Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

brorjace · December 2001

I have to step in here to defend Marvel Mystery Oil.

I don't use this stuff too much anymore. I'm afraid of it being compatible with picky fuel injectors (although I believe they claim it's a detergent) as well as possible adverse effects on sensors and/or emissions equipment but I used to use it in my 1986 Escort GT and found that the car's engine sounded smoother (a slight, totally subjective improvement) and oil consumption, never a major issue while I owned this car, dropped to ZERO. Fuel economy also seemed to improve ... maybe as much as 3-5% (from 28-29 mpg to 31).

As for high-speed driving, high RPMs really break down oil so you can add this to the long list of "severe" service conditions. This necssitates you using a better (synthetic) oil and/or changing the oil more frequently.

My current Civic has 112,000 miles on it and runs excellent. I didn't buy a Honda so I could get away with abusing it, I bought it so I drive it hard, take really good care of it and have it last a long time and maintian its value.

I probably take my car (a '95 Coupe DX) to 5,000 rpms at least once or twice each day. I've also gone on long, high-speed trips with the car. Early in September I drove to Thousand Islands and back in one dya ... 450 miles, most of that being 80mph highway cruising.

--- Bror Jace

eludwig · December 2001

Honda's are typically very little fun below 4,000 RPM, and so they require high revving. My '00 Accord and prior to that my '95 Civic see/saw 5,000 RPM several times a week, if not several times a day depending on my mood

As a side note I worked with a guy who would run his '95 EX Coupe to the rev limiter by mistake now and then. The car never had problems.

Just enjoy your Civic. You'll really like it in the 4,000 - 6,000 RPM range!

fxashun · December 2001

At 5300 rpm. It sees the 7300 rpm redline often.

mikemw · December 2001

i have had a 90 civic wagon since it had 60,000 miles. now it has 238K. my business was a lot like UPS, 250+ stops at least two days a week. changed the oil every 5k miles. still runs great.
might use a quart between changes.

rangers_f · December 2001

I have a 2000 2Dr. Honda Civic. Whenever I get out of my car from driving, I get an electric shock when I touch the metal to close the door. Does anybody have this same problem? And if so, how did you solve the problem? Thanks. My e-mail is rangers_f@yahoo.com. Thanks alot.

dudka · December 2001

i used to get zapped in my 99 civic coupe ex. i switched to cr-v with leather and the problem went away. i can suggest getting leather seats or not to wear any artificial fabrics, nor sneakers. you get zapped because when you slide across the seat you create an electric potential, and by touching metal you discharge the static charge, that is what you feel as a zap.
i would only get zapped in the winter in my civic, so the dry air and the choice of clothing makes a big difference.

civic2001 · December 2001

Arthur:

See post #998

p2k · December 2001

I just bought a 94 Civic and had to replace the battery. Now the radio anti-theft thing kicked in and it is asking for a code. The prior owners lost the card with the code. Does anyone know how to get the radio code?

brorjace · December 2001

p2k I'd contact American Honda and see if they can help you. Be sure to have your VIN number handy.

--- Bror Jace

dudka · December 2001

you have two options, pay the dealer about $200 to remove read the serial number off the back and reinstall the radio, or remove the radio your self, read the code, give it to the dealer, and they will give you the code. another option is to look in the manual, sometimes the dealerships put a sticker in there on the front page, also in the glove box on the left side there may be a sticker with the radio code. these are the only two places i have found the radio codes before. it will just have numbers no descriptions.

bostont · December 2001

With the shock problem people are having, has anyone tried spraying their seats with a static spray like Static Guard? I've used it on the carpets and it works great.

rickslick · December 2001

Ex 90 model that was burgundy. This car was beautiful. I even had dealer installed fog lights added and it seemed to put this car in a different class but the performance still sucked however it was an automatic. This car looked like it cost more especially with the adjustable rear head rest, the fog lamps in the front air dam, and I always kept it clean. It only made it to 80k miles while I had it and that was after 3 yrs as I owned this car while in college. The timing belt went at 52k miles and it was rear ended at about 77k miles which is when I traded it for a 92 Acura Integra LS which I traded for a 97 Nissan Maxima SE which was traded for 01 Acura TL.

rickslick · December 2001

I have this happen to me in my 01 TL which of couse has leather seats. It has something to do with this time of year why we are getting shocked but I didn't do well in atmospheric science so I can't tell you exactly what it is called.

bostont · January 2002

I'm trying to find out if anyone has had problems with the Firestone tires that come on Civics now. That's what my new EX will have on it. I'm a bit leary of Firestone

civic2001lx · January 2002

Hi.

I am having a problem with the passenger side lock. In cold temperatures the door will not unlock using the power locks. Once the car warms up a bit it works. The driver side lock does not have this problem.

Any solutions? Or should I take it to a dealer?

