Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

glb5

Bought our 02 civic lx 2door 5 speed Feb 22 from Team Honda Salesman Tim Macintosh. The car had an MSRP of 15600 Plus 440 S&H, Bought it for 14628 plus 249 prep.Car had 3 miles on it, so I guess you can get a reasonable deal if you talk to the right person. Took the car to California in April to get some highway miles on it Averaged 41 M.P.G. with the air on at 75 M.P.H. and a lot of wind, which I thought was just fine. Now for the problem, has anyone had any trouble when your filling the tank with gas getting the tank to take the last 2 to 3 gallons. My car takes the remainder, but very very slowly.In orther words after the pump shuts off I can trigger in the last 2 to 3 gallons by clicking slowly. Any responce would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

bostont

Thank you so much Keithn55! I was scared to death there was nothing that could be done about this annoying noise. Did they make the repair while you waited or did it take a long time? I'm taking it in when I reach 5,000 miles for the first oil change and I'll see if anything can be done about the rattles in the back too.

strong68

Whenever I get in my 2001 LX CIVIC and brake for the first time after starting the car,
( it usually happens after the car has been parked overnight or parked for awhile) I get this loud rumble grinding noise when the brakes are first applied. After the car is warmed up the sound goes away and the car brakes without any noise, etc. Has anyone had this problem?

bjk2001

strong68:

Could this be your brake's vaccum yawning?

bjk

keithn55

I dropped off the car at 7am and it was done at 11:30am. I looked at the struts and found out they put some foam padding at the top of the strut tower. They apparently had to compress the struts and drop them down in order to install the padding. The dealer told me they just ordered the padding this week and was for another vehicle. Apparently, this is something new and you may want to let them know you have this problem before you go there.

The noise went away for the most part (90% gone). But I still can hear the noise when I hit bigger bumps certain way. The good news is there is no noise when I drive on highway. I may take it in again before the warranty is up and see if they have a better fix. The padding looks too weak to last many years (I could be wrong).

My older 88 Civic has the backseat rattling. I took it in couple times when it was new. The dealer said the bushing shrunk in cold weather and caused it to rattle. There was no permanent fix. It still rattles. I hope they have changed the design by now.

Regarding the very warm key, my key is always very warm after driving. It is so warm that it is almost too warm to touch. I hope this is normal as it has never happened to any of my other cars.

By the way, I don't have any problem pumping gas. Usually I stop after the pump clicked for the first time.

thesun93

Help. I had my car's rack & pinion repaired and it was returned to me with the SRS light illuminated, horn not working and the ignition screwed-up (key does not release sometimes). The mechanic denies he is at fault. What has happened? Are these three mechanically connected by the same coil or reel?

auburn63

There is a cable reel that the srs uses that is located under the steering wheel and can easily be damaged if the steering wheel is not repositioned correctly when reattaching the rack or if the steering wheel turns as the rack is out. So it is possible that they caused the problems or atleast 2 put of 3 not for sure about the ignition this maybe another problem..good luck

plaue

I recently purchased a 1998 Civic LX. It's in great condition, but has this annoying problem where, maybe every tenth trip, the key will get "stuck" in the accessory position. When I go to push and turn the key to the lock position, it'll push in, but won't turn to the lock/off position.

However, the key will turn the other way, and I can start the vehicle right up. I am kind of thinking it has something to do with the shift-brake interlock because if I restart the car and drive it for a little more, the key will come out with no problems.

Any advice? I'm still under my NYS used car warranty..but the dealer I purchased from says they "cannot duplicate the problem."

Thanks!

fanglu

Hi,

I just repaired my civic. But after the reparations, I find more problems.

1. A/C clutch:

When the car stop and engine is idle, the A/C's clutch will stop engagement for several milliseconds and engage again. After a while, it stops engagement and re-engage again. When the engine is running at a little high speed, the A/C clutch will work fine. I think there may be two possible problems with it. One is the clutch is slipping. The other is the current for the coil becomes small. Does anyone have idea on how to diagnose it? If the parts fail, what is the cost to repair it?

2. Acceleration delay

When the car accelerates from stop, if I press the gas pedal a little bit hard, but hold the gas in the same position during the acceleration, I feel the engine accelerate slowly for 2-5 seconds. SUDDENLY, the engine generates much more power to accelerate the car quickly. It is an acceleration jump. This has no relation with the transmission (mine is automatic transmission) because I can feel the transmission shift. This sudden acceleration is different from transmission shift. Also, I can hear the great noise from the engine. I feel the noise is caused by increased turn speed of engine. But if press the gas pedal gently, the car can accelerate smoothly.

