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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Taking my car in this week for oil change (4200 miles on it...gone over a thousand since 28 Jan!!!).
Am I putting too much mileage on my car? lol
Oh, and my gas mileage HAS IMPROVED with the use of 87 oct. I got 34mpg on a trip up and back to Washington DC from Richmond, VA. I can only hope it gets better as the weather gets warmer.
MattPDX
Never let the oil light come on your destroying the engine.
I just purchased a 5 speed civic and have found the same "gurgling" noise as some of you have written about. Has any one figured out what it is exactly? I'm not too concerned about it, it's more of an annoyance, but I am curious what it is. I took it into the service center and they said there was air in the coolant system and they "bled" it out. I drove off the lot and heard it immediately. I am planning to take it back when I get some more time, but if any of you have successfully beaten the gurgles, I am all ears!
Do the ones with software provide anymore diagnostic information than the ones that just display the DTC? Or do they just use the existing monitoring information, combine it with the software to produce Tach displays, etc?
Thanks,
William
02 Civic DX
20350 miles
The problem is the noise that occurs when depressing the clutch, about 3/4" of pedal travel to nearly the floor. It sounds like plasticy metal on metal, like the hinge point is tearing itself apart. It doesn't happen all the time and seems to occur more consistently/frequently with warm weather (heat causing expansion?). I'm aware of a recall on the hydraulic line connection that creaks/pops when using the clutch - the fix there is to remove the hydraulic line, grease the fitting, and reassemble.
Has anyone had the problem accurately diagnosed and/or corrected? I haven't brought it to the dealer's attention just yet. I like to be smarter than them when taking a car in for warranty repair (out of warranty I'll fix it myself). Either way, I'll have it looked at by the dealer before my 3yr, 36K mile warranty expires.
Thank you,
William
If you are really into performance, check the Mazda3 which comes in 2.0 and 2.3 versions. I have heard some good things about it and it is priced competively.
Just keep in mind that I live in NYC and that reliability, gas mileage and a small size were considerations. I also have a 5 spd which probably adds a little to the equation.
-Marc
Try a Mazda3 as its close in price and in my opinion a more fun to drive car and see what you think.
For the majority of people, the Civic has more than adequate power. Give one a try!
If you are interested in power, then you would have to get manual, Honda is pretty good at putting stronger engines with manual trannys. The Civic Si and Acura RSX type S are very powerfull for the size. If you don't want to shift, then stay away from Honda. The automatics kill any fun factor from the engine. Honda engines need to be revved to get perfomance, except for the i-VTEC equipped ones in Civic Si, RSX, TSX, CRV, and Accords, which pull very strongly from 2000 rpm.
Please share your experiences with your transmission horrors.
Thanks a lot
:-(
Transmission problems should be able to be detected by performance. I think they are just trying to get $$$$ out of you.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
My feeling is that neither of your Civic's had transmission failure and the dealer was just trying to get money out of you.
This is your legal foothold -- "Since they have perfomed transmission service at 44K miles and the problem "developed" so soon, I think you should seek reimbursment from the dealership. If they were competent they would have seen that the tranny was damaged and would have informed you, and done something to prevent the "damage". Since they did not, they may have put the wrong fluid in the tranny. And caused the failure"
Personally, I have seen techs at Paragon put generic fluids in the vehicles and putting "genuine Honda" on the receipt.
Another way to look at all this, maybe it is the driver? (Please don't get offended) What are the chances of lightning striking twice in the same spot? Driving in NYC is no cake, was this the first transmisison serice? If so, then this is the cause. When I lived and commuted in the City, I replaced engine oil with Mobil 1 every 5000 miles, tranny fluid every 15,000 miles, and rear differential every 15,000 miles (2001 CR-V SE) that was way ahead of scheduled intervals, but this kept the car in top running condition.
But my first hunch is that the dealership is crooked.
Another crooked dealership that I heard of is Bayridge Honda, but I never dealt with them, so can not say anything in particular.
Lastly replacing with new typically from Honda if it comes to that is not typically favorable as they only offer a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on labor/part. Some independant rebuilds offer this with a 36 month/36000 mile interval.
Although it is hard to believe, Civics have very reliable transmissions. I was just reading the Consumer Report auto issue, and the Civic was tops in its class. Fewer than 1% (I think) of people experienced transmission problems.
I have a 2003 CIVIC LX and tonight, when I turned the key over the light flashed for a few seconds and went off(and each time I turn the key over whether I turn the car over or not). I only have 27,000 on the car...? I have changed the oil every 3,000, the plugs seem clean, the air cleaner is new.... any ideas? I'm still under warranty but I dread taking it there and them telling me "this isn't covered under the warranty" and charging me some crazy rate.
Your input would be appreciated.
(You hold the trip counter in and turn the key over for 10-20 seconds, in case you were wondering)
Not that you need to bring your car in at that time--or even have the work done by a Honda dealer or have it done at all. It's a reminder to the car's owner that Honda recommends a maintenance check at that mileage.
If there were a mechanical problem like the failure of one of the emissions control parts, then I believe the light wouldn't flash first. It would simply light up and stay lit.
Any Honda mechanics hanging around the forum that can explain the difference between a maintenance reminder and a potential problem?
If there is a problem with emissions, then "check engine" light will light up. It will also indicate other engine realted troubles. On newer cars it will also indicate transmission problems.
On some Honda's, if you have an auto tranny, the gear selector indicator will flash if there is a problem with tranny.
"oil light" will come on when you have low oil pressure, it will not indicate the low oil level in the crank case, it only indicated low oil pressure in the engine. Low oil pressure, will also disable the VTEC if you have a VTEC engine.
"Brake light" will be on if you have the parking brake on or low pressure or leak in the brake lines, it will not indicate the thickness of the brake pads or rotors.
"EPS" on the Si will indicate a problem with Electric/Electronic power steering.
As stated by people before, READ YOUR MANUAL, it is your friend. Most of routine maintenance is described in the manual, if you are going to do some other work on your car get Helms manual. It is the same manual your dealer uses.
What is the best mpg you have seen in LX 5 speed 2001-2004?
Thanks,
Joe
Joe, turn on the key but don't start the engine and hold the trip reset for about 10 seconds until it shuts off.