Thanks...Greg

jlim1 · January 2002

bostont: I have no problems with my current '01 EX Firestones. I heard that they may be a little noisier on the roads, but until I put another set on (like Michelin), I really cannot do a comparison. Also, the tires are ok on the snow and ice so far. I had a similar fear on the Firestones too. Called the local tire stores and no one would accept the Firestones as trade-in even when they were only 100 miles then.

I may be wrong, but isn't the '02 Civics come with Dunlop tires these days? I was at the Honda showroom waiting for the engine oil service on the Civic and I saw this show car LX - nice with chromy inside door handles, similar body paint on the outside door handles, and DUNLOP tires ! Geez, Honda really tweaked a lot on the '02.

jimcarr · January 2002

My 02 Civic has Firestone tires. However, it is one of the lower manuf. numbers. (less than 1,000) so they may be leftover from the previous model.I now have 4k miles-no trouble. Yes, they seem noisy.

My 99 Z-71 4wd also has the same brand. They were not recalled on Chevys.No problem here either.

Frankly, I am not worried about it. I do kind of listen for any funny sounds coming out from under the vehicle such as thumps etc.

bostont · January 2002

I believe my 2002 EX Civic will have Firestone, but I don't know what level of tire they are. I had Michelin on my '82 Accord and they were great. If these cause a lot of noise I'll just go to Discount Tire and buy Michelin. I don't feel like taking a chance on those things.

rfruth · January 2002

My `00 Civic hatchback came with (& still has) gravestone er Firestone 65R14 85 S tires on it and IMO OEM tires aren't the best-in-the-west but I've had zero problems with mine however when they get replaced it sure won't be with more Firestones ! rfruth in Houston

0civic1 · January 2002

My 01 Civic LX 5spd has about 10k on it. I live in South Florida. I went up to St. Augustine for Christmas and it was pretty cold up there for Florida weather, it was in the 30s at night. I noticed that when I have the car in 1st gear and let off the clutch slowly the car make a gurgling/clicking noise. It seems to come and go but only appear in cold weather. It might happen in the other gears but the engine is to loud at that point to hear the slight sound? Anybody experience that or know what it is? Should I bring it in to a mechanic?

Thanks,

Nathan

reghead325 · January 2002

I have a 90 Civic DX, bought it for a 'song' 4 years ago. Have replaced the distributor twice on it (the last time being April 2001). As I was driving today, it decided it wanted to die on me. It will start, only to die again within about 1-2 minutes. The diagnostic code is 15 (Ignition output signal--missing or defective ignition output signal). Does anyone have any suggestions???

beckfoo · January 2002

I just purchased a 2002 Civic EX AT less than 2 months ago. I was pulling into a parking space and all of a sudden I heard a knocking sound on my front driver side tire. Almost like something was caught up underneath and hitting the frame. I got out, inspected the car and couldn't find anything wrong. I noticed the sound when I was parked and turned the wheel from left to right, and vice versa. Also noticed it when I drove or reversed with the wheel turned. Driving straight has no effect. I had a friend follow me out of the parking lot, and I noticed the sound had diminished, and didn't happen as much when the wheel was turned. In the parking lot, the sound was pretty loud. Could this be just something caught underneath, or is it something more serious, like a loose part?? I am taking it to the dealer this week.

Thanks!

jerryg4 · January 2002

My 1995 DX has about 80K on the OD and is probably due for a timing belt replacement. I called my dealer and he quoted me a price of $470 and if I wanted the water pump replaced at the same time it would be about $625. This seems awful high!! I looked in a consumers guide used car book and they said average cost of TB replacement for the civic was $180. Are they trying to rip me off??
Thanks

tiem · January 2002

Hi All,

There's a noise, somewhere under the engine on my 01 Honda Civic LX, when I drove on a bump or a dip. Is there anyone having this kind of noise?? Should I take it to a dealer for check up? or that's an acceptable noise???

Thanks

rfruth · January 2002

If this noise might be safety related or your not sure I'd take it in right away otherwise try to narrow it down & the next time your at the dealer have them look into it, is it the engine or suspension, hear it on most any bump or is it only while turning, while accelerating or using the brakes, can you duplicate the noise ? During the warranty period you can take it in and say it makes a noise fix it after the warranty expires that may not be the best approach. Acceptable noise I don't know. Rob (00 Civic hatchback) Fruth

gia4 · January 2002

I couple of months ago I noticed a bubbling/pinging/rattling/fluid swishing noise on acceleration that lasts only a few seconds and is not very loud. I only hear it when I accelerate from a complete stop. Noise does not sound associated to the engine. When I brought it to the dealer for an inspection, I had him evaluate it. He noticed that the oil was overfilled by 1/2 quart. He dumped the excess oil but I still heard the noise though not as frequently. I want back again to the dealer and he changed the oil and filter since the previous one was done by Jiffy Lube

