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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Is your shop a dealer or independent? Try taking it to a another shop for a second opinion.
i am planning on just going ahead and replacing the half-sleaves which hold the inner cv joints myself with the aide of my shop savvy father in law. anyone have any advise on this procedure? i believe it would cost in the ball park of around $200 to do. i don't have the patience to wait till my problem gets worse. to me, the problem is bad already whenever i am driving the thing.
honda quoted me at $800 to replace 2 inner axel joints. an independent quoted me $400. hopefully we can do it by replacing the half sleaves for around $200.
(i may be incorrectly calling them half sleaves. i think that is what my father in law told me)
anyways...thanks for all the input. you guys rock.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Install the replacement axle assy in the transmission being sure the ring snaps in place so the inboard CV joint housing can't slide in and out. Slide the other end into the knuckle and install the axle nut finger tight. Now install the fork being sure the tang on the back of the strut fits in the slot on the fork. Snug the two fork bolts; don't tighten them yet. Attach the ball joint to the lower arm. Tighten the castle nut to 36 ft-lb; a little more if necessary to fit the cotter pin. Now torque the axle nut to 135 ft-lb and stake the nut in place. Lower the car to get full weight on the wheels and torque the fork bolts; top bolt 32 ft-lb and the bottom bolt to 47 ft-lb. Refill transmission. Hope I didn't forget any crucial steps. Good luck.
The local Honda dealer has recommended the installation of a Jasper reman'ed engine, including all new parts/accessories. The total cost is $3,700, with a 3yr./50,000 mi. warranty. Given the near-mint condition of this car, is the $3,700 too high. My alternative is a new Civic HX/CVT for ~$16,000. Are these Jasper remans' of known quality?
Comments appreciated.
Sounds a little high but the warranty on the motor is 2 years better than the ones we get. 3 years 36,000 is on ours.But even with that said I kinda agree with Smore, thats alot of money for a high mileage car.The 3700 dollars is probably about a years worth of payments on a new one and in a year you will probably need to put more money into the 85.Good luck
Grd,
6 years 90,000 miles is the recomendation and I think that Honda has a good idea on how long they last because I see several break in and around that mileage.There will be those that have taken the gamble and been lucky to never break one in 100,000 + miles but it is just that a gamble on breaking down and possibly causing engine damage.So I would replace it soon if not now then before 100,000 atleast.
I have a 96 Civic DX Coupe with almost 64,000
miles on it. For the last 5 months, I have noticed
when i check the oil between changes, it seems
low. I've added 1/2 a quart here and there, but
never gave it much thought. I changed the oil on
9/3, put 600 miles on it this week, and now it is 1
1/2 quarts low again. It's not leaking at all and
I have had no problems driving it. No warning
lights, nothing out of the ordinary. I have been
advised to keep checking the oil and get rid of it
ASAP before the motor dies on me. I have used only
synthetic oil since day 1 and I never expected
this car to last only 4 years. Part of the reason
I paid more than I really could afford to for the
civic was it's reputation. I had hoped it would
last an easy 100,000 miles with no sweat. Needless
to say, I am extremely disappointed that a 4
year-old car has become so unreliable that I am
afraid to drive it. My next car will be a Toyota.
Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx
http://freeweb.pdq.net/rfruth
1981 Raleigh for commuting, errands & fun
1997 Trek 2300 for real fun !
2000 Civic DX hatch non v-tec 1.6 L 5 speed
Another question - I took my car in for an oil change and tire balancing today (every time the dealer rotates the tires it throws the tires out of balance - don't ask me why.) I made an early appointment and waited for the car. The service advisor comes in and asks me if I want this "new service" that cleans out the carbon and removes "varnish" from inside the engine. The dealer is now offering it to customers whose cars have passed the 20,000-mile mark. It supposedly improves performance, smoothness and fuel economy. The cost? Only $79, which was impressive considering that this "new service" couldn't take more than 20 minutes. (It was a little after 8 a.m.; he knew I had to be at work by 9 a.m.). I said no.
What could he have been talking about? How can you remove carbon and varnish in that length of time? I never had this type of service performed on any of my previous Hondas (a '93 and '96), and they always ran well even and still got great gas mileage when I traded them (at 90,000 miles). I'm not going back to this dealer if the service advisor pushes unnecessary services. I don't have this much money!
