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Older Civic Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    tried throttle body cleaner? the symptoms are similar. it's a painfully simple dyi.
  • pmoreno51pmoreno51 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 Honda Civic with 130,000 miles, It has a squealing noise when I try to start it.I thought that the cause could be the starter so I took and brought it to Auto Parts shop to be checked, according to the test the starter is ok. Any idea what will be the problem of this annoying noise? by the way the car does not star.
  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    your main belt (or another, not sure how many you have) may be slipping. You can get some "belt dressing" at most auto stores. you spray it on the belt and it makes it slip less as it goes over the pulleys. a little bit goes a long way so don't over do it.

    How old is this belt? they often start getting noisey as they get old and the surfaces get worn and smooth. Belt dressing can pinpoint the problem as the belt (or which one), you might have it replaced if you haven't done it in 130,000.
  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    just re-read your note where you say it doesn't start. Obviously the belt issue only applies if it does start.

    does it just crank and not catch? or does it catch and just not keep running?

    Unless something is seized that runs off the belt (alternator, power steering, AC, etc) and that won't let the engine run (if something won't turn that the belt is driving, it could cause such a load on the engine that it won't start). See if everything that the belt turns will in fact turn. While someone attempts to start it, look at everythign that the belt goes around and see if something isn't turning. If something won't turn, it is probably seized and you've found the problem.

    let's hope it is that easy. good luck.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Actually, if you temporarily take the belt off completely, that will eliminate the possibility of all of the accessories causing the problem. Just don't run the vehicle very long this way after it presumably starts.

    I personally would suspect the air conditioner compressor has internally self destructed if the starter checked out which is supposedly did.
  • dmogdmog Member Posts: 1
    I sure hope I'm not the only one with this problem. For about a month now I've been here some rattling under my car, especially when I go over bumps in the road. I finally took my car in today to the mechanics, and was told that it was my motor mounts. I haven't had my car not even 6 years and this is happening? The mechanics asked me if I go off roading in my car? Is he serious? I had called the Honda dealership wondering if there was an estimated time for these to wear out, and he said no. Can anyone help me out and tell me what I should do? Was there ever a recall on this? Help me someone!!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    I'm not a Honda expert, but I remember reading on the boards here motor mount problems, and a TSB to fix it. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find others with the dealer resolution.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Kiawah gives you a good suggestion. The information he saw could be in any of the topics here in the Civic group so click on that link and use the Search Honda Civic feature on the gray bar. Let us know what you find.

    Meanwhile maybe someone else reading here can offer some feedback.
  • pops3468pops3468 Member Posts: 1
    Car will not start cold with out a shot of starting fluid. But runnes fine once started.
  • arifried44arifried44 Member Posts: 3
    How much should it cost to get a keyless entry system put on my 1997 honda civic LX? I forget way too often to manually lock the driver's side door (the power lock won't work so that i don't lock my keys in the car). I also read that ALL 97 LX's have the receiver built into the radio and that as long as the car has power locks, I can simply buy a honda keyless entry fob and program it without having to install anything (or needing to pay someone else to do it) - is this true?
  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    we've had aftermarket keyless entries / alarms installed for about $200 on non-civics in the past.
  • arifried44arifried44 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the pricing info, but does anyone know if it's true that all 97 Civic LX's have the receiver built into them and only require honda keyless remotes for programming?
  • thegagethegage Member Posts: 13
    '95 DX Coupe: In heavy rain downpours I get water leaking from the bottom of the heater fan housing. Checked the drain for the A/C unit and it is not blocked. I suspect there is some drain hole in the firewall that is plugged, but I have no idea where to check. Any help appreciated.
  • aceswild77aceswild77 Member Posts: 1
    my 1996 civic dx is acting up and I don't know what's wrong. I will be driving along and then out of the blue, it's like the the engine cuts out or shutters for a second and then kicks back in again. It will also cut out and on quickly almost seeming like the engine is jumping. (giving a good occasional quick jolt while driving) does this make sense or sound familiar to anyone. (it sometimes cuts out to the point where even though the gas pedal is pushed down, there is no power and it just decelerates or shuts down until the car shuts off, and then after waiting a few minutes, you can start it up and drive it a little further before it happens again???) Otherwise, when it cuts out at about 100km/hr, it will kick back in again about 8 seconds later and seem fine....I tried some injector cleaner but it didn't help. The plugs, distributor cap, fuel filter, catylic converter, exhaust manifold and alternator have all been changed and nothing seems to work....please help as I am really not good with this stuff. :confuse:
  • jsmartjsmart Member Posts: 3
    Not sure if this goes here or not but I just have to say I love Honda. I have had my civic since new and it now has 102000 miles on it. The other day my wife was driving home and it was having problems going over 60 mph so I said just take it to the dealer and I will meet you there. The next day the maintenance department calls and says it will be 791.00 to fix my cat and manifold. I said fix it because we had the car in last spring and was going to have some work done around 800.00 and it was all covered under extended warranty so I figured what the heck. Well today the service department called me and said all the parts where covered under a different extended warranty again. This has saved me around 1600.00 and all I have done is routine maintenance on the car for 10 years. What other company does this! Thank you so much HONDA I will be a customer for life.

