Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Pilot....But.....make sure your base voltage is good. That corrosion on the battery terminals can cause some flaky problems. I'd get that cleaned and the battery checked before you start tearing into the display. You might also want to have your battery checked at any autoparts chain, to make sure it's holding the correct voltage (should have about 13.0 volts).
Should I buy some gloves? Safety goggles? (makes me think of the old Simpsons episode with Radioactive Man... "the goggles, they do nothing!")
As for the odometer: When the speedometer is frozen at 20, the odometer and trip odometer also freeze. When the speedometer returns to normal usage, the odometer doesn't "jump" to make up for lost mileage when it was pegged at 20.
I'm curious as to why you think this is a voltage issue because it was my understanding that my analog odometer doesn't really pull any electricity... But, I don't understand cars that well (as I'm sure you can see now) so I'm welcome to suggestions.
I found a used display for a 2000 Civic LX Automatic Trans on eBay for 69.00, but I have not bid/purchased it yet. If you suggest this as my next step, I'd really need some detailed instructions on this or I'd have to buy it and have a local shop like Meineke do it and just charge me the labor.
Thanks again,
MC
Let it dry
Next day after dry, take a little dab of petroleum jelly on your finger and cover the terminal and connector with it. That will help keep the corrosion from coming back. Don't 'double dip'....don't put your finger back into the jelly after you've rubbed in on the battery terminal (don't want the grease of acid/soda in the jelly and put whereever on the body). I just have a small jar I keep out in the garage.
You can take your vehicle to an autoparts chain, and they do free load tests on the battery to make sure the battery is good. I'd do that after I cleaned w/soda, and before the jelly application.
Personally, I wouldn't be buying a replacement cluster until I proved the cluster was defective. I'd unplug it and replug to make sure the connections were good on the wiring, and hang a voltage test wire on it to make sure it wasn't loosing voltage at the same time that it stopped working. Something else but related could be causing the problem.
Just don't put a wrench on the positive terminal (thereby making a really solid connection with the + terminal), and wrench it over to touch anything metal on the frame (the frame is connected to the negative terminal of the battery)....that'll create an arc welder out of your wrench.
Reference your quote: Personally, I wouldn't be buying a replacement cluster until I proved the cluster was defective. I'd unplug it and replug to make sure the connections were good on the wiring, and hang a voltage test wire on it to make sure it wasn't loosing voltage at the same time that it stopped working. Something else but related could be causing the problem.
What would you unplug and replug? Will I have to open up the dashboard in order to do this?
I was able to duplicate the problem and the tech at AA mentioned that it could possibly be something getting stuck with the odometer because I can "fix" the stuck speedometer by pushing and holding the trip reset lever in, counting to 3, and letting go while the car is in motion. The speedometer then seems to recover and the odometer starts moving again as well.
He did admit he wasn't familiar with the interior of my Honda, so what do you think, is there something amiss between the odometer, tripometer, and the speedometer pointer thingie on the dash?
Thanks.
I think it was the civic that you had to do this for, do a search in the forums.
I am going to look at a used 2000 Civic EX manual with 59,000 miles on Tuesday. I was just wondering what to look for on it as what tends to go out first. I've seen multiple instances of this generation of Civics just stalling randomly at highway speeds. Anything else to try to replicate? It looks pretty solid from the pictures i've seen
Thanks for all your help
And good luck wit your gauges, pilot
In most cars, the blower is under the dash, passenger side.
I am thinking of drilling an access hole in the lower part of the shield, but do not know if what lies behind it will allow me to replace the rusted hardware. (I was thinking of grinding the head of the bolt off and pushing it thru once the head is gone.) Can anyone tell me if this is possible, or do I need to have a new shield welded onto the car body? Of course, my local Honda dealer wants $100.00 to look and advise me as to what needs to be done. Any help would be appreciated.
