Why does my 2000 Honda Civic overheat whenever I drive in stop and go traffic? (Honda Civic Engine Overheating)

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Question Details Asked:Feb 13, 2009 - 08:20 PMStatus:Closed

ts87	Why does my 2000 Honda Civic overheat whenever I drive in stop and go traffic? My 2000 Civic EX is overheating. Whenever I drive in stop-and-go traffic or 30-45+ minutes my car starts to overheat -- in cold weather, hot weather, with the air conditioner on or off, with the air vent on or off. The temperature gauge will almost immediately return to near-normal levels upon turning my heat on full blast. The car doesn't overheat with freeway driving. My coolant levels are fine. My oil levels are fine. I've just had the thermostat replaced. The fan is working (when leaving my car on idle, the fan will kick on as soon as the gauge hits the mid point or so -- returning the temp levels to normal). I just had the 100k tuneup. Knowing absolutely nothing about cars, I asked my mechanic about the possibility of a blown, cracked, or otherwise damaged head gasket (which seems to be the consensus diagnoses for other forums dealing with similar issues) -- he scoffed and said that wasn't the problem. What the heck is wrong with my car. Thanks.
	In Makes & Models > Honda > Civic In Maintenance & Repair > Engine > Overheating 2 answers - 1559 days ago
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joegondosh 02/14/09 11:27 am PST

Try taking off the radiator cap, and start car and run till operating temperature is reached,let run for 15-30 min to purge any air that may be in system.

Check radiator fins on outside of radiator to see if they are pluged

joegondosh 02/14/09 12:24 pm PST

With transmission in park , take radiator cap off, idle engine for 15-30 minutes to purge air from system.

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