    P.S. we also have a 2007 Ody :shades:
  • jzurjzur Member Posts: 4
    My 1993 honda civic window stops at about one inch from the top. I think it will need a window lift motor. Anyone know how to remove and renew this motor? I also have a problem with it not starting all the time. I installed new plugs and wires with a new fuel filter, but this didn't help. Also had a fuel pump installed, still no help. Someone told me that if could be the pressure regulator valve. When I turn on the key and let it pump it will start. However sometimes when I turn on the key the pump doesn't pump and the check engine light does not go off.
  • thegagethegage Member Posts: 13
    For your no-start it sounds as if it could be an intermittent fuel pump relay problem.
  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    this sounds like fuel pump, either the pump is failing or the wiring to the pump is failing, causing it to just stop momentarily. I think the pump is located under the rear seat, lift up the seat cushion and see if the wiring looks ok. It may be just a bad connection, 1st try unplugging it and plugging it back in. If that's not it, have the pump tested.
  • honmanhonman Member Posts: 1
    My 2001 civic lx with auto trans -88000 miles.
    I recently changed the power steering pump and since then I have the following problems:
    on starting the odometer reads 888888, the tachometer drops to 0, the gear shift indicator blinks, fuel gauge becomes inacurate. The car runs normally except that the tachometer bounces from 0 to normal. Any sugestions of what is happening?
  • puneetgpuneetg Member Posts: 2
    Hi, My Honda Civic 2000 Model LX gives some pulsating/vibration sound at the rear. This is particularly when slowing down or making turns. Can someone guide what the problem is and the severity ? Of course, there is no obstruction on driving, just the odd feeling...thanks
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Can you 'feel' the vibration in the brake pedal? or just hear that sound at the rear while braking or not?

    If you can feel the vibration in the brake pedal while you are slowing down, then the problem is a warped brake rotor.

    You could also have a defective tire.
  • puneetgpuneetg Member Posts: 2
    No it's not in brake pedal, it's just at the rear. Technically, I should say the vibration sound occurs when turning/slowing. this means even if car is not braking, the vibration is there.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Why don't you swap the tires from front to back, to see if the problem moves forward, or stays in the rear.
  • jzurjzur Member Posts: 4
    I replaced the window regulator with motor. I purchased a used one from a local honda salvage yard. I also purchased a CD for this auto off ebay, BIG Help. I also did research with the honda cd and found that the main relay was bad. This was my starting problem. So if you have trouble with your vehicle I would recomend you purchase a CD for your vehicle. Thanks again, John
  • thescore04thescore04 Member Posts: 3
    I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think my 1996 Civic sounds and feels different from when I bought it. Like I think it's louder than it was when accelerating.

    The main thing I'm wondering about is should the car always shift gears at the same speed? Depending on how fast I'm accelerating, the car doesn't seem to shift from 2-3 at the same speed twice. It's shifted as low as about 22 and anywhere up to 30.

    I don't think I've had any slipping, and I think the fluid is okay. (Level looks fine, I can't tell any discoloration)

    Especially after driving for awhile, I think it has less power than it should (I know it has none to begin with anyways, but it feels like less), and sometihng just doesn't feel right, like it doesn't feel stable?

    So am I being paranoid, or is something wrong?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Well it's eleven years old, you don't feel the same way you did eleven years ago, do you?