We just purchased a used civic (see above for year/trim) with 91k miles on it. We had it checked out and everything seems pretty solid. We plan on doing a timing belt/water pump replacement within the next few weeks as it's needing to be done and we are not sure if the previous owner did it (we bought it used from a dealer trade in). The only issue we seem to have is that when we turn on the air, there seems to be a slight coolant smell in the air. A/C and heater work great. The car does not heat up when driving with the A/C on.
My husband and I hope that it might be the water pump which will be changed out with the timing belt in two weeks. Could there be any reason why this 10 year old car might slightly smell like coolant when even the vent is on? Is it a sign that we bought a car with a heater core issue? We checked all the fluids and they seem to be good. When we stepped on the gas no smoke came out of the exhaust (not even steam). What are signs that we have an issue with a heater core?
Thanks so much for your help!
Mark & Rebecca
I guess if you had a large radiator leak in the engine compartment, that smell could be drawn into the cabin as well....mimicking a leaking heater core. However since you aren't missing large amounts of fluid, I wouldn't suspect this is your problem.
Just as a precaution, I would suggest that she has her battery/alternator checked to make sure it is at the correct voltage...and there isn't corrosion on the battery terminals (causing resistance and voltage drop). This could also effect random electrical items if the voltage was low, but I would think she'd start to see starting problems. The autoparts chains (Pep Boys, Autozone, etc) generally all do free battery/alternator load checks.
Kind of a tough call. That Altima should be pretty reliable.
Sorry I'm not much help.
If you had more detailed service records, i'd love to hear about them!
You're trading your known vehicle, for another much older vehicle with equivalent miles. Although it is supposedly well maintained, you won't really know for a couple of months. Struts, CV joints, transmission, engine, AC, brakes....all items that would put a dent in your wallet.
I guess it depends upon how much you can get for your current ride, and realize that some of that might be spent for Civic parts and labor.
I owe $8,000 on the Altima, I don't think I'd get the full amount if I sold it, maybe 6K. The Civic would probably only get a few thousand dollars.
That could be very worrisome.
Had a civic (96-2000 generation) that was sitting for about 8-10months. The bushings in the rear lower control arms dry rotted! Not a good thing to have that lock up and almost lost control of the car. Bushings are what you really have to examine extremely closely (bright light, magnifying glass). for the 96-2000 generation the control arms and bushings weren't that expensive. But 94?? you could check out online Manchester Honda they've got good deals on parts. Same with majestic honda.
Other issues are the parking brake control cables and hardware. Trying to think what else. Mostly suspension, brakes, exhaust to be checked out and even the tires could flat spot sitting that long. Also at this point you might want to examine the a/c system. I think 94 was the first year that they were using the new R134a refrigerant, and not sure if they perfected the compressor back then. So check that out too.
I think that if you get that checked out you're good to go.
Bet you weren't expecting a novel...
Assuming you have had regular maintenance done and the air filter has been changed, I've listed the 3 most probable causes below. They are the most expensive to the least expensive so start with the bottom one.
1) Fuel filter or fuel pump is almost definitely the culprit because you mention that it's worse when it's warm or you have been driving for awhile. Not sure if the filter and pump are separate components on that vehicle (they are likely one combined unit in the fuel tank) but for your sake I hope so because the pumps aren't cheap. Visit the dealership again (depending on how many miles you have on it) because it could be warranty if it's the pump. Make sure you ask...If not warranty, I would take the car to an independent repair shop that specializes in fuel injection. They will have the tools to check the fuel pressure and volume (2 different tests) and will be far less expensive than the dealer if not under warranty.
2) A plugged exhaust system (likely the catalytic converter or a collapsed muffler) could be the cause by the way you describe it. An engine is an air pump so if you can't get air out, you won't get air in. Any exhaust shop should be able to determine this right away with a visual inspection or by disconnecting various components one at a time. This shouldn't cost you too much assuming they don't try and sell you a complete exhaust system.....
