Civic - Honda :: 2003 EX Overheats In Traffic
Oct 14, 2011
I have a 2003 Civic EX with 160K miles. The car runs great but it will sometimes over heat in traffic. It does not always overheat so it so the two mechanics I have taken it too have been unable to duplicate. I have had he thermostat changed and the relay to the cooling fan. I also changed the radiator cap. Other facts.
The heater has been very slow to heat up even when letting the car run for 15 minutes in the winter. It will heat up only once on the highway. This started at about the same time as the overheating.
It has never overheated on the highway even with 100 degree weather and the AC blasting.
Turning on the air will most of the time lower the temp.
Today after traveling 30 minutes I came to a stop and it overheated(temp gage on H). I tried to turn on the heater to attempt to cool it down and it blew cold air for about 3 minutes and never warmed. I then pulled into a lot andneither cooling fan was running. I did not have the ac on as I am thinking the fact that the heater is so slow might be a clue to the problem.
It would appear it could be something with the cooling fan but neither mechanic thought it was that as they couldn't duplicate the problem.
View 6 Replies
Advertisement
I have a 1997 Honda Civic with 275,000 miles on it. After driving for an hour or so, it starts getting hot when stopped or nearly stopped. It goes back to normal temperature when I start driving. It does cool down if I turn on the heater. I just changed the timing belt/water pump and put it a new radiator and changed the thermostat hoping it would solve the problem, but it hasn't. I checked and the fan does come on when stopped. Could it be a cooling system clog that a flush might be able to solve or might it be the head gasket?
View 9 Replies
when it began overheating, and to be specific it is a 2003 Honda civic ex, automatic. I took it back to them after having to pay towing expenses. They said they didn't know it had issues (bull) they said it was due to a radiator, so they installed a new one. When I got it back it drove fine then it began exhibiting the same symptoms soon after. I decided since I loved the car I wouldn't even bother with the people I bought it from, big mistake and I should have just returned it...I didn't because I was sick of looking for a car and school was about to start. This began the routine of having to fill it with antifreeze every day before and after class, if I didn't it would most certainly overheat and then I'd have to blow hot air all day.
So I took it to another mechanic who figured it must be something wrong with the cooling system and said the fan was acting slow, so he replaced the fan-switch and thermostat and said that it wasn't the water pump. I was hoping this would do it, but it did not. He then tested the head-gasket twice and it came back negative. Then they tested the catalytic converter, came back negative. This mechanic, then proceeds to tell me the people who sold it to me may have put a sealant in which gummed up the engine and is clogging things so it can't function correctly, or put on the head-gasket wrong or any number of things to the engine. Although, wouldn't this still make the head-gasket test fail? He tells me I may need a new engine because to figure out if it truly is an engine problem that would cost as much as a new engine. I don't know what to do or where to go I am at a loss here. Spending my money just to have mechanics tell me there is some mysterious "undiagnosable" problem with my car is the most frustrating thing ever. No one can fix this car it seems.
View 19 Replies
This has been happening intermittently for a little over a year now. When sitting in traffic, my car begins to overheat. I've had two different mechanics look at it - the first swapped out the radiator cap.
The second said my coolant levels were low, but he pressure tested the system and found no leaks. He recommended I check my levels before taking long trips - so this weekend, before driving 380 miles to Phoenix, I checked my levels. They were a bit low, so I topped everything off with coolant and everything was fine on the drive out.
On the drive home, however, stuck in traffic, the car began to overheat. I pulled over and checked the reservoir and it was mostly full of coolant, but I added a little more, let it sit for a while, and then made my way through the traffic and home.
Also, I tested the fan, and it comes on.
View 16 Replies
Honda civic ex 2001 w/ 202k miles.... 1 month ago was driving on highway, the a/c started going, then I began losing power, temp went hot, pulled over steaming hood, wouldn't take much water.
Mechanic did: replace thermostat, therm gasket, new radiator fan temp switch, pressure test.
Ran fine for 2 weeks, then heat began to rise again & overheated. Each time it overheated the top small hose on radiator popped off(like a 1/2 in. hose). Back to mechanic: did pressure test, did a full cooling system test all were great...Only thing he found was a small radiator crack....thought it just took a week to lose coolant. Replaced radiator/ecu temp sending unit/refill and pressure test.
1 week later, temp spikes to hot, so I bring it back....he tested pressure/flow no leaks again...he can't figure it out.One note: for about the past 3months, right after starting, I would come to my first or second stop, then accelerate and hear a squeal that lasts like 5 seconds or so...this happened intermittently for about 3 months, and is still happening(I can drive very short distances now). A friend thought the issue was the belt that controlled the a/c and 2 other things
View 5 Replies
I just received this car as a freebie but it has come with an issue or two. The most pressing is a cooling issue. They gave it to me with the words, "The radiator leaks". Upon some testing this doesn't seem to be the whole picture.
