overheating problem

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I

.:i.lIKE:.:eK9:.:lOTs:.

New Member
hey all-

so we bought my girlfriend an unloved 97 EK hatch that I am fixing up for her.

my plan is to SMOG the D16Y6 motor and install a B20B w/GSR Tranny we already bought for it.

But right now the D16Y6 is overheating. It happens right as the car warms up then and only then does the idle get spasmatic...

I drove it the other night and the lower radiator hose does warm up. so does that mean the thermostat works?

I'm thinking a clogged radiator then... does this sound correct? thing here is I drained the radiator and added more coolant. it seemed to drain fine...

what is it?

thnx.
 
A thermostat that is stuck open/missing/opening partially will overheat a car as well. Clogged radiator is certainly a possibility, as is a bad water pump. Even bad timing could cause it to overheat.
 
I forgot to mention that the car sat for like 2 years.

my buddy mentioned that water pumps don't usually clog from sitting but that radiators can.

so that might rule out the water pump- plus it sounds really quiet- on my CRX the old water pump was pretty loud..

so prolly easiest and cheapest first is the thermostat hunh?

thnx
 
UPDATE:

I removed the radiator and checked for clogs. It flows pretty good.

Then I replaced the thermostat and coolant.

The car doesn't overheat anymore!

BUT, it still idles weird.

ONLY after it warms up, the idle pulsates up and down in maybe 4 -5 second intervals.

My friend thought it might be the IVAC or something.

Any suggestions guys?
 
C'mon people. Somebody has got to know the answer to this one. I need this car to get smogged ASAP so we can get the man off our backs.

Idles weird after it warms up but drives good at higher rpms.

Anyone?
 
Yeah Its a thing in the back of the intake man all mine were is just a little rubber o ring i dont know what its called but on the back theres two bolts holding it on and a little coolent line goes in there
 
Dont replace it..
Check the codes yourself.
See if the ecu is even throwing codes. Try the paperclip jumping technique.
Passenger side: underneath the kickpanel at floor level, you will find your ecu, just above that there will be a blue plug hidden by a green sleeve. Pull it out of the sleeve. There are two wires leading to this plug, they pin into the plug, connect the two sides with a paperclip or piece of wire. Now turn the ignition on, the CEL will give you the codes. A long blink counts as the first slot.. short counts as the second slot
so for example, 5 long and 4 short blinks = 54. The codes will be seperated by a long pause. Try this first, before you go replacing parts that dont need it.

Also try unplugging the IACV while the car is running. If it has an effect on the idle, it is functioning, and might just need a cleaning. Try these things before you go waste $50 on a new IACV.
 
yeah the bad news for me is that we did that the other day.

the car was on, we disconnected the sleeve around the IM and the idle changed.

my friend said that since it changed it wasn't the IACV.

how does one clean it? the car DID sit for 2 years.

thanks for all of your advice btw.
 
Update:

I disconnected the IM and IACV and cleaned the whole area with IM Spray Cleaner.
Still Idles Weird.

Then I saw this thread:

https://hondaswap.com/general-tech-maintenance/civic-vti-idle-problem-88250/

and a couple of others that say to reset the ecu idle.

I'm going to try this when I get home.

My guess is that it will work because the car sat for 2 years and the battery went dead.

People say dealers have to do this to the car for the first time so maybe since my battery was dead it "forgot".

Here's to hoping!
;)
 
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