I have been driving my wife's 2002 Civic for sometime since she is away abroad and my own car is in for repairs.
The trouble: it makes an unnerving CLING sound when I release the clutch.
More specifics: 1. the sound appears to be coming from the front left side of the car, but i am not too sure about that. 2. the sound is particularly audible when cold starting the car. 3. the closest i can describe the sound is like someone pulling a taut thick wire. 4. the car is still covered under honda warranty, and my wife has taken it to the dealer TWICE with this problem. i am not sure what they did to correct it, but the problem is still very much there. 5. i dont know if it is me worrying about another car gone, but it seems to me that the sound is getting worse.
someone suggested that the clutch oil may be low, but i checked and found ALL fluids to be near the max levels. In fact the car just had a 200$ servicing done at 20K miles.
My 2001 Civic now has about 66,000 miles on it. I've maintained it religiously- it's had every service performed ontime by a Honda dealer. I do have a question now, though. When I crank the car in cold weather or after long periods of sitting (like if I don't drive it one day), the engine gives off a soft high-pitched squal that sounds like a slipping timing belt. The squeal is only audible at idle and goes away as soon as the engine warms. The technicians found that the timing belt was fine and it supposedly received all the necessary adjustments as well. IS this something about which I should be concerned?
Timing belts don't slip - they have a toothed belt which prevents that. Your problem is likely a loose accessory belt - the one that drives the AC/PS/Alternator. Have your service department check the tension of that belt. Can't hurt to have it replaced, although that is typically done when you have the timing belt replaced.
Thanks for the tip and any others that may come in. That soudns like a reasonable assumption, particularly since the car has always had a "supercharger whine" with the AC on. I had the dealer look at it twice two or three years ago and they wrote it off as being "the noise the power steering pump makes" and refused to fix it.
Can you describe the weird noise? How many miles are on the car? What about 4th and 5th gear at the same RPM? Does the noise continue after hitting that RPM or does it go away immediately? Does it happen all the time or intermittently? When did it start doing this? elissa
car has about 34,800 miles on it. It doesn't do it in 4th or 5th gear at the same rpm. It goes away right after I go above 2000 rpm. It happens all the time and started doing this about 3 weeks ago.
ben, please provide some qualification around the noise you are hearing. can you describe the noise - is it grinding, popping, squeeling, chirping...? how loud? where is it coming from? is there any other symptom to note - performance degradation, vibration, etc? elissa
If anyone has any feedback on either break or accelerator noise I would be grateful.
I have a 99 CRV and a 99 Civic DX Hatchback. Both are at 99,000 km. Both, at about 97,000 km started to make a "crushing tin" noise, akin to that of crushing beer or soda cans, but deeper and almost as if in slow motion. Another way to describe it might be metal grinding. This sound appears when breaking annoyingly only intermittently, and apparently never at the dealer's. (Yes, I'm another one of those loyal to the dealer who take their vehicles in for all the prescribed tune-ups.) The sound seems to appear more once I've spent several hours on the road. People who are less sensitive to the rumblings of my vehicle don't even notice it unless it is really acting up. The dealer has said for both vehicles that the breaks are fine. I have a hard time believing this and am frustrated after paying for my lastest and costly Type 4 check-up to have no explanation nor prognosis for it. Any ideas?
Secondly, I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration. I haven't even mentioned this to anyone yet, but while I'm here I thought I'd throw this out to the chat readers too. Any thoughts? Because I have two Honda vehicles experiencing the same symptoms, I was wondering if this is typical of Hondas. Indeed, I am dissappointed, because until now I have been flaunting my pleasure with these cars.
Secondly, I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration.
Sorry I can't answer your brake question but this vibrating noise sounds exactly like a heat shield rattling. Don't let this sour your attitude about your cars!! :-) If it is the heat shield rattling - no biggie! The heat shield is usually a thin aluminum (?) shielding around your catalytic converter(s) to keep the hot cat from igniting or damaging other things in its wake (making passenger compartment too hot or lighting leaves on fire...). It's not integral to the operation of the vehicle but is a safety part you would want to replace if it was ever removed.
On many Japanese vehicles (and particularly Hondas in my experience) heat shields start to get rattly from rust and age. They make a sound like a high pitched rattle under certain speed/rpm/acceleration combinations. You should be able to take your foot off the gas and the noise will stop. You will hear it coming from under the car or toward the rear - depending on where your catalytic converter is located.
On my '93 Civic Hatch the dealer found the source of the rattle and was able to clamp the heat shield to eliminate the noise.
On my '01 Surbaru the dealer tightened screws that held the heat shield on to eliminate the rattle.
On my '86 Honda (obviously out of warranty) I'm not paying anyone to go looking for the noise. I continue to search for rickety/rusty exhaust pipes to tighten but until I find the right one, I'm living with the noise. It's annoying but hardly a necessary repair for me.
I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration.
