Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

srockr · December 2002

On my black Civic I noticed a small swirl of paint (a bit larger than a quarter)which looks like a paint defect.

I am due to take my car in for buffing,(at dealer's expense), some minor scratches in a few weeks. Is this paint looking defect area something that I can expect the dealer to fix?

Thanks

edwarda1 · December 2002

The dealer replaced the right wheel bearing assembly but the noise is still there.I'll mention what you said and see what happens. I'll give them one more chance. While there I'm going to look at a leftover SI. Anyone have any idea how much I should pay trading my 2001 Civic EX W/spoiler and wind deflector (26K)

cartagram · December 2002

My local service dept. heard the gurgling sound in my LX 5-speed and flushed the heating system. The sound is still there, making me wonder if they didn't flush it thoroughly.

Doing a search on "heater + gurgling" in Google, I found a number of problems from people (mostly with GM vehicles) that had observed the same problem as my Civic.

I'm headed back in a few days to have a defective trunk lock release replaced and will ask about the flushing, and about the coolant and fill amount.

BTW: I'm figuring it must be the heater because the sound disappears when the temp. control is rotated from heat to cold.

srockr · December 2002

Anyone w/ a Civic have a bouncy ride on roads that are not smooth? (mainly bouncy in the back of the car?)

snarks · December 2002

mjg420 Dec 6, 2002 8:54am

1723-Have you taken it to the dealer to diagnose the problem. You should be under warranty. I had a similar problem on my 1995 Civic EX and the dealer said my clutch master cylinder was bad(luckily under warranty at time).

This UI is awful for responding to a message and reading responses.

srockr · December 2002

Just took my '03 Civic through a touchless car wash today and the dryer at the end of the cycle seemed to pull my windshild wipers away from the car. I pulled up so the dryer would concentrate on the other part of the car and not the front.
Are these touchless car washes too rough for this car?

Also later on while driving I noticed all gauges were not working.(I had only driven about a mile when I noticed this.) The car was driving ok so I pulled over and restarted the car and all gauges worked fine then as well as later during the day after a few more stops and start ups. Could something have gotten wet in the car wash?

Thanks only have 350 miles.

markw9 · December 2002

Just bought new Civic EX,and found gas mileage is not as good as it suppose to be.Local driving only 25m/g. Also the engine sounds loud when turn on.Sometimes feel pause during acceleration.Has anybody have same experience?
Thanx!

srockr · December 2002

I have had a drop in acceleration while driving but is only when I take foot of accelerator. I get an immediate drop in power. The service writer at the Honda dealership I purchased the Civic from told me that this is normal, however am a little concerned since there have been a few recalls on Hondas in the past for stalling out. Mine has never stalled but only have 350 miles.

From what I have been reading during the normal break in period you will get lower than expected gas mileage. It should improve with mileage.

Do you have static problems w/ your Civic? How about the gauges not working? (After driving about 1 mile I noticed that the gauges were not working so pulled over stopped engine and then restarted all was fine afterwards.) I called the service writer again and they told me this is nothing to worry about that outside electrical interferance can cause this and that turning motor off and then restarting was the right thing to do. Seems strange.

When at a stop and in neutral as I put my foot on the brakes I hear a clicking type noise. Have you heard this on your Civic?

markw9 · December 2002

Thanks for your reply. About the brake noise, I assume it is because of ABS system. I read the manual and seems like the noise is normal.I have driven the car for 500 miles, so far there is no problem with the gauges.
How is your car's MPG so far?

rusty28 · December 2002

I'm having mysterious problems with my 1990 Civic. When my car is started, I have no rear lights (except brake lights when I am braking). However, when I turn my car off I seem to have running lights. I have checked the fuse and it is fine. Does anyone know what the problem could be???? Thanks.

srockr · December 2002

Haven't really been calculating my MPG yet since I am in break in period. I am only at about 350 miles right now. I think that break in is about 600 or 700 miles. After that point I will probably pay more attention to that.

