OK I have this problem. It started a few events ago. My car has a full size fluidyne radiator and a meziere water pump. I therefore have way more cooling capacity than my motor really needs. It takes forever just to get the sucker up to temp on any day especially a cool one. Previously it has been rock solid on the track. Temp gauge never moves above one third (yes, I am going to put in a new mechanical gauge when my buddy gets back from Road Atlanta). We tested the OEM temp gauge before with his meter and it is fine but maybe it is a suspect. Here is what happens:

I am out on the road course and it will run fine maybe the whole session or maybe after about ten minutes in a right hand turn the temp gauge will show a rapid temp spike. It may go down real quick as in too quick for what should take more time as water temp fluctuation. It might go back down very quickly and stay down for a couple of minutes. Weird thing is it never happens in left hand turns but I realize most tracks have a high predominance of right hand turns. This issue has occurred at three different track configurations. Maybe I have an air pocket. I can pull into the pit wait a minute and go back out and it will stay away for ten minutes or so and damn if it does not come back. I can NOT find the coolant bleeder on the B18C. I have a 94 Integra Factory Manual that includes a B18C1 and it shows this:

But my upper rad hose where it comes into the engine looks like this with no bleeder screw:

And my lower rad where it comes into the engine looks like this:

I have never had a problem finding a bleeder screw!! What gives?

Any other suggestions on why I am getting this funky temp spike? Any thoughts on what the heck is going on? I cranked up my car in the garage tonight and let it run and run and run. Temp rock solid. I didn't smell coolant and had the car up on jack stands looking under it and all over the engine bay with a light and never saw leak one or smelled coolant. Very frustrating.

Thanks.
Barry H.

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88 CRX Si track car, stripped no a/c, modded B18c w/Hondata,Toda Spec B cams, bigger injectors, 72mm throttle body, ITR headers, ST cam gears, AEM fuel rail meziere water pump, fluidyne radiator, Koni adjustables/GC sleeves/Eibach ERS 450f/550r, Kosei K1 wheels w/Kumho V710 R

I just went through a coolant leak issue, tried to find the bleed valve too but I don't have one (USDM 98 GSR)...and I've heard from others that the B18C doesn't have one. Are you sure that manual is showing the B18C? My Haynes manual is one book for civics, integras and the CRV so maybe that picture is for a D16, B16 or a B20.
Anyway, with your system can you do a pressure bleed through the radiator cap? By this I mean sit with the cap off, heat on (to circulate through the core), get the engine up to running temp and then top it off at the radiator, let the bubbles boil up, repeat, until no more bubbles?
This is the cheapest, easiest check to make sure your system is still primed. Because with a right-turn only spike it sounds a lot like the pump intake is on the right hand side and sucking air in those turns.
What do you think?

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I had the same problem. I could not figure it out. I took it to Honda and they changed out the TW sensor...that fixed it.

"TW Sensor"? Could you spell that one out for me? As to the other responder, no the lumpy idle and the temp problem did not occur simultaneously. My car is not boililng over coming into the pits and I am not losing fluid, seeing whitish smoke or have foamy oil as in any head gasket issues.

Barry H.

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88 CRX Si track car, stripped no a/c, modded B18c w/Hondata,Toda Spec B cams, bigger injectors, 72mm throttle body, ITR headers, ST cam gears, AEM fuel rail meziere water pump, fluidyne radiator, Koni adjustables/GC sleeves/Eibach ERS 450f/550r, Kosei K1 wheels w/Kumho V710 R

well the type r's do not have a coolant bleed screw in the housing due to the rad cap sits higher than the rest of the system, you can drill and tap the thremostat housing, and put a bleeder screw into it (thats what i would do) od you can let it run and "burp " the air out of it thru the upper hose!!
and the tw i think is a water temp sender,

TW sensor from what I can find, is a water temperature sensor. I think it controls the reading on the temp guage? Mine is located under the distributor on a D16. I'm just throwing this suggestion out here for you, I may be way off. I was having the same erratic temp guage movement...took it to Honda...they replaced it and that fixed the problem. However my car was not overheating because of this. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Barry, jadkar and i were talking last night, and we both do not like the electric water pump, also i think you might have a "short" somewhere , being that you only see the temp spike on hard right hand turns, like some thing is grounding out, i really been thinking about this all night and this sounds logical

I am going to try the new sensor. Actually I am going to try and plumb a mechanical gauge in next week now that I know (kind of) what I need to buy from Autozone to plumb the Longacre sensor in where the OEM sensor is located. I have already relocated the Meziere water pump wire to a different but "switched" electrical connection. Well a buddy of mine who is way more competent in electrical matters did that but like like you say maybe it is grounding or something. (I did chase the wire from the pump all the way up under my dash and inspected. Maybe I will run new wire. After that and if it is still an issue, then yes, I am going to yank the meziere and go with the OEM pump even though I will give up a few hp in the process. It is pretty frustrating at the moment. I know several people who are VERY serious track event drivers who log many miles on track each year (modded Z06 and a 530rwhp modded like hell mustang) who have used the meziere pump with success to deal with temp issues associated with modded high hp engines.

Barry H.

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88 CRX Si track car, stripped no a/c, modded B18c w/Hondata,Toda Spec B cams, bigger injectors, 72mm throttle body, ITR headers, ST cam gears, AEM fuel rail meziere water pump, fluidyne radiator, Koni adjustables/GC sleeves/Eibach ERS 450f/550r, Kosei K1 wheels w/Kumho V710 R

Barry, for testing purposes run the damn water pump straight to the positive and negative leads off the battery. Just put a blade fuse in between so you can "unplug" it if need be. I would run a few laps like that just for the hell of it.

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Good idea. My only problem is my PC680 Odyssey battery (little thing) is located in the back right corner next to the shock tower but I can run some wire already back there. That would be a good test. Thanks for the idea.

Barry H.

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88 CRX Si track car, stripped no a/c, modded B18c w/Hondata,Toda Spec B cams, bigger injectors, 72mm throttle body, ITR headers, ST cam gears, AEM fuel rail meziere water pump, fluidyne radiator, Koni adjustables/GC sleeves/Eibach ERS 450f/550r, Kosei K1 wheels w/Kumho V710 R