I've got a US '99 CR-V with 65,000 miles, slightly more than your 99,000 km. Mine started rattling a few weeks ago, and as mentioned by eddunnet it was the heat shield on the catalytic converter. The front upper mounting points were rusted out, causing the upper heat shield to rattle. A 2.75" metal hose clamp around the front of both heat shields and the catalyic convertor solved the problem for me. Cost: less than $1 and a few minutes.
The noise is kinda hard to describe but it sounds like a slight grinding noise like if u try to put it in reverse but don't put it totally into reverse and start accelerating. It's not that loud at all, i'd say about 45 decibels. There are no other symptoms.
well in second gear at 2000 rpms, I would guess my speed is about 20 mph. It only happens when I'm at 2000 rpms, once I get over that it's fine. in 3rd gear I would think 2000 rpms would be about 30 mph
I think what you hear is engine laboring. The RPMs are too low for the small 1.6 liter. If this is your first Honda, you should pass 2000 RPM in first gear and never come back to it. Shift at or above 3000 rpm. Taking a Honda to red line will not hurt it at all if it has been properly maintaned.
Are you sure it is not ABS noise? It does sound like metal to metal grinding when the ABS pump is activated. I don't know what trim CR-V you have, but 99 Civic DX in the US did not have ABS. I am not sure whether it would have had ABS in Canada (I assume you are in Canada because of the metric).
How bad are your tires? Does the car make noise when you brake hard in incliment weather? Do you feel slight pedal and steering wheel vibration wen applying brakes softly? If yes, ten your rotors are warped, pr beginning to warp and what you hear is a sign of poorly lubricated slider pin, that is being pushed back and forth by the warping rotor. If you had your service done at the dealer recently, they most likely have used impact wrench to tighten your wheels, which is a big NO-NO. Wheels should be torqued with a calibrated torque wrench in a criss cross pattern, or rotors will warp. Most shops ignore this to save time and maybe generate more business.
Secondly, I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration Have your tires rotated and balanced. Check the integrity of CV joint boots.
Hey I bought myself a used 2000 civic with 39k miles on it a few months ago. The dealer had no service records for the vehicle so I do not know what service has been performed on the car by the previous owner. I just passed 45k and theres a big list of inspections and replacements recommended by the manual. Should I just take the car in and have the service performed or is there any way I can find out if some (or all) of this maintenance has been done in the past so that I might be able to save some money.
Yeah I know its better to be safe than sorry on car maintenance but can barely afford a 45k service right so any money saving would be great...
I know of no way to check on the service history of a car. However, it's doubtful that the previous owner decided to do the 45K service at 39K miles just so that you could enjoy the drive. If anything, they would have lapsed on the service. Dealers don't typically inquire on the service history of the car when taking the trade, so the previous owner really has no incentive to put a bunch of money into it. Unless you're in idiot like me and expected to sell your old car provate party and thought it would be nice to have all the service done ahead of time... I'll never do that again and I'm guessing most others never even consider it. Go ahead and have all the 45K service done and you might even consider anything from the 30K service that looks really important - or have the service dept check those things anyway. Elissa
I have been to a service part of a dealership for the 45000 mile maintenance. They quoted about $210 including the tax. Last time I paid about $248 for the 30000 mile, and I think that's reasonable because they changed many things such as plugs and gaskets.
But this time, the rate sounds too high for a intermediate maintenance service. And they even recommended wheel alignment which is about $88. Well, I know wheel alignment is generally recommended at any mile, only if a driver feels something unusual in steering and handling, but not sure it's worth to have it, if I don't have any bad feeling about steering. And suggestions?
You might want to consider a different dealer. Unless there is something significantly different in the 2001 LX sedan vs. the 2001 EX coupe, I don't believe that plugs or any type of gaskets should be changed at 30,000 miles.
I started with the dealer that I purchased from in 2001, but it became apparent they were using service intervals from the previous year model. They also were providing additional service items that were not called for. I had two concerns, first they weren't servicing the proper items on my car at the proper interval and second they appeared to be padding the bill with unwanted items. I called the other dealer in town and asked what they included on the XX,XXX interval. They replied the items listed in the owners manual for that interval. They did that, only that and continued with my business until I started servicing the car myself. Call and ask your service department what they are going to service at the 45K interval. If it is something other than what is in your manual ask why, or call another dealer. As a closing note, my sparkplugs are still fine at 150K and mileage is in the 37-38mpg range at Interstate speeds.
My 2004 Civic LX has about 7,500 miles. I have noticed that when the A/C is running, it sometimes blows warm air. So, I get some warm air, then it turns cold, then warm, cold, etc. Is this normal? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if it's not the way the A/C is supposed to work (i.e., temp regulation of some kind?), I want to get it in. Thanks, Tim
In the short time (12 days) that I have owned my 2004 Civic VP and under 1000 miles, I have had the AC running the majority of operating time. It has never blown warm air. Neither has any other AC on cars that I own. But I also read somewhere when smaller gasser engines are under a heavy load the AC compressor is designed to cut out to ease the strain. But yes from your description it sounds strange. Before you bring it for warranty check, make sure you did not inadvertently turn down the fan thinking the flow should be the same. (like I did ! )
Thanks for the feedback. I didn't touch anything-- the air just changes from warm to cold and back again. Since we're getting into cooler weather and I won't be using the A/C much, I want to get it in while still under warranty.