. The car still makes the noise but now only intermittently. It seems to get better when car is warmed up. Any thoughts on what this could be? Car drives fine. Engine sounds fine.

gia4 · January 2002

I couple of months ago I noticed a bubbling/pinging/rattling/fluid swishing noise on acceleration that lasts only a few seconds and is not very loud. I only hear it when I accelerate from a complete stop. Noise does not sound associated to the engine. When I brought it to the dealer for an inspection, I had him evaluate it. He noticed that the oil was overfilled by 1/2 quart. He dumped the excess oil but I still heard the noise though not as frequently. I want back again to the dealer and he changed the oil and filter since the previous one was done by Jiffy Lube

. The car still makes the noise but now only intermittently. It seems to get better when car is warmed up. Any thoughts on what this could be? Car drives fine. Engine sounds fine.

truckdude1 · January 2002

We feel that our suspension on our 01' Ex coupe isn't that great. The shocks always sqeak alot going over the 8 speed bumps to get into our apartment complex, the car is running perfect, but i noticed that, latey since i've been driving the car, it seems that the Automatic transmission does shift too smoothly, is this normal, the car has 5300 miles on it, and 6monts old, were getting an Oil change next week again. Please help. ONE MORE THING, does anyone know if the Honda CIVIC EX engine is reliable, or extremely reliable? Thanks

isellhondas · January 2002

How about ultra reliable?

brorjace · January 2002

I had my '95 Civic's timing belt & water pump done for about $450 by a foreign-autorepair shop in Albany, NY.

That same Civic squeaked and rattled since new ... but only in the severe cold (below freezing).

--- Bror Jace

kirkandsuz · January 2002

I have a 2001 EX with 10,000 miles. When accelerating and then sudden stopping sometimes the engine stumbles and even dies. I took it to the dealer and could not get it to do it so they could not fix it. does anyone else have this problem or even a clue what it could be. I have had many cosmetic problems with the car also. I am not very happy with it at all.

cdt · January 2002

just came back from my vacation and found that my civic (93, 87k) bacame really noisy when i want to accelerate it. the engine sounds like that of a super-charged car and there is a delay in acceleration. anybody has the same problem? please help me out

pj23 · January 2002

I read the statistic quoted (was it Car & Driver?) a couple of years ago, that there has NEVER been an engine failure of a Honda VTEC engine. I think that qualifies as bulletproof. That should extend to the engine in the new Civics as well.

gasguzz · January 2002

The Honda VTEC started life in the exotic NSX. The same technology is now passed on even on the entry line Civic. Wanna talk powertrain engineering (and reliability), Honda has it.

carguy62 · January 2002

Honda is an engine company that happens to build cars. The same can't be said for most other makes.

beth27 · January 2002

I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX Sedan-recently replaced the LF Strut because it was leaking. I know that Honda switched from a double wishbone suspension to the McPherson Strut. Does anyone have problems with leaking struts?

jm370 · January 2002

i had a coil to go bad at 95000 mi and also check engine light. replaced coil and found plug gap about twice what it should be. would excessive gap burn coil up? also plug torque not what it should be. would this trigger check engine light?engine (1999 civic ex coupe) runs good now after resetting ecu.

spokane · January 2002

Jm370, loose spark plugs are common with aluminum cylinder heads. The plugs must be installed with a cold engine or they will be too loose when the temperature stabilizes. In some cases, cold plugs installed in a hot head are later found to be only finger-tight. When installed with the engine cold, there are no torque problems.

rafiq01 · January 2002

2000 Civic EX 2DR 12,300 mi.

Sometimes on a mildly cold day, when I turn
the ignition the car won't start on the first
try, but does eventually. No big deal.
Then one day I was sitting in the car with the
radio on and the car was off and suddenly the
battery died and I had to jump it. I thought that
was strange for a relatively new car with low mileage.
A friend said the battery contacts might be a little
dry and I should spray grease on them (didn't try).
And still to this day I intermittently have problems
turning the key and getting the engine to start.

Are these situations related in some way? Might it be
a bad spark plug or is it the battery and its contacts?

rfruth · January 2002

With my 2000 Civic hatchback (all 00 Civics ?) I need to turn the key to run (not start) briefly till the check engine light goes out (also hear a relay click at the same time) then it will start right up. If I jump in and immedetly try to start the engine it won't right away, the manual is not at all clear about this although it mentions several times to use the headlights when dark out ... doesn't sound like a spark plug, the battery cables should be clean & tight. Good luck

pallove · January 2002

I don't blame you for not being happy with your Honda Civic. Honda has really lost its edge for reliability and a trouble free car. I owned a 2k1 Honda Civic EX 4-DR sedan and I had a lot of problems with it. Idling problem, seat rocking, erratic gas guage, also my front right struts would creak sometimes.

