Overheating Thermostat problem?

[ILoveMyEg3]

Alright em...
My Eg3 Isn't heating up quickly at all, and when it does the temp gauge only reaches quarter of the way up (not half). I thought it sounded like the thermostat but when im on a motor way, doing 55-60 Mph.. the car overheats and the temp gauge rises up past half way and up. It comes back down when I slow down.

This isnt a recent problem im having, its ongoing since I bought the car a year ago..

Any insights much appriciated :)

[Mr. Pink]

is your fan kicking on? have you had the system flushed? have you replaced the water pump,thermostat?

[teal_dx]

Check for traces of oil in your coolant. You may have a head gasket leak. Maybe they sold the car with a stuck open thermostat as a bandaid for the overheating. That's a horrible way to get around fixing the problem the correct way.

[elrompetoto]

same thing use 2 happen 2 me u have a stuck open thermis or no thermis when ur at a higth rpm the coolent is traveling so fast that it has no time 2 cool of in the radiator.

[teal_dx]

when ur at a higth rpm the coolent is traveling so fast that it has no time 2 cool of in the radiator.

I never thought about that... good call

[ILoveMyEg3]

Yeah the fan is kicking in, and she can sit in traffic all day long its only when im moving on a motorway doing over 50mph.. ah its wrecking my head..
Ill flush the coolant this week..
The coolant overflow is very dirty looking, but she is burning little or no oil, and i have changed the coolant since i got her..

To add to the confusion I had the local garage put a new engine in it before christmas. he said it was a 1.3 but he had to drill a hole in the side of the block so the petrol line would fit (because there was none).

Before i purchaced this car it had multiple engine changes...
Only now i realised the stamped plate about 2 inches under the head says D15B2...

Im confused cus the D15B2
Found in:
1988–1991 Honda Civic GL/DX/LX-r
1988–1991 Honda Civic Wagon Wagovan/DX
1988–1991 Honda CRX DX
1992–1995 Honda Civic LSi Hatch/Saloon (European Market)
1992–1995 Honda Civic DXi Hatch/Saloon (European Market)
1990–1995 Honda Concerto (European Market)
Displacement : 1,493 cc (91.1 cu in)
Bore and Stroke : 75 × 84.5 mm (3.0 × 3.33 in)
Rod Length : 134 mm
Compression : 9.2:1
Power : 92 hp (68.6 kW, 93.3 PS) at 6,000 rpm
Torque : 88 ft·lbf (12.2 kg/m, 119 Nm) at 4,500 rpm
Valvetrain : SOHC (4 valves per cylinder)
Cam Gear : 38 tooth
Piston Code : PM3
Fuel Control : OBD-O DPFI and OBD-1 MPFI
Redline : 6,500 rpm, 7,200 rpm rev limiter
Head Code : PM5
ECU Code: PM5/P04

(Specs From Wiki)

Even though there is a significant difference in hp between the D13b2 and the d15b2.. 0-60 times are very close...
I dunno what she is...
My boyfriend has a ej9 (D14a4) and my eg seems to have more pull

Im going to try the thermostat first and flush the system, probably be the cheapest and hopefully that will either solve or narrow down the problem..

[elrompetoto]

flush it
put a new therm and a new cap bleed the system

[teal_dx]

Dirty coolant in the overflow tank can be a bad sign.... is the coolant dark because it's old or is it dark and there's little brown/black things in it which would be oil from a leaking head gasket? Also when you take off the radiator cap, is there grey chunky goop on the bottom of the cap that looks like cookie dough? If so, that's a definite bad head gasket.