    You don't indicate how many miles you have on it, and what maintenance has been done.....but have you considered giving it an engine tune up? Has the transmission fluid been changed as outlined in the owners manual? It getting louder could be the muffler or tailpipe getting a hole/crack in it somewhere....has anybody checked the vehicle over recently?
  • kenlwkenlw Member Posts: 190
    Your transmission will shift at different points based on several things, including: speed, load, engine RPM. Worn items such as kiawah mentioned can also affect when it shifts, as these can directly affect what the transmission controller 'sees' as speed, load, engine RPM, etc. And I will bet that in 11 years, your driving style has changed a bit as well.

    A good tune up and general maintenance refresh may be just the fix you need. Regardless, it certainly won't hurt!
  • idahocivicidahocivic Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1993 Honda Civic. It has over 120,000 miles. It runs great! The speedometer however works intermittantly. Any ideas where to start? I am believe the gage is ok.

    Thanks,

    IdahoCivic
  • terrypm1terrypm1 Member Posts: 79
    Probably a bad instrument cluster. Can buy one from a salvage yard for $50.00 and swap it out. Look here: www.car-part.com
  • idahocivicidahocivic Member Posts: 2
    Is there a speedo cable or is there a sending unit on the transmisson?
  • greencivicgreencivic Member Posts: 5
    I have a 01 honda civic, last night i was cold and wanted the heat on. it didn't work so i turned it up higher only to notice that the temp gauge was going up fast. Turned the car off and the temp gauge was okay. Turned the heat on and it went up again. Turned the heat off and it didn't go down either. Is this a connected problem or do i have two different issues?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    The way that they could be related, is two different symptoms of a single problem.

    If your radiator coolant was very low, you would not get heat (I assume that is what you mean when you say that the heat didn't work), and without coolant the engine would overheat and show as high on your temperature gauge.
  • greencivicgreencivic Member Posts: 5
    I checked the coolant level as you stated, the reservoir is at max, and there is coolant in the radiator. are these signs of a possible water pump or thermostat failure?

    a few more details of the problem:
    - heater was turned on, and only ambient temperature air was vented out. shortly after, temp gauge peaked at max temp. I shut of the car for only a couple minutes and it was back to normal after starting it up again. after a few blocks, i turned the heater back on, and the temp gauge went up quickly after turning the heater back on. heater was then turned off, car shut off and restarted; temp gauge went back to normal. it spiked one more time after a few blocks and went back to normal and remained that way for the rest of the trip home. car hasn't been started since.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    When a water pump is going bad, you normally would be hearing it squealing and/or see it leaking.

    Has any work been done on it recently, are you leaving out any other bits of information about this car? Have you had any work done on it in the last couple of months?

    What you can do when the engine is cold, is take off the radiator cap and then start the vehicle and let it idle. Watch the temperature gauge, as well as watch for movement of water in the radiator when the thermostat opens as the engine starts to warm. If the engine overheats without the water starting to flow, suspect thermostat or waterpump.
  • greencivicgreencivic Member Posts: 5
    no work done recently other than oil change 2000 miles ago. there are no squealing noises or leaking to my knowledge. i am going to start the engine and give it a test. thanks for the quick reply.
  • greencivicgreencivic Member Posts: 5
    did the test, the coolant circulated. i could see the coolant in the radiator until the heat was turned on then it dropped(this could just be a coincidence..i am not sure). The heat was working great now. checked the oil and it was a healthy brown color. the temp gauge was normal. 5 minutes total run time. the question now is should the coolant level be visible at all times in the radiator or is it normal that it dropped? could this just be a fluke? should we let the engine idle longer than five minutes for the test? anything else we should check? thanks
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Yes, there should be coolant filled in the radiator at all times. What actually happens is when it gets hot it expands, and blows the extra fluid out into the recycling tank. When the engine is turned off, the water reduces in volume, and it sucks the overfill back in from the recyling tank.

    I was asking whether you had any work done, as sometimes vehicles can get air locked if the radiator was drained and refilled (the air keeps the water from circulating). If you haven't had any work, then this could not have been a problem.

    However, I would be watching this closely until you figure out exactly what is going on. You might have a problem with a head gasket, with the cylinder compressing and blowing air/exhaust mixture into the coolant (thereby creating an airlock).

    You might want to consider doing a pressure test on each of the cylinders, just to be safe.
  • greencivicgreencivic Member Posts: 5
    is it a safe guess that the oil would be cloudy if its a leaky head gasket? is this something that should be taken to a dealership or can any shop do it? any guess for cost on worst case scenario?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Yes, if the oil was cloudy, would suspect head gasket.

    "Any" shop - no. Doesn't need to be a dealer, but should be a shop which does engine tear down work regularly.