Second: Do NOT waste $80 on some new service which is probably nothing more than a can of fuel injector cleaner (if even that!). A good friend of mine worked at a car dealer and the only word he used was "unscroupulous". I believe it. I am not saying all dealers are bad; but my experience is most of them have their hand in you pockets and really push for completely unnecessary services.
I asked all of the so called experts their analysis and replaced the (whatever took the place of a coil for fuel injection) ??? with one that metered good at a salvage yard. At first I thought the problem was gone.
But, it showed up within days. I went back to the area Vo-Tech (they replaced a sparkplug at an earlier visit)(I did notwant to spent $60/hr at a shop that was telling me they would analyze the problem) and this time got a student about 40 years old. He was from Africa, where his arab parents had moved to.
A long story, but guess what. The student called me and said your car's computer is faulty for plug or injector (memory dims after 65) and your car engine starts loading at higher speeds. So, for $90 (No labor charge) he replaced the computer. Walla, the car has operated smoothly (82,000 actual miles now, 72,000 then). I told him he knew more than all of the previous "experts" I asked and he apparently agreed. He quit school (think he got a diploma to work in the USA) and went to work.
Whoever gets him as a mechanic will get a smart one.
My point is, find out if your computer is o.k..
Thanks for the comments. I've gone ahead and ordered the 1.5L remanufactured engine from Jasper (through the Honda dealer). The final estimate was ~$3500 -- engine at $2100, accessory parts at $300 and labor at $1100. The car will be ready late next week.
As I said, the car prior to the camshaft break was in near-mint condition at ~240,000 miles. Throughout the years I've had regular maintenance, including major repairs resulting from normal wear.
A little history on this dude: It was built in Tokyo. I ordered the car from Wilde Honda (Milwaukee) in February, '85 -- I waited ~3 months for its delivery. As you might guess, the car wasn't very popular, so the waiting period was a result of, "Gosh, who the heck wants that car?" The only accessories I ordered were automatic transmission, AC and an AM-only radio. The first thing I did when the car arrived was a trip to Ziebart for a "super" undercoating. As you might already know, Honda was still having rust problems with their cars in the mid-80s.
I had no problems with the car until 55,000 miles -- failing floats in the carburetor. I had the transmission rebuilt from scratch at 130,000 miles; replaced the alternator at 140,000 (Bosch); replaced the front axle assembly at 175,000; installed heavy-duty seat covers at 180,000; replaced the ball joints (radius arms), and front and rear struts (KYB) at 210,000; and now, the engine at 240,000. I've gone through a few sets of CV boots, a clutch on the AC unit (still have original compressor) and three starters.
Performance: What can I say? ~75HP and four Mic. tires will give the rednecks a run with their domestic junk on highway exit ramps. The car handles well, but I'd be lying if I said it could run a q-mile in anything less than 25s.
I have an '89 Civic Wagon (175,000) that I'll probably get rid of next year. I may try the HX/CVT Civic. I also have a '98 Accord (4CYL/VTEC).
Summary: I just spent $3500 for the deal of the decade [?]!
j.w.
Regarding the maintainence: I will continue to have the oil changed every 4,000 miles or so, but should I stick to the "severe" maintenance schedule outlined in the owner's manual for the other items, as opposed to the "normal" maintenance schedule? The main difference between the two schedules seems to be more frequent checks of certain items and minor adjustments.
I hope this new engine goes 300,000+. Too bad for me with this cam snap. The mechanic told me that the cam had no extra play, so it probably snapped from tension (old age). Oh well...
I've been driving Civics since '74. I'd really like to get my hands on a mint 600-series sedan from the '70-72 vintage. Do you ever service any of these?
Thanks again for your comments.
j.w.
Good luck with the new motor...
They tell me that the computer has stored 4 errors and it is impossible to "reset" the unit. Actually, they say that the unit "will not take a reset". The long and the short of it is that
they want $1000 to replace the unit. $850 for the unit and $150 for labor.