The idling problem you are experincing is one that can be attributed to the Idle Air Control Valve, the fuel pump recall they did, or the torque converter, the ECM.

This new model Honda has introduced into the consumer's world has too many bugs.

My car use to die on me when I would step on the brakes. The idle would drop so low that the car would stall.

Took it back to the dealer so many time for the same problem and finally got frustrated and traded the car in.

If you are experiencing this stalling problem, get the dealer to check it out. Insist that they look at the problem.

One time my car stalled out on me, while I was in the middle of traffic at a stop light. Luckily there was no one behind me or I would of been rear-ended.

Stalling problem is no joke. New vehicles are not suppose to do this. Honda has made a serious design flaw with their ULEV car.

Food for thought.

tatdotcom · January 2002

i recently had my radio stolen from my 95 civic coupe. what is weird is how they got into my car. the alarm did not go off because it beeped twice as usual when i hit the remote. the passenger side window was cranked down. did they get in by cranking the window down from the outside? or did they use a code grabber or some sort of device to disable my alarm?

i would like to thank the theives for not damaging my locks or breaking windows.

i hope someone has info on this mystery and info on how we, civic owners, can protect ourselves from break-ins and theft. i'm sure some of you guys have large investments to protect, especially when your civic is modified.

carguy62 · January 2002

I believe what you are doing is priming the fuel pump. I have gotten into the practice of turning the key to the first position (accessories on) and waiting just a few seconds to crank it.

eirepaul · January 2002

I have a 00 EX Coupe. I don't know how much faith everyone here puts in Consumer Reports - I happen to think their info is useful. In the latest handbook the 00 civics showed a perfect score in their system of evaluating reliability. It will be interesting to see the 01 evaluation later this year. I've only experienced a few minor rattles in my civic.
Somebody please provide advice about synthetic oil. Worth it? No value? Your experience? Thanks.

devore · January 2002

Pallove, it sucks that you had so many problems with your Civic. But I don't think you can call your stalling problem a "design flaw" - that would imply that EVERYONE who owns the same vehicle would experience that problem.

I've owned my Civic for over a year and have put over 15K miles on it, both in very hot weather and very cold weather. (I live in Wisconsin.) It's never stalled on me (though it does idle very low). And even today, when it was about 10* when I went outside to start my car, it started on the first crank.

I think the seat rocking issue _IS_ a design flaw. My seat rocked as well - I took it in, the dealer found a TSB on the item, and ordred replacement bushings provided by Honda.

pallove · January 2002

Devore, you commented that the stalling is not a design flaw because everyone that owned a Honda Civic would of experienced this problem.

You also commented that the seat rocking issue is a design flaw. Well I have known people who own the new 2k1 civic and have not experienced this seat rocking problem.

From what you wrote in the above post is it still a design flaw, or are you contradicting yourself?

The words design flaw, though vauge, describes that Honda should of thought a little more about their product rather than pushing it out into the open market where a number consumers are unhappy.

Sure there will be some bugs for the new generation Civic, and sure there will be a lot of unhappy customers, "You can't please everyone".

But when you see the number of complaints of unhappy customers you start to wonder what is going on. To view this go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Also, when you look at the recalls that were called by the factory you also should be skeptical about the reliability of the car.

From my experience as an engineer, I can honestly say that Honda made a boo-boo.

Great body style shell, but does not have the guts to be reliable.

ladyraven · January 2002

I have an 88 Honda Civic CRX. When I turn on my low beams and I drive for a short while they begin to go on and off. There was a burning smell the other day when they were on also. The RPM's drop from 1000 to 700 when I turn my low headlights on. Have any idea what might be the problem?

auburn63 · January 2002

The connectors themselves(at the bulbs) build resistance then melt. This could be causing your problems, if not then I would suspect possibly the charging system or battery. Good luck

cbillman · January 2002

Help!

Recently, our '97 Civic LX's SRS indicator light came on and stayed on ... the manual said have it checked out ... the dealership said the entire air bag system had gone out and must be replaced -- to the tune of $361 + $98 labor.

Is this a problem others have had? It seems odd that it would just quit working after only 79,000 miles of virtually maintenance-free driving.

This particular service manager said there was no manufacturer's warranty to cover it, but I really can't afford that kind of hickey to my pocketbook.

Any advice on whom I could contact for help?

Thanks!

(I noticed a similar problem in post #182, but can't get in contact with the guy.)

mudd4 · January 2002

Hi, I'm getting ready to change the oil in a 98 civic lx for the first time (it was being changed at the dealer before) What is the easiest way to do it. Do I need the car on jackstands? Should I use a Honda OEM filter? Do I need to replace the drain plug gasket each time? How many quarts? What type of filter wrench should I use? Will the ones that attach to a ratchet and hook on the bottom of the filter be the easiest?

What oil do you all recommend?

Thanks

Mudd

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions