Need Info On Thermostat Lots Of Probs

Hey guys can someone post info on the easiest way to install a thremostat on a 91 civic dx? Just picked up a new one and so far I've changed the fuel filter, distributor, rotor button, plugs and have probably spent 500$ plus on a mechanic after the problems got to be too much for me to fix myself. This car has been lots of problems and after loosing coolant the mechanic found a leaking head gasket on the lastest inspection.

Anyway the latest ordeal the heater is not working right. It will get hot sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. When it does get hot it only last for a couple of minutes then its cold again. Not even enough to use the defrost on a cold morning. I bought the POS just for a work car to drive and save on my Dodge Hemi but its getting to where I can't even do that.

I figured it was the thremostat causeing this latest problem although the mechanic said could be the heater core stopped up as well or maybe even the head gasket which doesn't make any sense to me.

I also bought some of that head gasket repair shit in a bottle but the mechanic said not to even put it in the car it had been known to cause lots of problems.

I am just keeping lots of coolant in it I don't think it is leaking too badley. So I know the reason its not heating isn't lack of water. The mechanic also said the motor was in bad shape are probably worn out. He said the rings were bad and lots of oil was leaking past them.

The mechanic said it would be around 200 to 250$ to put in another gasket and the head was probabley warped to. I thought that was too high.
I am just keeping it full of Rotella T and Prestone and run it as long as I can get by with if I can get this heater working.

dude, your heat isnt going to work right if you have a blown headgasket... your lucky the thing still drives.

The mechanic said it would be around 200 to 250$ to put in another gasket and the head was probabley warped to. I thought that was too high.
I am just keeping it full of Rotella T and Prestone and run it as long as I can get by with if I can get this heater working.

that sounds about right for a head gasket install. i once had my head rebuilt and the gasket replaced (also water pump and thermostat) and it was $400. the mechanic ended up over torquing the head and it blew the brand new gasket within a month. looking back i think it would have blown again anyways. my stuff was warped and he sent the head off to be re-cut. so they slapped the straight head on a warped bottom. it would have been better off sticking the warped head back on as it would have at least gotten a better seal with the head gasket.

to be flat honest you could change the head gasket yourself. you could get the head rebuilt and cut. you could have the bottom dealt with as well. in the end it will be a lot of money in parts, even if you do the labor yourself. it would be much more cost effictive to buy a replacement engine.

crx manual: http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/manual.htm

if you click that link you will find from replacing the engine to replacing the head gasket to the rings. check it all out, that way you at least know what your mechanic is talking about and you know first hand what all is envolved.

feel free to ask more questions. sometimes you can learn a lot from others experiences and mistakes :)

Thanks guys. Thats what I'm here for to learn. And I sure have learned alot about working on cars since I bought this one!

Its been a learning experience for me though and isn't all bad. I still would like to know the local of thermostat.

Dude just cause head gasket is leaking some doesn't mean its lucky to be runnin. Its been runnin fine for a good while like this. But I don't know about the repair in the bottle. I've known people who've used it and lasted several thousand miles.

I looked at some engines at Nippon motors they were like 375$ Probably be more cost effective to go this route but I;m not sure if I could swap the engine out myself.

Oh well, I bought a bad car what can I say the guy saw me commin. I'm gonna check out your link for info

Thanks again.

I'll buy it from you for $500

But if not, the thermostat is right under the distributor, follow the lower radiator hose around under the distributor, and it'll go right into the thermostat. Two 10mm bolts hold it in, take off the lower hose, then undo the bolts and bam. Easy as pie.

more specifically:
http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/2gsm/images/91-10-6.jpg

check warpage:
http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/2gsm/images/91-6-17.jpg

whats envolved with head gasket:
http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/2gsm/images/91-6-23.jpg
http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/2gsm/images/91-6-24.jpg

of course you can put it in. there is a section on engine replacement. give yourself 2-3 days.

day 1
pull it all out. lable hoses & wires if you think you'll forget. mount tranny to new block. bolt it back in and call it a day

day 2
hoses, wires, suspension all back in. turn key and drive.

day3
you can take this day off for any freak things to go wrong but i doubt it will be needed. so go for a drive :)

You should really do it yourself if you think your up to it. Its quite a learning experience. Just get a couple of friends to give you a hand and I bet you can do it. :bigthumb:

of course you can put it in. there is a section on engine replacement. give yourself 2-3 days.

day 1
pull it all out. lable hoses & wires if you think you'll forget. mount tranny to new block. bolt it back in and call it a day

day 2
hoses, wires, suspension all back in. turn key and drive.

day3
you can take this day off for any freak things to go wrong but i doubt it will be needed. so go for a drive :)


Lol she makes it sound so easy.. It's really not that bad if you're just doing a SOHC replacement swap.

it is easy when you're just doing a replacement. it's when you have to tackle wiring for a swap that it sucks.

i recently posted this in another thread about a couple of engine pulls in a day:

9:45am started pulling engine from rolled 95 sedan dx and then started pulling a bad engine from a 92 dx. with both engines out we took lunch at 1:00pm. took an hour for lunch so returned at 2:00pm. dropped the good 95 engine into the 92. the 92 was turn key 4:30pm and went out the door 5:00pm


my y8 was our first engine swap of any kind we had attempted. we hadn't even done a replacement engine yet. we got it done easily in 2 days. but my y8 cap was busted and i couldn't get another. so on day 2 we ended taking out the y8 dizzy and tried my stock si dizzy. it didn't work so we called it a day. after sleeping on it we realized that the si dizzy wasn't compatable with the p28 ecu. put the pm6 back in and it fired right up.

putting in a replacement engine isn't dealing with all that so i don't see why 2 days isn't enough...3rd day to be extra careful.

it is an excellent learning experience as 91civichatch2571 mentioned.

Is Nippon the best place to get a replacement online? I may tackle this guys now that I have some more info. Thanks for the help I am gonna check it again today and put the thermostat in just to see what that does.

Something I don't have is a good jack to lift the old stuff out with.

Yeah doing a motor replacement is really easy. As for the headgasket is pretty easy too. I've done both. And also have done a few swaps too. All it is, is turning bolts and clicking the harness. And we can help you out with anything you need info wise.

nippon has been around for years. if you're in so cal kwantabe has been around for ever as well.

No babe, I'm all the way over on the East Coast.

it is easy when you're just doing a replacement. it's when you have to tackle wiring for a swap that it sucks.

lol...speak for yourself...i love doing wiring. I can do any kind of wiring conversion with my hands tied behind my back (lol not really). I could tell you what every pin and every wire in the engine bay does and goes to just by the color...and probably without looking any of it up. After you've don't wiring about 4-5 times (try over 20 for me), you realize that it's all the same and related...even in newer civics and integras...

Well I just got the thermostat in. Fixed it all back poured in some more Prestone and also some coolant sealer I bought.

Let it run for awhile but still no heat. Also the Temp needle usually stays right in center but sometimes like this morning it will go up and down quickly.

Oh well I ma gonna try and drive it this week while its still mild. Its gonna get cold this weekend so I will drive my truck till I figure out what option I'm gonna take.

I may need a quick clue on the heater coil. I think it is stopped up somwhere. I would try and flush the whole radiator and everything out with a hose but just don't have the time.

Its getting colder now and I don't get home from work until after dark.

I am looking at the online service manual now but don't see the heater coil yet.

maybe you mean the heater core??
http://www.binghamtonlife.com/manual/2gsm/images/91-21-13.jpg