I like synthetic but I also believe that the first oil change may be too soon. An engine needs a certain amount of break in. I'm starting my cars on synthetic around 10K miles. elissa
There have been some recent messages concerning AC in the Civic Problems & Solutions discussion. Step over there to see if their issues match what you're experiencing.
Anybody here uses synthetic blend oil for severe driving conditions?
If you are going to switch to synth, go full synth such as Red line, Royal Purple or Mobil 1 and AMsoil. All other are not truly synth, but highly purified dyno oils. Read back a few pages and you will find your answer.
Synth blends are a waste of money, as the oil will perform as the lowest denominator allows it, which in a blend is a dyno oil.
My 2004 Civic LX has about 7,500 miles. I have noticed that when the A/C is running, it sometimes blows warm air. So, I get some warm air, then it turns cold, then warm, cold, etc. Is this normal? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if it's not the way the A/C is supposed to work (i.e., temp regulation of some kind?), I want to get it in. Thanks, Tim
It depends on your definition of "Hot" and "cold" Stick a digital thermomter in A/c vent and see what are the "hot" and "Cold" readings. The system is designed not to go bellow 37°F as this is 2.8°C, the point midway from where water starts expanding (4°C) and solidifiying (0°C). You don't want the condensate on your evaporator fins to start expanding turning into ice. On a really hot day, my A/c fluctuates from 37°F to 45°F in "fresh air" mode. And 37°F to 40°F in "recirculation" mode. I have an 2002 Si, which may be a little different.
I've recently purchased a '92 civic with 150K miles. The previous owner took good care of the car and used Mobile 1 synthetic. The car is due for an oil change. Should I continue using Mobile 1 or will I damage the engine by switching over to conventional oil? Post #289 felt there could be damage. Any other opinions?
Interestingly enough, I have heard from more than one person (no one IN the business though, just DIY'ers) that moving from traditional oil to synthetic oil late in an engines life is bad and can cause leaks having something to do with the lubrication on the old seals. Having just started on Mobil 1 in a recently acquired '86 Civic, I can say that the oil leaks SEEM to have sped up since the switch, but can't confirm. I'm going to stick with the Mobil 1 though since I hope to get her from 130K to at least 310K. If I only planned to go another 50-75K I'd skip the synthetic but I really want to see how many miles this engine can go. If it costs me $30 more per year, I'll pay it.
I put synthetic in my '93 civic for a few years before I decided I might be wasting money and then switched back to traditional. Never a thing wrong with that car. Pristine and ran like a dream, none the worse for the switch.
moving from traditional oil to synthetic oil late in an engines life is bad and can cause leaks having something to do with the lubrication on the old seals.
It has to do with Synth's better ability to remove contaminants. Older cars which have beenusing dyno oil have built up grime that has prevented oil from leaking from the EXISTING imperfections in older seals. By switching to synth after using dyno for a while, you are removing those grimy plugs, thus giving you an IMPRESSION that synth caused leaks. The leaks were there before, but were plugged with gunk.
As to OP's question, there should be no problem switching back to dyno form synth.
Does anyone know how to fix a starting problem after a short trip? If I start my 92 Civic with automatic trans, take a short trip, turn off the car for a few hours and try to turn on my car, then the car won’t start. For example, I started my Civic in the morning, drove to work, but my car would not start on my lunch break. My Civic, with 149,000 miles, starts in the morning when the engine is cold. Why do short trips make a difference?
Does the car crank when you try to restart it? If it does not crank then it is very likeley that starter/actuator is to blame. If the car cranks but does not catch, check out the coil, distributor, wires, spark plugs and fuel delivery system.
Honda is such a reliable car that if they say 5000-10000 mile oil changes, I'll take their word for it. Those engineers know a lot more about how a car runs than any mechanic does. Also, putting premium fuel is is not just wasting money but wasting gas. One of the reasons I bought the civic was to help the environment. By the extended oil changes it makes that much more of a difference along with the fuel savings. Warming up the engine on cold days is also a waste of gas. It is proven that on cold days, the best way to warm up an engine and not waste gas is to start driving slowly and slowly speed up, it will be warm quicker than if you let it idle. Engines run their better when they are cold then when they are hot. Hope I cleared up your misconceptions.
I hope you realize what will happen to your car and your bank account if you actually follow the proper service schedual, use regular gas, and standard motor oil as recommend in your owner's manual. Your car will probably only be trouble free for 15 years/250,000 miles or so and you will have saved thousands of dollars in unnecessary maintenance costs. Do you really want to put yourself in that position?
