Need Help Solving this "Puzzle!!!"

[tuff_2_register]

Hello, guys! This is my first ever post here, and I'm gonna be talking about my problems with my Civic ESi A/T. Really hoping to get enlightenment as to what's causing the issues below and if they are interrelated. Need your expert opinions and ideas to help get the car back in normal, healthy state. I'm thinking D.I.Y. for whichever you believe could be manageable. Please don't mind that I'm a girl. I am hell-bent on learning automotive stuff. Plus, I have my cousin and brother to take care of what I can't handle.

Here's the rundown...

- Car's temp's been going up slightly past the middle line every time it's running at 80 to 90 kph or beyond. It goes back down to normal temp once I ease up on the accelerator and slow down to within 60 to 70 kph.

- Engine stalls during sudden braking to full stop. A big embarrassment especially when driving in very busy roads!

- The car's pinging (http://www.autoindustriya.com/talkbo...nd-%27tope%27/) a few weeks back has lessened to a considerable extent after a friend's mechanic turned the distributor to full (todo!)advanced timing position. The car has become more responsive as well since then. There's still slight occasional pinging, but it's no longer as annoying as before. The full advanced timing, however, worries me as it's not normal. I would, of course, prefer more responsiveness and no pinging na naka-normal lang yung position ng distributor, and not advanced or retarded/delayed.

- Front brakes squeal even with new brake pads. Left brake rotor needs refacing, said the mechanic who installed the new brake pads. Could that really be the cause of the squeal?

- Noise coming from the left front side, somewhere involving the wheel perhaps, every time I speed up at 65 kph and over, and gets louder as I go faster. Sounds like "ugong." My cuz and I were thinking wheel bearing, although we're not at all sure.

- We noticed the water from the radiator, with cap removed, rise up the opening when car is revved. And when engine is started with rad cap removed, the water spurts out the opening. There are also days when tiny bubbles that look like soap suds form on top. Other than that, water's clear and we didn't see any signs of oil mixture.

- Just had a 15 amp fuse (for the radiator fan) replaced a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday my cousin and I found out its plastic is melting. Then upon inspecting the other fuses, we saw another one (20 amp) that's also on its way to getting busted. A friend who knows only basic electrical stuff thought there could be a grounding problem somewhere and advised me to have the car checked. I intend to do just that, but I thought I'd get some ideas from in here so I wouldn't sound totally ignorant when talking this out with an auto electrician.

Hear from you soon, guys! Thanks!

[OTEP]

I'm no mechanic but I'll try.

Car's temp's been going up slightly past the middle line every time it's running at 80 to 90 kph or beyond. It goes back down to normal temp once I ease up on the accelerator and slow down to within 60 to 70 kph.

Last few times this has happened to the automobile I was driving, the culprit was a slow spinning water pump. The vanes and shaft were corroded so it could not keep up during high speed runs.

On one unit I drove, it was a faulty radiator cap that overheated me. A Php150.00 replacement radiator cap solved my problems

- Front brakes squeal even with new brake pads. Left brake rotor needs refacing, said the mechanic who installed the new brake pads. Could that really be the cause of the squeal?

Sometimes it's the brand of pad and the friction material used that can cause squealing. Bendix pads that I use squeal from time to time. But it's not a problem for me as long as I know there is adequate pad material. The squealing disappears after the new pads are 'broken-in'.

- Noise coming from the left front side, somewhere involving the wheel perhaps, every time I speed up at 65 kph and over, and gets louder as I go faster. Sounds like "ugong." My cuz and I were thinking wheel bearing, although we're not at all sure.

Yup, sometimes the bearings just need to be repacked or lubed.

- Just had a 15 amp fuse (for the radiator fan) replaced a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday my cousin and I found out its plastic is melting. Then upon inspecting the other fuses, we saw another one (20 amp) that's also on its way to getting busted. A friend who knows only basic electrical stuff thought there could be a grounding problem somewhere and advised me to have the car checked. I intend to do just that, but I thought I'd get some ideas from in here so I wouldn't sound totally ignorant when talking this out with an auto electrician.