Does you Civic's vin# start w/ a 1, 2 or J?

sigirl · December 2002

you should break in hondas for 800-1000 miles and then change oil. also check oil every fill up for first couple thousand, all hondas eat oil you just need to realize the rate at which yours eats it so you can keep up on it

gee35coupe · December 2002

the oil until the first oil change interval. It specifically says not to change the break in oil.

moparbad · December 2002

There is a special break in oil in the car when new.

American Honda strongly recommends this special oil be left in the engine long enough for these wear patterns to develop, usually until the first maintenance interval specified in your Owner's Manual, based on your specific driving conditions.

moparbad · December 2002

What is the break-in period of my Honda?
Help assure your vehicle's future reliability and performance by paying extra attention to how you drive during the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers). During this period:

Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes need to be broken in by moderate use for the first 200 miles (300 km).

gee35coupe · December 2002

Just to be sure.

srockr · December 2002

Honda dealership recommends first oil change at about 3,750 miles. Will this damage the car changing oil at this mileage? Owner's manual says 10k miles I believe. Seems such a long time before first oil change. Any Honda dealers out there with an opinion on this?

gee35coupe · December 2002

about profit in the service lane. I'd go by the manual.

vadp · December 2002

Just remember to check the oil level.

All cars tend to burn some oil (1,2 or even 3 quarts during the first 3,000 miles).

hamproof · December 2002

Don't be alarm by the 10k interval. European cars are adopting this mileage interval and this is because most of the specify the use of synthetic oil which does not break down as easily as conventional oil.

In the case of the Si, if you are worried, just do it every 5k miles. I believe the manual says the filter only needs to be changed every 10k. But if you are driving what they consider as severe condition, they recommend changing the oil every 5k I believe. Since the filter is only $4 bucks or so, might as well change that as well.

Obviously you can buy relatively cheap Mobil 1 full synthetic and ask them to use those instead. If you do not want to DIY, you'll just pay for washer, filter and labor.

yleecoyote · December 2002

I now have right at 70K miles and noticed a slight shimmy in the steering wheel around 50K. Probably wouldn't be noticed normally, but I drive 3 hours a day on the Interstate.
When it first became noticeable I thought it was due to having a tire patched and then not balanced. Took the car in and had all 4 tires balanced. The problem was still there and only changed a little with the next tire rotation. Not trusting the first shop, I had them balanced again, problem was still there.
I considered that the problem might be high mileage (50K miles) on my tires even though there was plenty of tread left and even wear patterns. Almost decided to replace them.
A couple of weeks ago while going over a speed bump, noticed a funny noise from the left front that has gradually gotten worse. To accompany this, irregularities in the road at highway speed now cause visible side to side movement in the steering wheel. Also getting a bouncy ride over those bigger bumps, floating like an old Cadillac.
All this to say the left front strut is shot. I'm sure it relates to the leak down that this model year experienced, just took mine a little longer to get to that point. I thought about the options of going back with the Honda strut and finally decided against it based on not knowing what quality strut I might get this time.
As some of you might already know, there isn't an after market strut that replaces this one directly. For some strange reason Honda decided to make the steering arm part of the strut and none of the after market suppliers have ventured into this unusual application.
What is available is a Koni strut that drops into the original strut housing. That oversimplifies things a little. The original strut housing is gutted by cutting the top off it, removing the piston, shaft and oil. After that the Koni insert is pressed into the original housing and bolted into the bottom through a hole that must be drilled in the housing.
A lot of work but I think in the end I'll be happier and this time have a set of struts that are warranteed as long as I own the car.
Just a posting to make others aware of how this symptom started in case you are, or might experience the same thing. I haven't ventured far enough into the wheel well yet to determine if oil can be seen around the top of the strut indicating a leak, there has not been any indication on the strut housing itself.
This weekend the project is to replace both front struts. I'll let you know how it goes.

ronald7 · December 2002

I thought I'd give and update on the noise from the rear suspension, which I now believe are defective bushings. The last time I had the car in for the problem, the service manager told me that they lubricated the bushings with the "proper" lubricant and told me to call him if the noise stared again. Well, it did. This time it took a little over 2 weeks for the noise to return, but it's back. I'm going to ask for new parts this time. It isn't a little noise. It's downright embarrassing!