You are entitled to your opinion, but I cannot agree with you! ----Check out the performance of Chrysler, Toyota and VW with regards to factory authorized extended oil and filter changes. They are all dealing with "sludge problems" with their engines.------- Since 1997, my Honda dealer has always recommended oil and filter changes at 3750 miles. What do they know, that the "factory engineers" do not know? ------ QUESTIONS: ----How do you drive a vehicle on a cold day, with ice on the windshield, without warming up the vehicle in order to get heat inside the vehicle, in order to melt the ice?---- Have you tried a couple of tanks of premium fuel in your vehicle? I have and I think it runs GREAT! ---- Driving a cold engine might warm it up quickly, but the "oil ciculation" is not great to the moving internal parts, and remember these "moving parts" are under load! ---- Our 2003 4 cylinder automatic Accord has 35,000 + miles on the clock, has always had it's engine warm up on cold winter days, burns premium fuel, has the oil and filter changed at 3,000 miles intervals and idles extensively during the daily activities. The engine is very quiet. The transmission shifts very smooth. The engine does not use a drop of oil between oil and filter changes. The oil on the dip stick is very clean even at the 3,000 mile interval. The transmission has had the fluid changed twice during this 35,000 mile period. As far and wasting fuel, we all waste a lot of fuel, when we are stopped in traffic on a daily basis with our AC and / or Heater on. Warming up a vehicle on a daily basis is not going to be a big issue. As you can see there are at least two sides to this issue. Let the individual owner make up their own mind. After all, they will pay the repair bills!
I have agreed with you on shorter oil changes in the 3000 -3500 range 1) when the car's driven on shorter trips and cold weather 2) when I plan to keep the car along time and sell it with the statement that it's been well-maintained. The next owner won't have the bearings wearing loose at 200K due to accelerated wear due to dirty oil. While that'is invisible to most owners trading their cars at 60K, 90K, and 120K, the engine has had wear that catches up eventually.
But I disagree about the cold start drivng these days. The internal parts are hot after about 15 seconds -- it's the water around the walls that is not hot yet. The oil heats up rapidly after that. So if you start driving gently, you're saving gasoline and the environment.
The oil can be used to heat the passenger compartment rapidly compared to water heaters. It has been tried.
The computers control the mixture well so damage is not being done to the cylinder walls as badly as with carburetors and chokes. The chokes in the old days pour gasoline in and washed the walls of oil. Driving when cold put most wear onto those walls due to the excess gasoline.
Since 1997, my Honda dealer has always recommended oil and filter changes at 3750 miles. What do they know, that the "factory engineers" do not know?
They know that if one were to keep the car until it had 100,000 miles, one would only visit the dealer 20 times doing factory recomended 5000 mile oil changes. But by offering you 3750 mile changes they will have you visit them 27 times over the same distance traveled. Plus, Honda recomends changing plugs, water pump and timing belt at 105,000 miles, while the same dealer will have you do the same $600 service at 60,000 and then at 100,000 again. The original tranny fluid probably has a service interval of 30,000 if not 60,000 miles. This is most likely a $100 job, with $15 worth of fluid (retail, wholesale is probably $7). This is just the tip of the iceberg of "what the dealer knows"
Have you tried a couple of tanks of premium fuel in your vehicle? I have and I think it runs GREAT
If you can percieve a difference in perfomance when switching to higher octane fuel, then there is some sort of malfunction or gunk build up in your engine. The only thing higher octane is good for is resistance to detonation. It does not improve power output in a mild compression engine. Unless you are talking about 12:1 and higher compression then higher octane is useful, as the engine is capable of extracting more power from it rather than lower octane fuel. Even the new Si calls for regular gas, and it has 10.8:1 compression.
How do you drive a vehicle on a cold day, with ice on the windshield, without warming up the vehicle in order to get heat inside the vehicle, in order to melt the ice
What happened to the trusty old ice scraper? It takes 10 minutes or more to warm up the car to melt the ice idling. But only 2-5 minutes driving. Scrape the ice off while idling (2-5 mins) and drive off. The heater will come on before you hit your first traffic light on the way to the interstate. If "creature comfort" is an issue, there are heated seats out there as well as heated steering wheels, and "plug in" electric heaters.
Driving a cold engine might warm it up quickly, but the "oil ciculation" is not great to the moving internal parts, and remember these "moving parts" are under load!
Oil circulation should be to normal pressure within seconds of start up. If it is not, then there is something very wrong with the oil pump or the grade of oil used. The benefit of synthetic is that its viscosity is not as greatley affected by the low or high temps. Synth usually starts flowing normally within fraction of a second from the initial crank. This is when oil circulation is the most needed, once the gas has lit up, the combustion chamber temps are high enough that through heat transfer (remember metals, especially Al is very good heat transfer metals only behind Platinum and Copper) the piston and the cylinder are up to operating temps and thus is the thin layer of oil between them.
The engine does not use a drop of oil between oil and filter changes.
There is no engine in the world that does not use oil. This is the nature of engine design, to leave a thin layer of film as the piston slides down in the cylinder on the layer of oil, some is left behind and later burned off. On the cool down cycle, when engine is off, the water, either from the air or as the by product of combustion is condensing and contaminates the oil, thus giving an impression that oil is not being used. In extreme cases, people have more oil after 3000 miles than they do at oil change time. This only applies to cars that are not driven long distances everyday, 100 miles a day or less, as there is not enough time to evaporate all of the water condensed overnight.