1) If I fill the radiator up, leave the car parked over night, the next morning the radiator is still full. so I assume it is leaking from steam venting or from something else.
2) The car overheats very fast when the AC is on and the vehicle is stopped. Within about 10 minutes it went through every drop in the radiator.
3) When driving with the AC fan on medium speed, it can go a solid 30-45 minutes with no issue.
4) If I turn the AC fan on to high it takes a matter of minutes for it to begin to over heat.
A friend mentioned something about a weeper valve? I know very little about cars. So if there was any insight as to what it may be that would be excellent.
View 13 Replies
My 1996 honda civic cannot handle the heat. Every time the weather gets warm it freaks out when stuck in traffic for any extended period of time. It generally will start to rev while stopped, sometimes will jerk forward, and once continued to rev in park with my foot completely off the gas, checking the gas and the break pedals numerous times to make sure not stuck, etc., for about 2 minutes. Another time it locked the steering wheel and would not release. This really only happens when it's warm outside. The car does not have air conditioning, if that makes any difference. We've brought it to two mechanics and they both said car looks great. What could be going on?
View 3 Replies
I drive a 2004 Honda Civic. About a month ago, my car started to overheat. The next day, I took it into the shop,and they said the thermostat was sticking,and I had a small leak in the radiator. I got a new thermostat, radiator (they did not have anyone to repair), and flushed the system.
A few days later, the car started to overheat again, and quickly went down. We thought it was a fluke. A few days later, it did the same thing and we took it back to the shop. They said nothing was wrong and let the car run with the radiator cap off for a while in case there was a bubble. Since then, it has has started to overheat a few more times. So the, problem is not all the time, just every so often. Several parts have already been replaced, as noted.
What we have found in common is that each time it starts to overheat, we are in stop and go traffic. It has always been hot outside too (but it is summer). When we begin to move at a regular pace, the car temp goes down. I live in a city, so it is impossible not to get in stop and go traffic on a regular basis. Not everytime we are in stop and go traffic it does this, but since the repairs, it has never overheated while moving at a regular pace.
View 8 Replies
1991 Honda Civic, automatic transmission, the car/steering wheel shake badly when the car stops at the red light. It only happens when brake pedal is pressed AND in D gear. If shift from D to N, the shake disappears. As soon as the traffic light turns green and the car starts to accelerate, the shake disappears. Four spark plugs were replaced, no effect at all.
View 13 Replies
My wife drives a 2002 civic (mostly around town). when the car is at running temp.with the heater on and she gets top a stop sign or red traffic light, the heater starts to blow out cold/colder air. We took the car to a dealer and asked them to flush/fill the radiator and fix the problem. Well they flushed/filled the radiator and said "Yup, it still does it. Would you like us to diagnose the problem more for a minimum of 1 hour labor cost?" What could be the problem with the reduction in heat?
View 10 Replies
I'm convinced my 02 honda civic does not like traffic nor hot weather. Whenever i'm in traffic for more than 20 minutes (which is about everyday) it starts to make this loud buzzing noise. Seems to be the way my car is telling me that it does not want to be in traffic. I can sure relate. Me neither. When the weather gets hot, my car does the same thing. Can you relate to my car as well?
View 7 Replies
2003 Civic EX ... I read some of the past questions on this topic, but not sure where to start.
-AC blows warm air.
-AC light comes on as it should (green)
-Underhood Fuses are fine
-Refilled Antifreeze a few days ago, but still blows warm.
-Turned on the AC, lifted the hood and did not see the two large fans blowing. (Not sure if that has to do with AC or just cooling the engine).
View 4 Replies
Found out today that my third ignition coil is bad, it's a Honda civic 03' my question is, do I have to buy a new ignition coil. I had a clerk tell me I could switch the coils and it would run fine? Is this right? could I just switch the ignition coil with another ignition coil? This doesn't sound right. Well If I do buy new one which would be the third ignition coil? is it counted from left to right or right to left? Are there any telltale signs of a bad ignition coil on sight?
View 16 Replies
I have an 03 civic which has recently exhibiting rather inconvenient power loss during warm up.
It seems to be worse when it's below 35 F out... The car starts just fine and I can generally drive several blocks just fine as well. Then for no apparent reason, the engine loses basically all power. It doesn't stall, but there is basically no power. When I pull over, the idle falls to ~400-500 RPM. Pumping the gas increases the RPM slightly, but again, there is no power.
Then as quickly as it began, the problem disappears; the engine returns to normal idle/power. This never reoccurs if the engine is kept warm. However, if the car sits for a few hours, the problem happens again. I would estimate the power loss occurs for ~30 seconds. The check engine light does not turn on before, during or after these episodes. It's almost like the choke is sticking.