As I just mentioned, I repaired my car a few weeks ago. One repair was the pipe before the 3-way converter. The garage replaced it with a new one and the fee was $140. The other is because my car failed in the emission test; the garage replaced my oxygen sensor. The fee is $170.

I don't know if the above reparation has relation with the current problems in my car or not. But I feel there may have some relations between the oxygen sensor and the delayed acceleration. Because after the replacement of pipe and before the replacement of oxygen sensor, the acceleration is the same as before. But after the replacement of oxygen sensor, I feel something different in the acceleration. After several weeks, I feel more detailed difference.

Looking forward to the help of experts.

Thanks in advance.

tinkywinky

This is a followup to msgs 1284 and 1274. I brought the car back to the dealership and the shop foreman had to drive it home overnight to acknowledge the harsh upshift problem and recommend replacement of linear selonoid. Honda told me that they'll reimburse me for 1/2 of the repair ($300 in total), and if that doesn't take care of the problem they'll reimburse all and cover "most" of the repair related to the transimission replacement. The car is after warranty. I had hoped that Honda could pay for all of it since this seems to be a common complaint and some msgs in this bulletin had suggested so. I don't know if this sounds reasonable and whether I should insist on them paying all of it.
Also how will I be able to contact some of the owners in this club that have posted similar issues?

fanglu

Today, I find another problem. When the engine is in idle, the engine is shaking. I let pep boy checked my car. They said the shaking was caused by misfiring. My car need tune up. They plan to replace the plug, rotor, distributor, wire, pcv valve, and fuel filter. For the a/c clutch, they said maybe it is caused by refrigerant is not enough. They plan to replace the feron with the new r134. The total cost is more than $400. Do you have any advice?

Thanks.

bjk2001

fanglu:

Well if they have to replace Freon 12 with HCFC-134, then they have to vacuum out all the F12 and refill with HCFC-134, also fittings need to get changed too. Keep in mind HCFC-134 is not as efficient as F-12. Your A/C won't be as cold as before.
Have you taken your car to another mechanic to get second opinion?

Good luck,

bjk

gasguzz

"plug, rotor, distributor, wire, pcv valve, and fuel filter"
I don't see anything here you couldn't do yourself - typical ignition system maintenance.
R-12 to R134a retro... There are DIY conversion kits for those too. As for the R-12 being more efficient in YOUR system, you have no choice on the matter anyway - you can no longer service R-12.
I would say no more than $200 tops for all the above.
Good luck.

auburn63

The A/c problem maybe normal they do tend to cycle often at idle. Is the presures good in the system and does the a/c blow cold?

As for the delay is it possible that the a/c clutch is kicking off as it should during a quick or hard accel? If a/c is not on then it could be a timing related issue but not totaly for sure on that. I will try and think of more as well as trying other like cars to see if it is possible to be normal proccessing delay..

If any tune up components are worn and or aftermarket it can also cause some of these problems as the car runs best with factory plug wires,cap and rotor and ngk or ND plugs.

fanglu

Hi, bjk2001, gasguzz, auburn63:

Thanks for your reply. Here is some new information.

As to bjk2001’s question, I do have another mechanic evaluated it. He also told me the refrigerant need to be replaced.

As to gasguzz’s opinion, thanks for your suggestion to DIY the tune up. But I don’t know how to replace the PCV valve and fuel filter. Is there any good reference?
Actually, pep boy ask for $90 for the refrigerant replacement and $300 for the tune up. I do hesitate to let them do the tune up.

As to auburn63’s question, the clutch is abnormal. Because it disengages only for several millisecond and engages again immediately. Also, even if the temperature is high in the car, this problem happens too. The a/c do blow cold as usual. Also, this happens only when the engine is idle. When the engine turn quickly, there is no problem.

I have tested the acceleration delay without a/c. It happens too. When I hold the pedal in one special position, this problem almost always happens. In my last reparation, the mechanic told me the spark plug is not well replaced. Other parts are still Honda original parts without any replacement since the car was bought. (Current mileage is 107k)

As to the shaking problem, it is fixed now. This afternoon, I have another mechanic checked my car. He re-plugged the plug socket and the shaking disappeared. But the acceleration delay still exists. The second mechanic think it is caused by misfiring.