Regarding the other noises in a new Civic, or any other new car, I don't think it's normal to hear any types of noises thinking that they will subside after a break-in period.

Regarding the question of whether the tires on my 2001 Civic EX seem to slide easily on wet roads - they do seem to slide more than other cars I've owned - but I'm sure it's the type of Firestone tires that came with the car.

srockr · December 2002

When checking the oil on my '03 the other day I noticed the hood when shut and latched seems very slightly loose on the driver's side corner (in the front of the hood). Anyone else notice this? I go in for scratch buffing after Christmas and will have them check it then. Just wondering if this is normal or not.

jjahanmir · December 2002

I have been having a recurrent problem with my brakes. When I apply the brake pedal, the steering vibrates. I had the rotors resurfaced and it fixed the problem for a couple of months. The second time, I changed the rotors. The brakes were fine for a couple of months then the problem recurred and is gradually getting worse. I have owned the car for 5 years and have never had this problem before. Any suggestions?

yleecoyote · December 2002

See preceding post for the reason, basically the left front strut had sprung a leak on my 2001 Civic EX coupe.
The weekend project was to replace the front struts with Koni cartridges inside the original strut housing.
If you are thinking about this yourself, I suggest that you have some experience working on a car, experience along the lines of replacing water pumps, alternators, etc. not just oil change experience.
Tools that you will need: Pipe cutter (hack saw would work but would take a lot of time), tool to separate the steering arm ball joint from the tie rod, I found mine at MSC industrial supply, called a "Tie rod end lifter", about $5. A Macpherson strut spring compressor. I found this at Auto Zone, they have a plan where you borrow it by buying it, after use you return it and get your money back. A drill press is nice but the holes could be drilled with a large hand held drill.
I bought the Helm shop manual for the car, if you don't have one and want to do your own maintenance, I suggest you get one. For this job, it is not absolutely necessary. If you go to the NHTSA site you can find a PDF file explaining a TSB for spring replacement which is the same procedure. Also Honda Tuning magazine has an article explaining the procedure.
In my case, after removing the left front strut assembly I found it covered in light oil. If you suspect your car has this problem, you can check it by removing the front wheel and running your hand over the strut assembly. There is no reason for oil to be on the strut unless it is leaking. This oil is very light, about the weight of water.
I didn't pursue this with Honda due to the mileage that my car has on it (close to 70K miles). Since others have had this problem they might be receptive to replacing it, I decided to avoid the hassle.
After removing the strut, and drilling a pilot hole to drain the oil, I marked it 40mm down from the top to cut off and remove the internals as listed in the Honda tuning article. I found this was not possible with the pipe cutter that I was using and marked and cut around 30mm down. Note that Koni included instructions that advised cutting the housing around 7mm down from the top although the instructions didn't match the insert number that I had. 30mm worked fine.
Drilled the pilot hole in the bottom to 14mm. Note that centering this hole is not easy to do if you try to measure from the sides due to the welds for the mounting bracket. This one was a little off but still worked fine. For the right front strut, I used a barely visible machining mark that indicated exact center of the strut housing. This mark was also visible on the left strut.
After cleaning the housing, inverted the Koni strut shaft end down between two 4 X 4 wood blocks that were on top of the opening in a concrete block. Then fit the Honda strut housing on top of the Koni, wooden block on top of that and using a large hammer drove the housing onto the Koni strut. If you have access to a press this process doesn't seem as shade tree, but the end result is the same, the Koni strut pressed into the Honda housing.
After that the Koni strut is bolted into the housing through the 14mm hole and reassembled back in the spring.
Only point that wasn't real clear is the reinstallation in the car. To get the bottom of the strut housing to line up with the mounting point, I finally figured out that the wheel assembly could be pulled down further. This is pulling the assembly down working against the bushings that this assembly is mounted through. An extra hand to insert the bolts makes this a little easier.
This side took about 4 hours. To contrast the right side only took a little over an hour due to the experience gained on the left side.
Note that the right side strut still had gas pressure and had not leaked any oil. Based on this I think the left strut failed prematurely.
Cautions, use the tie rod end lifter to avoid damaging the rubber boot on the tie rod end. Be careful about the strut housing and the CV joint boot to avoid damaging the boot during removal and installation of the strut assembly.
And to conclude, the Civic is once again a pleasure to drive. I need to take it in for an alignment now, but the improvement is remarkable. The ride is probably a little firmer than stock but not unpleasant. I'll probably replace the rear struts as well in the next year even though they haven't indicated a problem.

isellhondas · December 2002

Wow !