View 16 Replies
My 03 civic will drive fine when the engine is cool. But after getting off the highway, or running it at higher speeds, when I put it in gear, any gear, it will start choking and bucking like its running out of gas. Once I get it above about 2000 rpms, the choking stops. The read out said it was the egr valve at first, we had it cleaned, but it didn't fix it. The readout now says recirculation insufficient or something like that. I'm wondering how serious this is, and if I should be driving it.
View 5 Replies
About 3 weeks ago, I purchased a 2003 Honda Civic EX Coupe, automatic transmission with 131,000 on it. I took it to my mechanic before purchasing it and he said it looked good. The test drive didn't reveal any problems. A few days into owning it, however, I noticed this screeching noise but it didn't happen all the time. When it happened, I was always taking off from an intersection or pulling out of a parking lot - never when I was just driving down the road or on startup. The mechanic couldn't get the noise to happen but inspected the belts and said they looked new and were tight enough. This continued happening intermittently and sometimes I would even notice a slight hesitation in the car on takeoff. I went back to my regular mechanic with no success and also took it to another mechanic who tightened up the power steering belt a bit - still does it. None of the mechanics hear the noise when they drive it because it is so intermittent. I will add that the noise only happens with the AC on - a further inspection revealed the pulleys to be ok. What in the world is this noise and is it something that could leave me stranded? Everything I read about screeching is belt and pulley related but that doesn't seem to be my problem.
View 6 Replies
The malfunction indicator lamp has been on in my '03 Honda Civic LX for some time now. The car shakes and has trouble accelerating, but not all the time. This usually occurs when the car is stopped, perhaps at a stoplight, in drive. The malfunction indicator lamp blinks when this happens. I brought it to have the codes read, and these came up; P0303 (this happened twice in one reading), P0420, and P0135.
View 3 Replies
I have a 2003 civic (automatic) with 72000 miles on it. It recently began hesitating from a cold start. It will hesitate once or twice, I stop, and after that it is fine for the rest of the drive. Since it is sporadic, it's hard for the mechanics to see what is going on. I took it to one mechanic who cleaned the fuel injectors, cleaned the throttle plates, flushed the transmission fluid, and replaced the spark plugs. He also put a note on the bill that the transmission may need to be rebuilt soon, although he didn't mention that when he told us what he did. The car drove fine for about three weeks after that, and then it started hesitating daily.
I took it into another mechanic who was able to see the problem for himself when I left the car overnight. He scanned it for error codes, but didn't find anything. He said he checked all connections and wiring and cleaned the wiring but that was all he could do. He said he thought it was a bad O2 sensor, but because the check engine light isn't on, he can't do anything. Meanwhile, he said I should keep driving it in hopes that it will get worse so they can figure it out. I'm worried that I may be causing long term damage, and that I may get stuck in the middle of an intersection without power. Is there anything they didn't check that they should have? Should I take it to another mechanic?
View 1 Replies
Why, after so many repairs and $$$$ with a AAA Certified Repair shop, the temp gauge that sooner or later shows the needle HOT? Everything accounted for - thermostat 5x, radiator 3x, computer, maintenance, etc etc etc. " It's fixed !!" and then it's starts all over again. It's got 186,000 on it, couple of minor wrecks, all maintenance kept up, still driving it but the needle goes back up again and again. Funny thing, water levels remain the same, no smoke, no red engine light, slight smell of a hot engine but nothing else so far. Still, that needle!! This has been going on a couple of years. Want to figure it out before I get rid of the car. 2003 Civic Coupe DX ....
View 3 Replies
My cruise control does not work and the mechanic has diganosed the cruise control servo as the problem. The shop gave me an estimate of $700 (parts & labor) to replace it. Given the age of the car and the cost of repair, I am leaning towards doing it myself. I am handy with tools but have not done this type of repair before.
My question: Is there a downside to doing this repair myself. If I elect to do it myself, what do I need to watch for?
View 5 Replies
So I have no clue where and how this leak started. My 2003 Honda Civic Ex has 133000 miles well earned. This leak has to be stopped. The carpet has been ripped out to dry, but I will probably replace it anyways. Some Ideas have already been given to me. First one, my car does have a system in it(meaning sub and amp cords running through firewall), so water could possibly pass through that hole. Second is checking the windows, door seals and if any welds or cracks have not been filled by the auto body shop. This would be from the one known accident from previous owner. Damage was done to the rear left drivers side panels, behind the door. The problem was looked over but nothing was found. Third would be to check, again the windows and doors rubber insulation strips. Also the fourth and most interesting idea, was that the vents or drains that are responsible for the water that flows down the front window and into those vents, I obviously have no real idea of what these things are called, might be clogged, as well as the channels that the vents are connected too.
View 2 Replies
