets cold in the winter, your going to have to drain the system and refill for a 50/50 to keep it from freezing and damanging the block. A lower tempurature thermostat and higher pressure radiator cap will also help. If you want to just fix the problem and not worry about, a radiator upgrade is the best solution (besides, it's a Honda, we have these options). I used to risk overheating my '92 CX/B18C1 hybrid with a lot of high speed (85-90 mph, just keeping up with traffic) highway driving on really hot days (that's better than 4000 rpm with a GS-R tranny). I upgraded my car with a fluidyne radiator and never had another problem. Just something to consider.

 

Couldn't he just get a full sized Integra radiator.
I like how my CRX radiator is a full sized one like an Integra and is overkill for cooling.

 

If your not using A/C in a civic, you can use the Integra radiator. Good suggestion. I decided not to do it with mine because I was considering a turbo and wanted as much room infront of the engine as possible. Integra radiator will fit but you need to custom make the lower mounts and chop off the stock civic A/C mounts.

Edit: Since somone's probably going to mention it too, there is also a dual core (twice as thick) radiator that you typically find in Del Sol VTEC's but you can usually pickup an aftermarket stock/replacement part that is dual core as well for less money than a fluidyne. A good investment if you just want a modest increase but like I said, I decided to spend the money and just get a fluidyne.

 

i have run the stock radiator for about a year now with no problems. im going to replace the thermo first and ill keep you posted. thanks

 

well i replaced the thermo with no avail. how do i know if the water pump is going out?

 

well I mean with the car running and it at normal operating temps try feeling the radiator hose... just to see if its running fluid through it.

 

i did a flush yesterday and got lots of sediment to come out. i then refilled it and "burped" it just held the motor at 2k - 2.5k to help push out the air and seems to be running fine. if have any more trouble i guess ill be changing the radiator to a dual core. thanks for the help guys.

 

People hate to hear this, but don't spend too much time tracking down the problem, a LOT of times it's the HG. And you waste all this time and energy tracking it down, because you're in denial.

-PHiZ

 

why the hg?