Thanks for all of you.

Fanglu

sirrad

my friend had just gotten a replacement key made for a used accord he had just picked up. he put the replacement key into the ignition, but the car would not start. when he tried to remove the key, it would not release the key.

turns out there were two separate problems, the key he had made was just slightly short than the original, a mistake made in the grinding. because of that, the key could not press the the mechanism to release the key. he waited several hours until a locksmith came, and even then took nearly 40 minutes to get it released.

the second problem was that there is a chip in the key which is required, so he would need to get a duplicate from Honda, special order, not just getting one made at Walmart (which is where he got it done). he placed the original key near the ignition, and he was able to start the car with the replacement.

you would think this sort of thing would be explained in the users manual...

fanglu

Hi,

Thanks for the help from you guys. I repair my car by myself and only cost me $4!

Today, I replace the 4 spark plug by myself. Everything is fine now. No acceleration dealy, no a/c clutch disengagement. For the a/c problem, I think it is because the engine may be stalled because of the bad spark plug. The automatic control system try to disengage the a/c to remove the load of the engine. Now the spark can generate good spark, so the engine can run powerfully. So the a/c need not be disengaged any more.

The old spark plugs have very large gap, so the sparks may be very bad. That caused all of the problem.

Hope to give you enough information to help you to deal with your car.

06mike

Looking at purchasing a 98 Civic HX. Has 36,000 miles, well appointed, looks good but I believe has a CVT tranny. Used car dealer is no help. Does anyone have any history on the Honda CVT transmissions? Does Honda still make/use the that transmission?

06mike

Looking at purchasing used 98 HX coupe with 36,000 miles. Car is well appointed, clean and looks good. One concern is I believe it has a CVT transmission. Does anyone have any history or service problems with this type of tranny? Does Honda still make that tranny?

strong68

I have been having problems with my brakes making grinding noises during the initial braking, and after that the brakes are fine..no noise. Well I took it to the service dept. and the guy drove with me and said what he heard was "normal" and that it was just brake pads shifting and that most Honda brakes do that around 7,000 miles, etc.. Is there any truth to this?? The grinding is quite annoying and if it does this for the life of the car I'll have to 86 it.
Thanks

strong68

I have been having problems with my brakes making grinding noises during the initial braking, and after that the brakes are fine..no noise. Well I took it to the service dept. and the guy drove with me and said what he heard was "normal" and that it was just brake pads shifting and that most Honda brakes do that around 7,000 miles, etc.. Is there any truth to this?? The grinding is quite annoying and if it does this for the life of the car I'll have to 86 it.

rstar

I have a 95 Civiv LX, 89,000 miles, it has been overheating, if I run the heat, it will drop the temp gauge down. I can't remember a specific time that in overheated in the red, but when I took it in, I was told it was a headgasket. Can that be right? The overheating has started out slow, w/ AC long drive, A/C shorter drives, now when I drive to work, 18 miles, no A/C, it heats when I get off the highway...I am going to take it for a second--people have a tendency to try and take me, My price estimate, gasket and since it is time, timing belt, water pump, $750 and up....
Thank you.

isellhondas

Overheating is not a good thing! If you continue to drive the car while you are trying to figure out what your problem is, you could do a lot of damage!

Find a shop you trust and get it looked at ASAP!

britton2

I don't have a Honda Civic now but I did up until last year - it was a '86 DX and at about the same mileage yours has it began overheating - the needle would get right at the line but not on the red square (if this makes sense) anyway, it was determined that the radiator needed flushing out - had this done and car ran fine afterwards -

gasguzz

the coolant thermostat - replace it (some $5-10).

rstar

I think I have damaged the car more by driving it that way...I went ahead and am having the head repaired, let's hope that that was it!! Thanks for the input.

civic2001lx

I think in the owner's manual it recommends not to pump more gas after it automatically stops. That could possibly be why it goes so slow when you try to add more.

bjk2001

civic2001lx:

It has nothing to do with owner's manual or any car design. It is designed in gas station refeuling gun. To prevent over flowing the gastank and cause gas spill. Correct me if I was wrong. There is built in mechanism in the gas gun. It's pressure sensitive when you fill the gas tank almost full the pressure will increase due to less space left in the gas tank, so it will trigger off the gas gun. You could only fill up slowly to prevent trigger off (built up too much pressure in short time) the gas gun.

