1995 Honda Civic Owner's Manual - Page 148

Jump Starting, If Your Engine Overheats 7. Once your car is running, disconnect the negative cable from your car, and then from the booster battery. Disconnect the positive cable from your car, then the booster battery. only indication may be the temperature gauge climbing to or above the red mark. Or you may see steam or spray coming from under the hood. In either case, you should take immediate action. 2. If you see steam and/or spray coming from under the hood, turn off the engine. 3. If you do not see steam or spray, leave the engine running and watch the temperature gauge. If the high heat is due to overloading (climbing a long, steep hill on a hot day with the A/C running, for example), the engine should start to cool down almost immediately. If it does, wait until the temperature gauge comes down to the midpoint then continue driving. 4. If the temperature gauge stays at the red mark, turn off the engine. 5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the hood. If Your Engine Overheats The pointer of your car's temperature gauge should stay in the midrange under most conditions. It may go higher if you are driving up a long steep hill on a very hot day. If it climbs to the red mark, you should determine the reason. Steam and spray from an overheated engine can seriously scald you. Do not open the hood if steam is coming out. 1. Safely pull to the side of the road. Put the transmission in Neutral or Park and set the parking brake. Turn off the climate control and all other accessories. Turn on the hazard warning indicators. NOTICE Driving with the temperature gauge pointer at the red mark can cause serious damage to your engine. Your car can overheat for several reasons, such as lack of coolant or a mechanical problem. The Taking Care of the Unexpected