Now...does anybody else feel like tackling a job like that by themselves?

Not me!

I am impressed!

rivertown · December 2002

Ditto!

gee35coupe · December 2002

jfigueroa1 · December 2002

You might want to check the tie ends or any bushing for wear that could cause the vribration when you apply the brakes.
Greetings from sunny Miami.

eternalblue · December 2002

Honda manual recommends first oil change at 7500 for "normal" driving, and 3750 (or so?) for "severe" conditions.

Does driving in the snow belt of the northeast US qualify as "severe" or should I follow the normal maintenance schedule?

Thanks,

gee35coupe · December 2002

It recommends first oil chnge at 10000 miles. They have a new engine type now.

eternalblue · December 2002

I guess I should have mentioned I have a 2002 Civic EX. Where did you hear about the 2002s having their oil changed at 10K? The Owners manual doesn't say that...

Thanks!
eternalblue

eternalblue · December 2002

I've had my 2002 EX auto for about 7 weeks now, and here's what I've noticed so far.

1. The stock firestone tires suck big time in new england weather.

2. flat plastic panel under dash, just behind and above hood release latch keeps "unhooking itself" and causing a rattle that sounds like the left rear door is still open.

3. This is more of a nitpicky "I wish I had" kinda thing, but I find myself longing for a remote trunk release on the keyfob. That would be SO convenient.

4. Random faint-sounding "buzzing" rattles in the front dash that I've yet to localize. Only happens occasionally.

other than that I've been extraordinarily pleased with the car - even on my 3rd tank of gas I got 37mpg (on a long road trip). Gas mileage has consistently been 33 mpg+. I do a lot of city stop-and-go short driving, so I especially take note on the long distance stuff.

I'm quite concerned about the stock tires that came with the car - it pains me to think of replacing brand new tires, but I have no faith in them. They slip and slide like it's nobodys business.

QUESTION: (not sure if this is the right place) - I want to get a honda civic cargo net for the trunk - i thought the installation would be pretty easy but the dealers all want to charge me like, an HOUR of labor to install it. The total cost with net would be like over $110. That's hard to stomach for a little cargo net. Anyone been able to install one of these on their own??

gee35coupe · December 2002

It's interval is 10,000 miles.

jbollt · December 2002

I did install one in a 2001 EX sedan. If I remember, it did take some time, maybe an hour, as it may have required drilling some holes to mount the anchors, and 4 small cuts in the trunk-floor-carpet. Not hard, just time consuming. Instructions were explicit and easy to follow. The results are fine, and the net is far more versitile that the one that came with my wife's Camry. It can be used in several different positions.

redsir · December 2002

My 2001 civic LX came with four net mounting anchors already installed on the floor.

I didn't care for that, so I installed the cargo net from my 1997 civic. It mounts with four anchors by removing the plastic hole plugs on the sides of the trunk. You have to pull back the trunk liner to tighten the nuts from behind.

This is pretty easy. It all goes back like new and looks original. Install time was about an hour.

Hope this helps.

anonymousposts · December 2002

We got our cargo net online from www.handa-accessories.com and the dealer installed it for $30.