But, I think we have agreed to disagree a long time ago, so this is just a moot point. I am just restating my point for the newbie.
Changing the trans fluid did not cost $100.00. It was about $35.00 (I don't have the service RO in front of me at this point in time). When you have thick ice and snow on the windshield a scraper doesn't do much good. I really do not care if other drivers don't warm up their vehicle, change their engine oil often or use premium fuel. (The book of Honda states 86 or higher octane). That is their personal decision. I am just sharing my point of view on the subject. Let the new people on this board make up their own mind, by seeing two different points of view. Just think about this. It is very possible that you might purchase my vehicle after I trade it in at 100,000 miles. Once it goes to the auction, it can end up anywhere. My vehicle is 20 months old, and it already has 35,000 + miles on the clock. When it is 3 years old, I expect that it will have about 63,000 miles on the clock. At this rate, I will have over 100,000 miles in 5 years. Do you want me to let you know, what dealer that I trade it to in the future? I has to be the best maintanied vehicle in the United States!
To add a personal experience to this interesting debate...
I have an 86 Civic that, while not properly maintained by its previous owner of 18 years, still gets a good 36 MPG. While doing the 120K mile maintanance and tracking down vacuum leaks, adjusting idle speed, throttle, adjusting timing and fixing issues in the cooling system, etc etc the car idled in the driveway during one tankful for what probably amounted to a sum total of 2 hours, perhaps more. Not my ideal way to treat the car on a regular basis but this was necessary to diagnose and fix several problems. Instead of the usual 36 MPG I got about 34 MPG for that one tankful. By my calculations, (with a 9 gallon fillup) that amounted to about 1/2 gallon of additional gasoline usage for 2 hours of idle time.
So, if someone (who gets the same gas mileage as me) lets their car idle 5 minutes before every startup between 9 gallon fillups and drives on average 30 miles per trip, that would be about 11 trips between fillups and about 55 minutes of total idle time for warming up - using about a 1/4 gallon of gas costing 50 cents where I live. To some it's worth the 50 cents for peace of mind if they feel they are preserving the life of their engine. For others, it's a waste of natural resources and adding to pollution. To me, it's about the same difference, I can't get excited about the argument one way or the other. I let my cars warm up 10 seconds before driving them but I live where the climate never drops below 50F. Elissa
I bought a 2004 Honda Civic 4DR Automatic around 2 weeks back and I am hearing a wierd high-pitched sound from general area of the engine.
The best way to hear this sound (high-pitched whinning noise) is to place the car in park and then press on the accelerator to gradually rev up and down the engine between 2000 and 2600 RPM.
The sound also comes while driving whenever the engine is above 2000 RPM. Is anyone else hearing similar sounds. The sound tends to get quite annoying if one hears it continously for 20 to 30 minutes. If I had known that Honda Civic's produce such sound, I would have never bought one.
I got the car checked at the dealer where I bought the car and they could not find anything wrong. But the sound is there and quite irritating. I plan to visit the honda dealer again to locate the source of the sound and then contacting American Honda to give them a piece of my mind.
If someone is hearing similar noise please let me know.
it's unusual that a car that new would have a rattling heat sheild but when i first purchased my '93 civic, it took 3 trips to the dealership before they could hear the noise, identify and tighten the heatshield retainers. who knows, maybe the same thing you're experiencing. when you go in, ask them to check/tighten the heat sheild and tell them that's what you think you may be hearing. when it's loose, it tends to make a very high pitched metaling rattling noise especially relative to depressing the accelerator, it's extremely irritating. elissa
I don't know if you realize it or not, but there is a law on the books that forbids dealers to require you to use their filters. I once wrote to Fram about this and they told me that if a dealer says you have to use their filters they are required by law to give you that filter for free. By the way, I use to use Honda filters years ago in my Civic and then one day I noticed a statement on the filter that read "manufactured for Honda by Fram". I have read numerous articles about Fram filters and how cheaply they are constructed. I now use Purolator or Purolator Pure One filters. The general consensus, from what I have read in online tests is that they are among the best.
I now use Purolator or Purolator Pure One filters. The general consensus, from what I have read in online tests is that they are among the best.
I have heard that as well and have had the darndest time finding them. Can you let me know where you get those? I have been buying Wix filters from Napa for my Hondas and Subaru filters for my Subie but would love the Pure One filters!
I don't know if you realize it or not, but there is a law on the books that forbids dealers to require you to use their filters. I once wrote to Fram about this and they told me that if a dealer says you have to use their filters they are required by law to give you that filter for free. By the way, I use to use Honda filters years ago in my Civic and then one day I noticed a statement on the filter that read "manufactured for Honda by Fram". I have read numerous articles about Fram filters and how cheaply they are constructed. I now use Purolator or Purolator Pure One filters. The general consensus, from what I have read in online tests is that they are among the best.