[chewse]

Hey guys my car's thermostat was removed a long time ago and most vehicles over 13 years old havtheir thermostats removed in my part of the world ( the tropics) because down here it seems like stuck thermostats are the primary cause of over heating and most vehicle work perfectly without the thermostat...I'm also under d impression dat thermostats are more suited to cooler-cold climates cus they aid in the engine warmin up quicker when its cold or freezing, where as down here even without thermostats engines warm up as normal and when the revs are high and speedo in triple digits we would rather the coolant flow to be unrestricted.....imo if u cars doesn't know wat snow is it will run better without a thermostat especially if u've already got a ton of miles on that engine

[RWMIII]

Hey guys my car's thermostat was removed a long time ago and most vehicles over 13 years old havtheir thermostats removed in my part of the world ( the tropics) because down here it seems like stuck thermostats are the primary cause of over heating and most vehicle work perfectly without the thermostat...I'm also under d impression dat thermostats are more suited to cooler-cold climates cus they aid in the engine warmin up quicker when its cold or freezing, where as down here even without thermostats engines warm up as normal and when the revs are high and speedo in triple digits we would rather the coolant flow to be unrestricted.....imo if u cars doesn't know wat snow is it will run better without a thermostat especially if u've already got a ton of miles on that engine

I have to disagree, the coolant would not have enough time in the radiator to cool down. Not to mention reaching op temp. Etc...If cooling systems were designed with a thermostat placed in the system and it has stayed that way for this long, then it obviously must need it for some odd reason. Try to google: why does my car need a thermostat. It should explain it better for you.

[chewse]

While I respect your opininion I'm speakin from experience here...I know too many vehicles al l different makes and models who have had their thermostats removed which helped their engines I'm not sayin to go out and remove your thermostat I'm just sayin if u ever have cause to remove it there's no reason to put it back unless u gotta worry about cold temps...and we all know that not everything a manufacturer puts on an engine is designed for optimum performance ( ever heard of de-tuned engines and the plethora of restrictors) in a nutshell thermostats are a bit overrated especially on older engines

[RWMIII]

While I respect your opininion I'm speakin from experience here...I know too many vehicles al l different makes and models who have had their thermostats removed which helped their engines I'm not sayin to go out and remove your thermostat I'm just sayin if u ever have cause to remove it there's no reason to put it back unless u gotta worry about cold temps...and we all know that not everything a manufacturer puts on an engine is designed for optimum performance ( ever heard of de-tuned engines and the plethora of restrictors) in a nutshell thermostats are a bit overrated especially on older engines

Maybe older engines that are not electronically controlled, like ours are. So therefore irrelevant in this case.

The thermostats job is to keep liquid in the radiator long enough to cool it. The manufactures have set a certin temp that the engine can run at before it needs to be cooled. If the operating temp of the engine is below the thermostate temp level (say 180 degrees), there is no reason to try to cool the engine down lower than that temp.

When the thermostat is closed the coolant in the radiator will continue to cool. Even if the outside temp is 100 degrees it will still be cooler than what your engine temp is. When the temp outside is in the higher levels it will take more time for the coolant to cool while in the radiator. By removing your thermostat, you create a situation where the coolant never sits in the radiator long enough to reduce the temprature of the coolant. Essentially the coolant is constantly circulating and never cools down. You will most likely see a rise in the operating temp.

This is not only my personal opinion but my professional word as well.

[RWMIII]

( ever heard of de-tuned engines and the plethora of restrictors)

yea, its called emissions and ride comfort.

[teal_dx]

and we all know that not everything a manufacturer puts on an engine is designed for optimum performance

True in many cases, especially with older cars. But Honda research & development does not leave anything overlooked. Every part of the car/engine is there for a reason

(Well ok, they didn't spend as much time researching corrosion prevention as they should have )

[chewse]

Guys I made specific reference to older engines didn't I ? With some of todays new cars u need an IT degree just to change the radio station...so for the last time ima just say that with our old engines the thermostat isn't a big deal and in some cases it helps to have it removed....my engine is a Jdm d15b and the thermostat was removed over a year ago and I have no cooling issues in an area where it is considered cold when the temperature reaches 70 degrees F on a odd december night....now back to the topic