    Get a compression test done (or buy a guage and do it yourself), that usually is pretty telling one way or the other.
  • spridgetspridget Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I'm new here. Looks like some great stuff going on. Hoping someone can help me. I have owned a '94 Civic LX 4-dr since new. The heater temp control lever just broke - it still slides back and forth but no longer seems to be connected inside the dash. It probably connects to a cable that controls the temp. I'd like to pull the heater control panel out of the dash to see what's going on back there - how do I remove the panel? Thanks a bunch in advance, Scott
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    ...if the '98 Civic has an interference or non-interference engine? Thanks.
  • marylongmarylong Member Posts: 10
    One evening I parked my car and 30 minutes later went to start it and everything was completely dead - nothing worked. I had the car jump-started and drove home (just across the street). I attempted to re start it and it was still completely dead. 24 hours later - it started right up as though nothing was wrong. The battery was only 3 months old, so I took it back to Walmart. On the way there the electrical system cut our for about a half-second, but the car kept running. The mechanic confirmed the battery was completely dead so they replaced it. However, the car still would not start. After about 20 minutes of trying to figure out the problem, it started. I took it to a repair facility telling them the problem and not to turn off the car. Well - of course they turned it off, but it started up right away and caused no problem on the way home. I was told that something is draining the battery, and it was probably the alternator. The honda dealer said it most likely is not the alternator as she had seen only one go bad in 8 years and the problems did not sound like an alternator problem. Does anyone have any suggestions. I have not driven it in a week and can't take it to a mechanic until payday.
  • damo1damo1 Member Posts: 1
    can anyone help me? i have a honda civic 1.5 lsi 1994. i am having power problems. when accelerating away i have no problems but my top speed is only 75 mph can anyone give me some advice or a solution to this problem? any help would be much appreciated
  • dmeiklejohndmeiklejohn Member Posts: 1
    I have had my civic for 9 years without any problems untill now it keeps blowing the immoboliser fuse someone told me that it could be a trapped wire any body got any ideas
  • swhondaswhonda Member Posts: 19
    I am having a similar problem. I have a 1991 civic (manual transmission) and my top speed is 70 mph, but this only happens when the check engine light is on, which happens to be almost all the time (I should mention that if the check engine light does not come on the car drives perfectly fine). The computer reads out the code for the fuel injectors, but that doesn't actually apprear to be the problem because when they are replaced, the problem still exists. My mechanic and I think that there is a problem with the computer, but I don't know if that is a primary or seconday problem.
  • hondagirl18hondagirl18 Member Posts: 1
    so we just put a new engine in my car its just the stock d15 b7 for my 95 honda civic and we finnaly got everything hooked up it starts and runs perfectly but when i go to let out the clutch and go it doesnt go i had it in first gear and everything and i could let out the clutch all the way and let my foot off of it and it wouldnt accelerate or anything i need all the help i can get please!!!
  • thegagethegage Member Posts: 13
    For some reason the clutch plate is not releasing so that the engine engages the transmission. (You put in a new clutch when you had the engine out, I assume.)

    A few possibilities:

    --The clutch plate is binding on the transmission shaft.
    --The clutch slave cylinder is stuck in the extended position.
    --The clutch release lever (actuated by the slave cylinder) is binding.
  • winter311winter311 Member Posts: 2
    I haven't touched my 1997 Honda Civic for one week and yesterday I couldn't start the engine. well, it turned over a little bit the first time but not good enough to start the engine. so tried again and then it made a little bit noise. Didn't start. the third time was no noise at all. What might be the problem?

    I noticed that when I turn my key to the Start(III), the system charging indicator light was on. This morning one of my friends tried to jump start my car, but we couldn't open the front trunk. It was -15 C outside so I think everything is frozen.

    I've got the car inspected one month ago. Does it mean all the batteries/connections/engine should be ok?

    What would be the cheapest way to get my car back? I am in Calgary and everything is very expensive as you know.

    Thanks,
  • marylongmarylong Member Posts: 10
    Get you car in a garage to thaw out. Then you should be able to open the hood (trunk is in the back). Then, replace the battery and you should be good to go.
  • winter311winter311 Member Posts: 2
    Is it possible for a not-handy -man to change the battery by myself at all?

    Before that, I will have to figure it out how to get my car to garage. I guess I would have to call a tow but I am not sure how much it will cost me. I will call a garage.

    Thank you again.
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