Yes, I am aware of the warranty clause. I just figured this way dealer would have less things to pile against me in case there was a defect and I needed warranty coverage. I have been wanting to switch to Mobil 1 filters, but decided to wait until warranty expired. I don't think that 5000 mile intervals are detrimental to paper media in the Honda "OEM" Fram filters. Although, sometimes I get the Japan made Honda filters.
Is there an aftermarket auto-dimming, temp, compass, mirror for the 04 LX sedan? I've searched and all I can find is that they won't work on all models??? I emailed Donnely and haven't heard back. The Donnelly seems to only work for the windshield mount and the civic comes down from the roof.
Has anyone replaced the fuel filter on a 2001 or later Civic? Shop manual says fuel pump has to be removed to access fuel filter, including the use of a special tool. Unlike previous Civics, there is no mileage or time limit to replace fuel filter. Instead, shop manual says filter should be replaced when fuel pressure drops below a certain value. Filter is also much more expensive than previous models at $55 retail. Has anyone had a dealer recommend a fuel filter replacement periodicity?
Comments
The trouble: it makes an unnerving CLING sound when I release the clutch.
More specifics:
1. the sound appears to be coming from the front left side of the car, but i am not too sure about that.
2. the sound is particularly audible when cold starting the car.
3. the closest i can describe the sound is like someone pulling a taut thick wire.
4. the car is still covered under honda warranty, and my wife has taken it to the dealer TWICE with this problem. i am not sure what they did to correct it, but the problem is still very much there.
5. i dont know if it is me worrying about another car gone, but it seems to me that the sound is getting worse.
someone suggested that the clutch oil may be low, but i checked and found ALL fluids to be near the max levels. In fact the car just had a 200$ servicing done at 20K miles.
I would appreciate any input about this.
elissa
Thanks,
Ben
please provide some qualification around the noise you are hearing. can you describe the noise - is it grinding, popping, squeeling, chirping...? how loud? where is it coming from? is there any other symptom to note - performance degradation, vibration, etc?
elissa
I think I may have an answer.
I have a 99 CRV and a 99 Civic DX Hatchback. Both are at 99,000 km. Both, at about 97,000 km started to make a "crushing tin" noise, akin to that of crushing beer or soda cans, but deeper and almost as if in slow motion. Another way to describe it might be metal grinding. This sound appears when breaking annoyingly only intermittently, and apparently never at the dealer's. (Yes, I'm another one of those loyal to the dealer who take their vehicles in for all the prescribed tune-ups.) The sound seems to appear more once I've spent several hours on the road. People who are less sensitive to the rumblings of my vehicle don't even notice it unless it is really acting up. The dealer has said for both vehicles that the breaks are fine. I have a hard time believing this and am frustrated after paying for my lastest and costly Type 4 check-up to have no explanation nor prognosis for it. Any ideas?
Secondly, I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration. I haven't even mentioned this to anyone yet, but while I'm here I thought I'd throw this out to the chat readers too. Any thoughts? Because I have two Honda vehicles experiencing the same symptoms, I was wondering if this is typical of Hondas. Indeed, I am dissappointed, because until now I have been flaunting my pleasure with these cars.
Thanks,
lbjt
Sorry I can't answer your brake question but this vibrating noise sounds exactly like a heat shield rattling. Don't let this sour your attitude about your cars!! :-) If it is the heat shield rattling - no biggie! The heat shield is usually a thin aluminum (?) shielding around your catalytic converter(s) to keep the hot cat from igniting or damaging other things in its wake (making passenger compartment too hot or lighting leaves on fire...). It's not integral to the operation of the vehicle but is a safety part you would want to replace if it was ever removed.
On many Japanese vehicles (and particularly Hondas in my experience) heat shields start to get rattly from rust and age. They make a sound like a high pitched rattle under certain speed/rpm/acceleration combinations. You should be able to take your foot off the gas and the noise will stop. You will hear it coming from under the car or toward the rear - depending on where your catalytic converter is located.
On my '93 Civic Hatch the dealer found the source of the rattle and was able to clamp the heat shield to eliminate the noise.
On my '01 Surbaru the dealer tightened screws that held the heat shield on to eliminate the rattle.
On my '86 Honda (obviously out of warranty) I'm not paying anyone to go looking for the noise. I continue to search for rickety/rusty exhaust pipes to tighten but until I find the right one, I'm living with the noise. It's annoying but hardly a necessary repair for me.
Elissa
I've got a US '99 CR-V with 65,000 miles, slightly more than your 99,000 km. Mine started rattling a few weeks ago, and as mentioned by eddunnet it was the heat shield on the catalytic converter. The front upper mounting points were rusted out, causing the upper heat shield to rattle. A 2.75" metal hose clamp around the front of both heat shields and the catalyic convertor solved the problem for me. Cost: less than $1 and a few minutes.
-Ben
Are you sure it is not ABS noise? It does sound like metal to metal grinding when the ABS pump is activated. I don't know what trim CR-V you have, but 99 Civic DX in the US did not have ABS. I am not sure whether it would have had ABS in Canada (I assume you are in Canada because of the metric).