bjk.

osum02

I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX and the steering wheel is biased to the right. When going straight the steering wheel is slightly off to the right and it seems after coming to a stop and going again, I have to over correct it to the right. I took it to a dealer and they swapped the front tires and that seemed to help very, very slightly, not enough. They said the front end alignment was fine and met Honda specs but this issue persists and has been like this since new. I took delivery of this car in March 8, 2002. Is this common with Honda's or Civic's in particular. Can anyone please shed some light on this. I have an appointment with a different Honda dealer this Friday to see what they can do. Thanks for any input anyone has!

lario

I just bought a 2002 Honda Civic EX 4 dr a week ago and noticed yesterday that my steering wheel is off center as well. The car seems to pull off to the right on flat, open freeways, so I have to compensate by holding the steering wheel to the left. Now what I want to know is if the problem is due to misaligned tires or a steering wheel that is misaligned with the wheels (which are aligned with each other). More importantly, is this a problem? The steering wheel seems to be off just slightly, so maybe I'm paranoid because I have a new car? What problems might this cause?

Sorry user osum02 (post #1324), for not being able to provide you with some insight, but I wanted to write to let you and others know that I have a similar problem, and maybe many more 2002 Civic sedans owners have it, too (please speak up if you do!)

rzl

My husband and I just bought a 2002 Honda civic lx automatic about 2 weeks ago. Thus far, we love the car. However, we have noticed a couple of problems which I hope someone can address for us who have had similar problems.

We plan on taking it to the dealership after my husband returns.

1. Difficulty starting the car in the morning (the car is usually parked in the garage). Takes several tries before the engine will start.

2. "Dinging" noise after the car has been turned off. It lasts for several minutes before the noise will disappear.

If the above has happened to others, please let me know if they are very serious. My husband is still driving the car (no time to take it to the dealership until a week from now).

Thank you.

06mike

Anyone experience a problem with front end vibration on 99 Civic Sedan. Has 44,000 miles. Tires just balanced and did not affect vibration. Vibration starts at ~50MPH and goes away about 55MPH. Engine RPM's do not have an affect as driving in D4 or D3 at 50 MPH produces the same vibration. Any ideas?

alcan

Not sure about the hard starting, but the noise after shutdown is probably the exhaust system cooling down.

hobieslug

i have 5 hondas in my family and none of them give a static shock
I don't belive the dealer who told some one who posted that hondas are known to give you a static shock
I have heard that certain tire can cause static
it's the material they use to get less resistance on the road
I have had static shock with other cars but i think it was my clothing anyway i would hold the key and touch the lock with the key the arch would go from the key to the lock and i wouldn't fell a thing

lady69wolf

I have an '83 Civic, 2 dr hatchback, 1300 CVCC engine, 5 spd manual, 3bbl carb. Shortly after purchasing it used recently, the harmonic balancer/crankshaft pulley fell off while driving! It appeared that last time it was put on, they used no washer to hold it on! The pulley was damaged beyond salvaging..key welded to pulley; so new pulley, key, bolt, & washer had to be bought. Finally found one after a long tedious online search, only to be stuck & in need of help. The old bolt refuses to come out. We have used cheater bars, breakovers, etc to no avail; even w/ a 6'5", 300#+ man torquing against it! Is there a trick to getting the blasted thing out? Or is it seized & a motor removal inevitable? Any tips or help you could give or direct me to would be GREATLY appreciated!
Many Thanks!
TJ

alcan

They're tight. My 1/2" impact gun usually won't budge them, have to use my 3/4" gun. Try bracing a breaker bar against the ground to prevent it from moving, and crank the engine to break the bolt loose.

civicchic

Hi! We have a 2002 civic lx. It is a great car other than a recurrent "extended crank" problem. The car has been at the dealership for this. They don't know how to fix it. Honda knows about the problem, they can't find a remedy( or so the dealer says) The car does start eventually, but it is an embarassing problem, for us AND Honda. If we would have seen this happen to someone else, or heard about this before, we would have seriously considered buying something else. Anybody else with this problem? Does your dealer have a solution? Thanks in advance

bjk2001

civicchic:

Could you elaborate on this "extended crank"? Does it happen in the morning or afternoon? How often ? Does it happen when engine is cold or hot? We don't have this problem on our 02 EX auto. How long do you have to crank it? Do you crank it once or twice or until it start?
Have you taken your car to different dealer?