The last time I had a melting fuses, I just had jameson replace/add a relay and it worked. hehehe. His number is in the security forums section.

[OTEP]

I'm no mechanic but I'll try.

Car's temp's been going up slightly past the middle line every time it's running at 80 to 90 kph or beyond. It goes back down to normal temp once I ease up on the accelerator and slow down to within 60 to 70 kph.

Last few times this has happened to the automobile I was driving, the culprit was a slow spinning water pump. The vanes and shaft were corroded so it could not keep up during high speed runs.

On one unit I drove, it was a faulty radiator cap that overheated me. A Php150.00 replacement radiator cap solved my problems

- Front brakes squeal even with new brake pads. Left brake rotor needs refacing, said the mechanic who installed the new brake pads. Could that really be the cause of the squeal?

Sometimes it's the brand of pad and the friction material used that can cause squealing. Bendix pads that I use squeal from time to time. But it's not a problem for me as long as I know there is adequate pad material. The squealing disappears after the new pads are 'broken-in'.

- Noise coming from the left front side, somewhere involving the wheel perhaps, every time I speed up at 65 kph and over, and gets louder as I go faster. Sounds like "ugong." My cuz and I were thinking wheel bearing, although we're not at all sure.

Yup, sometimes the bearings just need to be repacked or lubed.

- Just had a 15 amp fuse (for the radiator fan) replaced a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday my cousin and I found out its plastic is melting. Then upon inspecting the other fuses, we saw another one (20 amp) that's also on its way to getting busted. A friend who knows only basic electrical stuff thought there could be a grounding problem somewhere and advised me to have the car checked. I intend to do just that, but I thought I'd get some ideas from in here so I wouldn't sound totally ignorant when talking this out with an auto electrician.

The last time I had a melting fuses, I just had jameson replace/add a relay and it worked. hehehe. His number is in the security forums section.

[nickriingen]

Hello, guys! This is my first ever post here, and I'm gonna be talking about my problems with my Civic ESi A/T. Really hoping to get enlightenment as to what's causing the issues below and if they are interrelated. Need your expert opinions and ideas to help get the car back in normal, healthy state. I'm thinking D.I.Y. for whichever you believe could be manageable. Please don't mind that I'm a girl. I am hell-bent on learning automotive stuff. Plus, I have my cousin and brother to take care of what I can't handle.

Here's the rundown...

- Car's temp's been going up slightly past the middle line every time it's running at 80 to 90 kph or beyond. It goes back down to normal temp once I ease up on the accelerator and slow down to within 60 to 70 kph.- ( Check your radiator coolant level first, then the radiator fan if it is running when the temperature level reaches before the middle line.)

- Engine stalls during sudden braking to full stop. A big embarrassment especially when driving in very busy roads! - ( Have your idling RPM checked. )

- The car's pinging (http://www.autoindustriya.com/talkbo...nd-%27tope%27/) a few weeks back has lessened to a considerable extent after a friend's mechanic turned the distributor to full (todo!)advanced timing position. The car has become more responsive as well since then. There's still slight occasional pinging, but it's no longer as annoying as before. The full advanced timing, however, worries me as it's not normal. I would, of course, prefer more responsiveness and no pinging na naka-normal lang yung position ng distributor, and not advanced or retarded/delayed. - ( The cause of this problem is that the ignition timing is advanced beyond specs. Better use a timing light when checking and adjusting the ignition timing.)

- Front brakes squeal even with new brake pads. Left brake rotor needs refacing, said the mechanic who installed the new brake pads. Could that really be the cause of the squeal? ( No need to reface the rotors, that is sometimes normal for replacement brake pads. It will wear out as you normally use the car.)

- Noise coming from the left front side, somewhere involving the wheel perhaps, every time I speed up at 65 kph and over, and gets louder as I go faster. Sounds like "ugong." My cuz and I were thinking wheel bearing, although we're not at all sure.- ( The cause of the " ugong" is worn out wheel bearing. Have it replace with a branded bearing such as SKF, NSK. But make sure the mechanic or shop has proper bearing fitting tool set.)