How bad are your tires? Does the car make noise when you brake hard in incliment weather? Do you feel slight pedal and steering wheel vibration wen applying brakes softly? If yes, ten your rotors are warped, pr beginning to warp and what you hear is a sign of poorly lubricated slider pin, that is being pushed back and forth by the warping rotor. If you had your service done at the dealer recently, they most likely have used impact wrench to tighten your wheels, which is a big NO-NO. Wheels should be torqued with a calibrated torque wrench in a criss cross pattern, or rotors will warp. Most shops ignore this to save time and maybe generate more business.
Secondly, I've just noticed an occasional vibrating tin noise between 20 and 50k/hour at acceleration
Have your tires rotated and balanced. Check the integrity of CV joint boots.
Yeah I know its better to be safe than sorry on car maintenance but can barely afford a 45k service right so any money saving would be great...
Elissa
I have been to a service part of a dealership for the 45000 mile maintenance. They quoted about $210 including the tax. Last time I paid about $248 for the 30000 mile, and I think that's reasonable because they changed many things such as plugs and gaskets.
But this time, the rate sounds too high for a intermediate maintenance service. And they even recommended wheel alignment which is about $88. Well, I know wheel alignment is generally recommended at any mile, only if a driver feels something unusual in steering and handling, but not sure it's worth to have it, if I don't have any bad feeling about steering.
And suggestions?
I started with the dealer that I purchased from in 2001, but it became apparent they were using service intervals from the previous year model. They also were providing additional service items that were not called for. I had two concerns, first they weren't servicing the proper items on my car at the proper interval and second they appeared to be padding the bill with unwanted items.
I called the other dealer in town and asked what they included on the XX,XXX interval. They replied the items listed in the owners manual for that interval. They did that, only that and continued with my business until I started servicing the car myself.
Call and ask your service department what they are going to service at the 45K interval. If it is something other than what is in your manual ask why, or call another dealer.
As a closing note, my sparkplugs are still fine at 150K and mileage is in the 37-38mpg range at Interstate speeds.
30,000 mile service should have included tire rotation, air and cabin filter replacements, and some other minor stuff.
Sprak plugs on most newer Honda's are 100,000+ mile items.
Time to find an honest dealer. Or, since you are out of warranty do it your self or someone cheaper and more honest that your Honda dealer.
Thanks,
Tim
Thanks again.
elissa
If you are going to switch to synth, go full synth such as Red line, Royal Purple or Mobil 1 and AMsoil. All other are not truly synth, but highly purified dyno oils. Read back a few pages and you will find your answer.
Synth blends are a waste of money, as the oil will perform as the lowest denominator allows it, which in a blend is a dyno oil.
Thanks,
Tim
It depends on your definition of "Hot" and "cold" Stick a digital thermomter in A/c vent and see what are the "hot" and "Cold" readings. The system is designed not to go bellow 37°F as this is 2.8°C, the point midway from where water starts expanding (4°C) and solidifiying (0°C). You don't want the condensate on your evaporator fins to start expanding turning into ice. On a really hot day, my A/c fluctuates from 37°F to 45°F in "fresh air" mode. And 37°F to 40°F in "recirculation" mode. I have an 2002 Si, which may be a little different.
I put synthetic in my '93 civic for a few years before I decided I might be wasting money and then switched back to traditional. Never a thing wrong with that car. Pristine and ran like a dream, none the worse for the switch.
Elissa
It has to do with Synth's better ability to remove contaminants. Older cars which have beenusing dyno oil have built up grime that has prevented oil from leaking from the EXISTING imperfections in older seals. By switching to synth after using dyno for a while, you are removing those grimy plugs, thus giving you an IMPRESSION that synth caused leaks. The leaks were there before, but were plugged with gunk.
As to OP's question, there should be no problem switching back to dyno form synth.
But I disagree about the cold start drivng these days. The internal parts are hot after about 15 seconds -- it's the water around the walls that is not hot yet. The oil heats up rapidly after that. So if you start driving gently, you're saving gasoline and the environment.
The oil can be used to heat the passenger compartment rapidly compared to water heaters. It has been tried.
The computers control the mixture well so damage is not being done to the cylinder walls as badly as with carburetors and chokes. The chokes in the old days pour gasoline in and washed the walls of oil. Driving when cold put most wear onto those walls due to the excess gasoline.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
They know that if one were to keep the car until it had 100,000 miles, one would only visit the dealer 20 times doing factory recomended 5000 mile oil changes. But by offering you 3750 mile changes they will have you visit them 27 times over the same distance traveled. Plus, Honda recomends changing plugs, water pump and timing belt at 105,000 miles, while the same dealer will have you do the same $600 service at 60,000 and then at 100,000 again. The original tranny fluid probably has a service interval of 30,000 if not 60,000 miles. This is most likely a $100 job, with $15 worth of fluid (retail, wholesale is probably $7). This is just the tip of the iceberg of "what the dealer knows"
Have you tried a couple of tanks of premium fuel in your vehicle? I have and I think it runs GREAT
If you can percieve a difference in perfomance when switching to higher octane fuel, then there is some sort of malfunction or gunk build up in your engine. The only thing higher octane is good for is resistance to detonation. It does not improve power output in a mild compression engine. Unless you are talking about 12:1 and higher compression then higher octane is useful, as the engine is capable of extracting more power from it rather than lower octane fuel. Even the new Si calls for regular gas, and it has 10.8:1 compression.