Regards,

bjk

rody

My wife just leased a 2002 Civic Ex. We have had it for 3 months and having problems with the inside windows. It was not 2 weeks after we had the car the inside windows started to streak. It seems to be some type of oil on the inside. It is not the typical fog that appears in all cars but an oily like substance. We took to the dealership and they told us that the all 2002 cars are having this problem. They went to say that the oily stuff on the windows is from a chemical that is sprayed on the plastic to give it that new car smell. I really do not have clue what the oily stuff is or coming from. I was told to Eagle One window cleaner. I do the windows once a week and the problem comes back in about 2-3 days. The dealership says the Honda America knows about the problem but are willing to do nothing about but give advise on how to fix. Does anyone have this problem as well? Also, I have seen many other 2002 cars (not Hondas) and do not see this problem. Any help would be great.

Tks..... Rody

gasguzz

Wow, where can I get this spray to make my car smell new?
Yes, the new platic gives off vapors that may fog the windows in a new car (depending on humidity, etc.). It's not a hazard and will go away (parking with the windows cracked open a little helps).
But the "oil" substance? What does it smell, is it coolant? Check under the dash for a hose leak.

civicchic

BJK2001- Thank you for the reply. It does not matter if the engine is hot or cold. The dealer told us to keep trying, because it does eventually start. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes or so. As far as going to another dealer, they told us the same thing, that they have no remedy either. The car has a manual transmission, but that should not make a difference. What we are worried about is wearing the starter, or worse the battery in the winter.

gasguzz

Under this "extended crank" situation, where is the needle on the fuel gauge?
Civics of late seem to exhibit low fuel pressure when the fuel is at some 1/8th tank (or lower). If this is the case, then it's "normal".

bjk2001

Yes, I confirmed it. I got to drove my daughter's 02 Civic EX today. I played with the driver side power window after dropped my daughter and her friend off. At first, I didn't notice anything then looked closely, it only happened when the power window is at almost closing (last 2 inches or so). I noticed the whole inside door trim will shift till window is closed. Never saw it on any other car before. mmmm! BTW our Civic is assembled in Japan, so can't blame it on US workmanship/workwomanship.

isellhondas

Well, now, I'm going to have to put a window up and down on a new Civic when I get to work to check for this "problem"!

Relax folks!

gasguzz

I've got a 2k and I know they've been doing that since (at least) 99.

econguy

anyone out there have a problem(?) with the idle speed when first starting up in the morning? my hybrid is only a few months old (~2000 miles). when i first got it, it was almost silent when started, but now i can hear a very noticable whooshing sound (and rpm's are about 1600) that stays until i shift out of park. is this normal?

rayrock

if it actually takes five minuets to start your car that is waaaay too long. hard starting could be lots of things. 1st) is the gas cap screwed on all the way, 2nd) when you start your car, turn the key so the warning lights go on and wait about five or ten seconds for the fuel pump to pressurize the fuel system. never leave the key in that position for long periods (minutes) or the ignition coils overheat. if it only happens when the engine is cold have the cold start valve checked out (it richens the air/fuel mixture on cold starts).it could also be water in the gas tank or the wrong grade of fuel (premium gas could extend start up time due to its higher ignition temperature. if your using premium go to regular and right before you fill up put a good fuel system cleaner in the tank such as STP. hope that works and definitely find another service shop.

gasguzz

"never leave the key in that position for long periods (minutes) or the ignition coils overheat"

Would you please elaborate.

macksoud

I've already had the driver side clickity-click problem on my 2002 with less than 1500 mi. I was able to narrow down the problem with the help of this group and get my dealer to fix it. Now another problem that the dealer can't seem to fix: A water leak on the the diver side. I think the problem has gone on for a long time since the carpet is stained and discolored. No water pours in, but it seems to steadily seep in under the carpet. Any ideas?

rayrock

the key should not be left in the 'run' position (warning lights on dash lit) without the engine running. the ignition coils energize but the spark plugs aren't sparking which overheat the coils... my '01 civic ex 4dr canadian had a severe window screech when raising like finger nails on a blackboard. when i was lubing the door hinges i sprayed the window channels with silicone lube it stopped the squeak but the window dragged the silicone down to the lower seal and now oil is spread accross the whole glass. i should have used candle wax to lube the window channel.