Why is my hondda overheating and heater not throwing heat when it does overheat?

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Overheating started one week ago. Added water and ran ok with no problems. Today it started overheating, i turned the heater and temp dropped but that only lasted for awhile. I added water cause was empty drove 20 miles and started heating again. No fluid leaking from under the car but steam coming from under the hood. When i use the heater it starts to smell like antifrezze. Hoses are fine. When turn car off can here bubbling sounds from under the hood. Where should i start? Please help

evagg in Huntington Beach CA

Jan 11, 2014

2 Replies

Popular Answer

pushrodon Jan 11, 2014

It's obvious it has a leak at some point. It really needs the cooling system pressure tested at a repair shop first.

evaggon Jan 13, 2014

Mechanic said its all kinds of things wrong. Radiator, thermostat, head gasket, and oil gasket. I knew there was an oil leak and gasket had the replace. There is no water in the oil or white smoke from the exhaust how can it be the head gasket.

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Wildcat_445on Oct 4, 2016

The head gasket failure is such that it will force exhaust gas into the cooling system. A common symptom is that the radiator will be partially empty, but the coolant overflow reservoir will be completely filled (the exhaust gases push the coolant out of the system, in other words). Overheating without any leaks is another symptom. In these 7th generation Civics, this type of head gasket failure is common and you won't often see the usual symptoms of coolant and oil mixing, or white exhaust emissions.

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