I have also talked with a couple other car repair places, not Honda dealers, who specialize in Honda. They tell me that only dealers can work on the airbag systems. They say that they don't
even have the diagnostic tools to start with. They also tell me that the Honda dealers are interfaced together via computers, so I expect to get the same story from any other dealer that I would go
to. This is compounded by the fact that they charge about $70 to even look at the problem. Getting a couple more opinions from
Honda could add up fast in the cost department.
Is there any way I can get a second opinion? Can this be true? Do I have any options? I have a sneaking suspicion that if I were allowed access to the diagnostic tools and told what to do with them, I could reset the unit. It seems fishy to me that a component which has never been used would suddenly need to be replaced without any other options for resetting or repair.
Help!
Bent over in Dallas,
Greg
There is no need(unless you just wanted to) to change the trans fluid before the recomended time.Once you do decide to change it I would highly recomend using the Honda manual trans fluid.We have seen problems with those that haven't used it.Good luck with your car..
Thanks,
Ron
btw, never pay above invoice. be firm and ready to go to another dealer is my advice.
you just have to prepare yourself for all kinds of tactics they throw at you. the bad dealers will have super nice sales people, and then give you vague numbers and throw you into the financing office as quickly as possible. in there, they'll start printing out contracts and explaining how they have to make a profit. don't buy it. they'll pretend to be shocked when you make your counter offer.. they'll bring in more and more 'managers'.. they'll tell you if you can find a better deal, good luck. they'll make you sign stuff they written on scratch paper.. you can play along with them, it's ok. just don't sign the actual contract and hand over a check the first time you go in. if you think y're getting a good deal, say you'll come back tomrrow. the car isn't going anywhere. honda doesn't make just one car that happens to fit all your needs. remember, if they're willing to sell to you, they ARE making a profit. so see how low you can go at one dealership, and go to another one and start there. you gotta make them think you're serious and ready to buy, and then they'll be willing to lower the price. go to a dealer that has won some consumer satisfaction awards from Honda. they'll be nicer and more willing to deal.
as for invoice price, i think it's mostly crap. would you buy a t-shirt from GAP for 28 bucks if they told you it cost them a buck fifty? if GAP was a car dealer, it'd tell you the invoice for the t-shirt was 26 and MSRP it 30.
don't back down. you'll be a lot happier to pay a price that YOU give them 3 years later when you're still paying the payments.
they'll call you a few names like mooch or grinder and use some sarcastic dialog to show you what they think of anyone that would dare to try to get a good deal. i've been reading those forums for a few months and you'll find some real sleeze posting there.
great job you guys....... that's the way to negotiate!
Back to Maintenance folks. I co-hosted Smart Shopper for 6 months and don't want to hear ANY MORE car shopping nueroses.
TIA Your host, Bruce
about three weeks ago. I posted a message about the noise from my car. It happens only after you first start the engine and drive forward (actually I heard it once when driving reversely). On the day I picked up the car, I went back and asked the salesman about the noise. He told me it was normal and it was from the ABS. Since I never heard it on other Honda cars with ABS, I went to the dealer's service department at downtown,and had a technician checked the noise. He told me immediately that it was a problem from the exhaust system. He also said he had never seen such a problem on a brand new car in his 21 years working as a technician. He changed a gasket, but the noise was still there. I
went to the dealer's maintenance center on the same day and had another technician (who has 12 years experience)test drove it with me. This technician also told me it was the problem of the exhaust system. He changed the whole pipe (pipe . We test drove together. The noise was gone then. But when I drove my car again a day after that, the same noise came back again. I went back to the downtown service again and asked the same technician (with 21 years experience)about the same noise, this time he told me that it was from the ABS. I'm still not sure whether it's normal or a problem from any part of the car. So I went back to the downtown service again today. The technician insisted that it was the ABS. The other person there (looks like he is a manager assistant there, with 15 years
experience), told me that it was ABS. I asked him how come both technicians (one has 21 years
experience, one has 12 years experience) told me it was a problem of the exhaust system and changed
the gasket and pipe for it. This person said that
the Civic ABS is new and a different system from
other ABS,and maybe the first diagnose was wrong.
Does anyone know anything about the Honda Civic EX
ABS? Does it make any noise (it's loud enough not
to be ignored)every time only after you start the
engine and drive forward? Thanks.