First though, one thing that I've seen more than on a couple of occasions is that the air inlet to the engine may have something blocking it. I've seen plastic bags, paper cups, even mouse nests etc. To check this, removed the top of the air cleaner box and have a look....and check the air filter while you're at it. You should be able to see light through the filter if you hold it up to a light or the sun.
Hope this helps...good luck!
My rear door (behind the driver) in my 1998 Honda Civic has been giving me issues as am not able to open the door from outside. When consulting the service center, they said we need to replace the mechanism inside which am not very keen right now. Recently, someone activated the child lock and now am not able to open from inside too. I tried to search the forum a way for me to open the door without me taking it to the service center. Is there any way I can open the door on my own? This happened once before when the car was at service, and they opened it and gave it to me. I dont want to take it again to the same place.
Any help/info is appreciated.
Thanks
The child lock is on, so you are not able to open the door from the inside......and the linkage is broken or disconnected, so you are not able to open the door from the outside either?
So you can't get the door opened, so you can then take the inside door panel off to get at the locking mechanism?
Sounds like no option but to get a new car............
This will be difficult, but I think your only option is to put down the window, and with a strong flashlight and who knows what kind of tools.....reach in down thru the window slot and try to figure out what linkage to try to move, to snag the door opening linkage and unlock the door. If that doesn't work, you may have to destroy the inner door panel to get at the linkage, and then replace it with one from a junk yard. Not sure if you can get the inside door panel off, while the door is in the closed position.
You may have to bend some heavy gauge wire to reach down to where you need to get to.
Thanks once again.
check the brake lines again, then the caliper sliding pins they may need to be lubed which would also cause binding of the caliper. if after that the caliper is still sticking, then get a remanufactured one from honda. I never did trust the aftermarket reman market. about the same price, and the honda reman at the dealer seemed to be in better condition.
as to the other issue of the wheel bearing. if it was a wheel bearing it would have to be practically on fire for the rotor/disc to be glowing! plus you'd hear a lot of screeching noise at the same time. that's why i don't think it's the bearing. check that caliper first.
I have the same problem with my car. What was your solution?
Thanks!
Ted
Check the owners manual to see if it mentions a reset. A number of vehicles have a relay which turns off the fuel pump if in an accident, to avoid the potential for a fire. Some vehicles it is just a special series of actions, like turning the key on/off three times (some secret special handshake with the computer). All of my vehicles have the description written in the owners manual, don't know if Honda did that back in 97.
The car will turn over fine. it occassionally comes close to starting, but does not.
I have done the following:
replaced distributor cap, rotor and ignition coil.
checked for spark at the plug. yes, there is spark, but I am not sure if it is at the proper voltage. it easily covers the gap on my budget spark tester.
pulled the main relay and following the Haynes guide, checked for correct continuity at several different points.
the fuel pump does come on for 2 seconds as it is supposed to when you turn on the key to pre-start position.
all the correct dash lights come on when you turn on the key.
my ECU is not showing any errors (probably because I have taken off the negative battery cable more than once for different test and have probably reset the ECU).
I do not have a fuel pressure gauge, but have removed the fuel service bolt on top of the fuel filter and cranked the car, fuel does pump out of the port at good velocity.
checked the continuity of the fuel injectors. they are both within spec.
I have sprayed quick start fluid into the intake as it was being cranked, and it did not crank up.
the battery is good.
What am I overlooking? Any ideas before I tow it to my local repair shop?
slydog39
spark could happen, but I'm wondering if the plug wires are sparking but not delivering the right amount.
also, have you checked the compression of the cylinders?
another issue i had with a mid 90's civic was it would barely start, the idle air control valve (IAC) was bad. It would sort of start and then die. Another issue to check.
Hope that helps. Keep us posted !
Wish me luck
Have you also tried a compression test? just to make sure.
keep us posted how it goes! and Happy New Year! :shades:
Should she keep the Civic until it is no long usuable or purchase a Prius or Civic Hybrid? Some comments in this forum indicate that the Civic Hybrid has had many transmission problems...is the Prius a better choice?