We also had a rattle which sounded like it was coming from the steering column but it was actually the wires underneath. We used a zip-tie to cinch them down and haven't heard a creak or rattle since.

bjk2001 · December 2002

I took my daughters 02 EX to my local Honda dealer for 1st oil change @ 5000 miles two weeks ago. My service writer told me it's too early to change oil at 5000 miles. According to service writer he says Honda put in synthetic blend oil now. Owner manaul says to change oil at 5000 for severe and 10,000 miles for normal driving.
They suggest to change oil and rotate tires at 7,500 miles interval. I was 2500 miles too early.
But my Honda dealer also mails me 3750 miles service reminder for my 01 Odyssey. Since 01 Ody owner manual says to change oil at 3750 for severe and 7500 miles for normal driving conditions. Maybe Ody is much heavier than Civic so dealer suggests to follow severe driving for Ody and inbetween for Civic?

civicnitro · December 2002

y dont we just change oil every 3,000 miles,\
and u wanna put 5w-20 type oil on civic

anyone put nitro on new civic?? tell me how fast it goes from 0-60?
my stock civic , i got 11.6 seconds .mine is automatic.
y civic is so slow/?
needs nitro...

gee35coupe · December 2002

You are wasting natural resources and why would you want to do that in a car that is sold on its "green" characteristics.

civicnitro · December 2002

i love my civic...
but its too slow...
and they use cheap quality fabric on seats...
but still love my civic

gee35coupe · December 2002

But it's your money.

vincent02 · December 2002

Hi everyone,

I bought an used Civic (98) a months ago. Every morning when I start and warmup the car, I smell the gas (quite strong). But after I drove out to work, I didn't smell any for the rest of the day during I start the car again. It seemed that I only smell it first time during I start the car everyday. Does anyone know what would be the problem? Is it common to used cars?

Thanks for your help!

Vince

jfigueroa1 · December 2002

Last Friday I was just involved in an accident where the car behind me rolled forward and impacted mine, i have damage to the lid and the bumper, the lady have progressive and they cut me a check today Monday for 500. to start the repairs, QUESTION Do I have to be aware for the depreciation factor? I live in Florida, usa.
Greetings from sunny and warm Miami.

marys235 · December 2002

I just bought a new 2003 Honda Civic, drove 150 miles from dealership to home, then next day when I started the car, none of the gauges on the front dash were working. It was Sunday, drove around a little (with no speedometer). Then, when I started the car on Monday, all of the gauges were working again. Dealership service guy says he's never heard of that happening, and I expect they won't fix anything unless the gauges stop working again when I take it in. Has anyone heard of that happening, and does anyone know what causes it?

gee35coupe · December 2002

On many electrical circuits. A contact didn't contact or relay didn't relay. Note the temp if it happens again. I know one time I had a Celica that had a bad solder joint that didn't work at certain temperatures.

srockr · January 2003

This also happened to my '03 Civic EX when it was only about a week old. I was driving along and noticed no gauges were working so pulled over and restarted car. All was and has been fine w/ this ever since. Dealership told me that outside electrical interferences can cause this and nothing to worry about. Felt like I was driving a big cell phone! If this happens again will take it to them for a hopeful fix.

Sometimes when I start up I have to try once or twice. Hasn't really been a big problem though.

Otherwise love the car.. Fun to drive but try to park it away from other vehicles due to sensitivity of black paint..

bjk2001 · January 2003

jfigueroa1;

For a minor dent on trunk and bumper, I won't worry about depreciation factor. You are not going to sell your 02 Civic in a near future.

Regards,

bjk

ecastone · January 2003

Hi everyone! I have a few questions for anyone who owns this model or a similar one. I have found I am having some problems with my car. The first one is every once in a while (prob every 3 weeks) my car just dosent want to start. After this happened a few times I called my local dealership and they said a guy was in with the same prob. They said they couldnt find a prob. with it and to just pump the gas pedal before I start it! Wont that flood my engine??? Also it seems that my car squeaks and clangs alot in the front end! Any suggestions on what could be the prob.

jfigueroa1 · January 2003

I have a 02 civic lx and had what I think is the same problem you might be having. I had a medium "tic/tac" coming from the front kind of between or around the fire wall the dealer claim the noise was coming from the struts, they put a small piece of gasket and some silicon grease. which do not make sense to me cus if the strut is bolted to the frame there should be no play/. It took them three tries to go ahead and replaced both of the struts(of course that happen after I told the manager that I did reported the problem to the national safety highway also that it was the third try "lemon law ").
Greetings from sunny Miami

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions