erratic overheating

[pardizzle21]

* iv also just replaced the sensor that goes into the block underneath the distributor, still the same problem.after a few miles i pulled up on my drive and the temp was going up abit, and the fans wernt on either!!GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Does anyone think a constant power to fan setup is worth doing?
please help!!x

[saxophonias]

you can do it until you find what causes the problem. Are you sure the gauges work right? My father's civic used to show high temperatures on the dials only when lights were on. An idiot electrician hadn't done his work right causing this problem. We discovered that a long time later

[pardizzle21]

unfortunatly it overheats lights on or off.This is realy doin my head in, as everytime i use it i picture the head frying!!

Me and a pal are going to wire the fan to the ignition, so it will always be on when ignition is on
-we are doing this as whenever the car overheats the fan never cuts in, so if it still overheats after this then i dont know what i will do!

Maybe it is the sole reason a d16z6 auto with 75,000 miles was in the scrapyard in the first place?warped head perhaps?

tom

[saxophonias]

I think it is something minor that we ignore

[pardizzle21]

it is very weird, didnt get chance to do the fan wireup so me and a pal are doing it tonite.

Basically if it still overheats with a constant fan on, then i am seriously outta luck/ideas.
And if i cannot solve the overheating issue then the dreaded 'buy another car' is guna come out in conversation....
heres hoping

[hondamake]

Running a constant fan will only make the symptoms go away but will not cure the illness, trust me I'm a doctor. Head gasket problems and other sealing issues don't always result in mayonnaise in the cam cover: Remember that the gasket has to keep apart oil, water and compression/induction vacuum, the transfer can be in any direction. You may get water in the oil (see mayo) oil in the water (obvious) oil in a cylinder (difficult to differentiate) pressure in the water jacket or more commonly water in the cylinder (constant water loss and steam out of the tail pipe). Do try the hydrocarbon test. Always remember that buying a new car to solve a minor issue is like divorce, you think that you've found happiness - until the same problems re-occur and you still don't know how to fix it.

[Dodo Bizar]

I put my money on the gasket... have it replaced again. And re-think all the steps. Really carefully loosen and mount the head, not only the mounting should be done carefully.

If I have to be honest... try another friend to replace it this time . It can be nasty when you genuinly trust someone, but his methods might be not suited for the delicate D-series? So many people have screwed over D-series after head gasket swaps.

And since the gasket change and the symptons are pretty close in time to each other... I'd give that my money.

[pardizzle21]

hi, first thanks to everyone for trying to help

In the back of my mind i do think it is the head gasket but there seems no other symptoms, so iv got down the route of two things-a dodgy temp guage(as sax sed) or waterpump.its never been replaced and iv been told this may explain why i can generally get to work without it overheating, but under load or higher revs the heat creeps up.
failing these il have to try the head gasket(i guess il need new head bolts too 2nd time around)

I will not accept giving up on the D! failure not an option!thanks everyone

D14 N/A FTW!!

[hondamake]

That's the spirit! When you have removed the head get it pressure tested and checked for true, remember there is a tolerance on distortion - don't assume it needs skimming. Thoroughly clean the threaded holes for the head bolts and fit the best gasket you can buy. Torque down the bolts in the given sequence and follow the instructions for warming the engine and re-torquing. I always check the length of the bolts before I would replace them, the torque required is very low and they are obviously not stretch bolts. Maybe some of the other guys have more experience on whether to replace or re-use.

[Dodo Bizar]

I do re-use the bolts. They are meant to be re-used generally in Honda engines. Though next built I am gonna fit ARP studs just like the B16B .