How do you drive a vehicle on a cold day, with ice on the windshield, without warming up the vehicle in order to get heat inside the vehicle, in order to melt the ice
What happened to the trusty old ice scraper? It takes 10 minutes or more to warm up the car to melt the ice idling. But only 2-5 minutes driving. Scrape the ice off while idling (2-5 mins) and drive off. The heater will come on before you hit your first traffic light on the way to the interstate. If "creature comfort" is an issue, there are heated seats out there as well as heated steering wheels, and "plug in" electric heaters.
Driving a cold engine might warm it up quickly, but the "oil ciculation" is not great to the moving internal parts, and remember these "moving parts" are under load!
Oil circulation should be to normal pressure within seconds of start up. If it is not, then there is something very wrong with the oil pump or the grade of oil used. The benefit of synthetic is that its viscosity is not as greatley affected by the low or high temps. Synth usually starts flowing normally within fraction of a second from the initial crank. This is when oil circulation is the most needed, once the gas has lit up, the combustion chamber temps are high enough that through heat transfer (remember metals, especially Al is very good heat transfer metals only behind Platinum and Copper) the piston and the cylinder are up to operating temps and thus is the thin layer of oil between them.
The engine does not use a drop of oil between oil and filter changes.
There is no engine in the world that does not use oil. This is the nature of engine design, to leave a thin layer of film as the piston slides down in the cylinder on the layer of oil, some is left behind and later burned off. On the cool down cycle, when engine is off, the water, either from the air or as the by product of combustion is condensing and contaminates the oil, thus giving an impression that oil is not being used. In extreme cases, people have more oil after 3000 miles than they do at oil change time. This only applies to cars that are not driven long distances everyday, 100 miles a day or less, as there is not enough time to evaporate all of the water condensed overnight.
But, I think we have agreed to disagree a long time ago, so this is just a moot point. I am just restating my point for the newbie.
I have an 86 Civic that, while not properly maintained by its previous owner of 18 years, still gets a good 36 MPG. While doing the 120K mile maintanance and tracking down vacuum leaks, adjusting idle speed, throttle, adjusting timing and fixing issues in the cooling system, etc etc the car idled in the driveway during one tankful for what probably amounted to a sum total of 2 hours, perhaps more. Not my ideal way to treat the car on a regular basis but this was necessary to diagnose and fix several problems. Instead of the usual 36 MPG I got about 34 MPG for that one tankful. By my calculations, (with a 9 gallon fillup) that amounted to about 1/2 gallon of additional gasoline usage for 2 hours of idle time.
So, if someone (who gets the same gas mileage as me) lets their car idle 5 minutes before every startup between 9 gallon fillups and drives on average 30 miles per trip, that would be about 11 trips between fillups and about 55 minutes of total idle time for warming up - using about a 1/4 gallon of gas costing 50 cents where I live. To some it's worth the 50 cents for peace of mind if they feel they are preserving the life of their engine. For others, it's a waste of natural resources and adding to pollution. To me, it's about the same difference, I can't get excited about the argument one way or the other. I let my cars warm up 10 seconds before driving them but I live where the climate never drops below 50F.
Elissa
I bought a 2004 Honda Civic 4DR Automatic around 2 weeks back and I am hearing a wierd high-pitched sound from general area of the engine.
The best way to hear this sound (high-pitched whinning noise) is to place the car in park and then press on the accelerator to gradually rev up and down the engine between 2000 and 2600 RPM.
The sound also comes while driving whenever the engine is above 2000 RPM. Is anyone else hearing similar sounds. The sound tends to get quite annoying if one hears it continously for 20 to 30 minutes. If I had known that Honda Civic's produce such sound, I would have never bought one.
I got the car checked at the dealer where I bought the car and they could not find anything wrong. But the sound is there and quite irritating. I plan to visit the honda dealer again to locate the source of the sound and then contacting American Honda to give them a piece of my mind.
If someone is hearing similar noise please let me know.
elissa
I have heard that as well and have had the darndest time finding them. Can you let me know where you get those? I have been buying Wix filters from Napa for my Hondas and Subaru filters for my Subie but would love the Pure One filters!
-Elissa
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yes, I am aware of the warranty clause. I just figured this way dealer would have less things to pile against me in case there was a defect and I needed warranty coverage. I have been wanting to switch to Mobil 1 filters, but decided to wait until warranty expired. I don't think that 5000 mile intervals are detrimental to paper media in the Honda "OEM" Fram filters. Although, sometimes I get the Japan made Honda filters.