- We noticed the water from the radiator, with cap removed, rise up the opening when car is revved. And when engine is started with rad cap removed, the water spurts out the opening. There are also days when tiny bubbles that look like soap suds form on top. Other than that, water's clear and we didn't see any signs of oil mixture. - ( Have your radiator checked for any cloggings, rust formation. )

- Just had a 15 amp fuse (for the radiator fan) replaced a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday my cousin and I found out its plastic is melting. Then upon inspecting the other fuses, we saw another one (20 amp) that's also on its way to getting busted. A friend who knows only basic electrical stuff thought there could be a grounding problem somewhere and advised me to have the car checked. I intend to do just that, but I thought I'd get some ideas from in here so I wouldn't sound totally ignorant when talking this out with an auto electrician. - ( There might be a short circuit or grounding on the radiator fan circuit. Have this checked by a competent auto electrician equipped with proper tools and tester. )

Hear from you soon, guys! Thanks!

Lastly, may I ask where is your location? I may recommend a reputable repair shop in the area.

[tuff_2_register]

Thanks for your responses, OTEP and nickriingen! Hope to hear from the others too!

[marvel67]

Hello Tuff,

Let me advice you based on my limited knowledge:

Car's temp's been going up slightly past the middle line every time it's running at 80 to 90 kph or beyond. It goes back down to normal temp once I ease up on the accelerator and slow down to within 60 to 70 kph.
---Overheat has a lot of possible cause. But based on that observations, I guess you have a dirty radiator, and faulty fan. Also please check your thermostat valve. These valve is responsible for stabilizing your cooling temperature. If these valve is faulty, you will have higher temperature on higher revs.

- Engine stalls during sudden braking to full stop. A big embarrassment especially when driving in very busy roads!
---check your transmision fluid level,check you torque converter clutch soleniod, better still have your a/t checked sa a/t expert sa banawe.

The car's pinging a few weeks back has lessened to a considerable extent after a friend's mechanic turned the distributor to full (todo!)advanced timing position. The car has become more responsive as well since then. There's still slight occasional pinging, but it's no longer as annoying as before. The full advanced timing, however, worries me as it's not normal. I would, of course, prefer more responsiveness and no pinging na naka-normal lang yung position ng distributor, and not advanced or retarded/delayed
The engine pinging is caused by premature ignition. That means your timing is too advanced. This happens when you fill you gas tank with a wide range of octane rating on the fuel. That mean if you put in PETRON extra now which is at 89 Octane (on the board 92) your engine will run well, BUT if you put in blaze 95Octane, there will be pinging. I suggest set your timing to a specified fuel and be loyal to that fuel. That will solve your intermittent pinging.

Front brakes squeal even with new brake pads. Left brake rotor needs refacing, said the mechanic who installed the new brake pads. Could that really be the cause of the squeal?
Personally I dont like bendix for japanese cars. Bendix is good for Holden, or American cars. Since you have a honda, use Nissin brake pads which is compatible with the cast Iron material used by honda. These are available sa PASAY taft sa Car Power or sa other honda autosupply. I think that will solve the squealing, the bendix is a squealer.

Noise coming from the left front side, somewhere involving the wheel perhaps, every time I speed up at 65 kph and over, and gets louder as I go faster. Sounds like "ugong." My cuz and I were thinking wheel bearing, although we're not at all sure
I suggest ether you repack or replace your bearing. Also have your wheels aligned both toe and camber

We noticed the water from the radiator, with cap removed, rise up the opening when car is revved. And when engine is started with rad cap removed, the water spurts out the opening. There are also days when tiny bubbles that look like soap suds form on top. Other than that, water's clear and we didn't see any signs of oil mixture.
That could be a sign that your thermostat Valve is stuck. Also foaming in the radiator is a sign of internal leakage. That is heat pressure from the cylinder leaking through the cylinder head gasket. Have your head gasket checked. It may be also contribute to your overheating problem.

Fuse Blown. Check youre lines form the fuse box to the fan. Find the shorted line, or check if your relay is still ok. Otherwise, replace fuse and relay.

I hoped these can help.

Best Regards,


HOnda OC plus/ Salev Racing