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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
I will have to check and see if Preludes were included in that service bulletin. I dont think they were because I dont ever remember changing any.I know Civics and Accords were with VIN breaks and with condenser manufactures.I will try to call in tomorrow as I am not working but if not then I will check on Monday.As far as your water problem, all ac systems build up and release condensation(water)then drain out a hose to the outside of the car. If yours is getting on the inside floor then your drain hose is clogged and or the evaporator drain tube.If you can get under your car easy then on the right side, near the cross member there is a hose, blow air or stick a peice of stiff wire up into the hose and see if a big gush of water comes out. If you can't get under your car then on the right side under dash area, in back of the glove box sits the evaporator box(between the blower and the center heater box)on the bottom there should be a drain hose near the firewall.Have something to catch water with and remove the hose. Blow through the hose and stick a piece of wire up into the box to clear it. If it is clogged you will know it because it will flow out like a river..
As for the radio if there was any kind of bulletin for it the warranty period for such a bulletin would have been 3year/36,000. They only offer the extended warranty bulletins for emission, safety, and enviromental reasons for the most part..
Well I will get back to you soon, hopefully tomorrow.
The things to check would probably be the coil and the distributor.In the past I have saw several coils act that way.They usally are either damaged in the center by aftermarket distributor caps and or stressed to the caps. If it is not a Honda coil then it is probably bad for sure the aftermarket ones dont last as long or perform as good.Other than that the distributor itself could be starting to fail.The igniter is a possibility also we have saw them go bad but usally they fail all together causing the car to stall and not restart.If you arent using Honda tune up parts then I would start there and have the coil checked to see if it is an original.I know some don't believe me but Honda OEM parts are superior in their cars fo some reason. Including the spark plug wires, I know they are pricy but they work best..Good luck
Please help! I have already taken mine in re: the rear rattling and they replaced the shelf, but never made a difference, they basically said "Well, you didn't buy a Ferrari." Now, I have this new prob. with my moonroof. The rattling gets on my nerves, but I'm afraid of having Honda mess w/ anything else. Any suggestions? Please Help!!!
Those TSB #'s pertaining to the 95 Prelude A/C condenser are TSB#97-035 and #97-036, and #97-0014, and the brief description on the NHTSA website says "potential exists for problem with A/C condenser in specific geographic areas."
I know it was probably a rare problem, because my Honda mechanic says I'm one of the only Preludes he has worked on.
If there is a TSB about the problem I've had, what do I do about it? Since the repair was done last year (I keep ALL receipts, and the repairs were done by Honda trained technicians with Honda parts), am I out of luck?
Thanks!
Car has worked well without any problems; maintenance limited to oil/filter changes, brakes, CV joints, tires, battery, etc. In taking car to shop 1 to repair antifreeze leak and perform a radiator flush, I am told car has a blown head gasket. I take car to shop 2 (recommended by shop 1) for further advice/repair. I tell shop 2 to check carefully; I see what looks like an oily, dark-colored film on bottom (inside) of radiator cap. This has been there a long time and is not new. Car also leaks/burns oil--unknown source.
Shop 2 calls 1-2 days later--says head gasket is blown, oil is getting in water, burning oil. Recommends at a minimum to replace rods, bearings, and rings for an approx cost of $1650. Advises "could get by with less, but may have more problems in the long run". How he made his analysis is unknown to me --i.e. I doubt he disassembled engine. I then take car to Honda dealership (shop 3) where with a $29.95 "diagnostic test" (coolant pressure test and block test) they tell me car engine is fine ("results are negative--no leaks found") other than needing a valve cover gasket. I inquired about a timing belt replacement as I had heard and seen posts about this being a problem if they break. Shop 3 (dealership) was not pushy and appeared honest, so I had valve cover gasket and timing belt replaced for $300 (later I read about it being a good idea to replace water pump at the same time)!
My questions pertain to the disparity in advice between shop 2 and shop 3 (dealership). Why would one say so much work is needed and the other say all is ok? I realize a "diagnostic test" will not allow for a visual inspection of engine components--but should I take shop 3 at their word? I plan on taking car elsewhere and having a compression test done on the cylinders--will this provide me with good, usable info? Reluctantly, I drove the car today after shop did work yesterday. Engine sounds and runs ok--no misses, noises, etc (which it never had, anyway). Where do I go from here?
I realize car is old and may be time to put it out to pasture, although in my mind this is still a "low mileage" car, used mostly for work commute (~24 miles round trip). Besides, a new or used car now is out of the question--this one needs to run another 2-3 years or so (the longer the better). I apologize for the long ramble. Any advice?
I'd go to dealer #4, tell them about 1, 2, & 3 and see what happens, if you are motivated. I'm sure others out there have something more to tell you, but I'd just get in that car and drive!
As for any of the other work, I wouldnt do any motor work until the car was overheating or blowing smoke like a bug sprayer. Small loses of oil over a period of time or a little smoke cold can be lived with by simply checking and adding oil.I would do as igloomaster sayed and get in the car and drive.Once the time comes for when you do need an engine I would suggest going with a take out or a complete rebuilt from a company. It is quicker and usally better warranty and not that much more money. I forget the company we deal with but I could find out if you got to that point.Anyhow sounds to me like the car is running fine so I would drive it for a while and see what happens.Good luck..
Once it warms up, it's ok. I know the slave clutch resevoir is leaking. I will have the master and slave replaced latter this week. Fluid in the cylinder was just filled for my 90,000 tune up, yet it still exhibits the same problem.
Is this the sign of a new clutch needed? What is a ballpark figure for a new clutch (parts and labor).
As always, thanks for taking time to expertly answer questions.
I just received a copy of the TSB about my problem (from the NHTSA, for FREE!!!) and, of course, it described my problem EXACTLY, and my VIN # matched up. So I called that 1-800 # for Honda Consumer Affairs, gave them my VIN # & it turns out that Honda was replacing the condenser for FREE (!!!!) in some of the 94-95 Preludes.
Since my repair was already done (within the 5-yr period), all I have to do is fax them a copy of the receipt & they'll reimburse me for the parts & a portion of the labor (as they see fit, since I didn't have the repair done at a dealer).
The man on the phone was extremely nice and helpful. (While I was on the phone with him, he went over the list to see if any other TSB's pertained to my VIN #, and he updated my records, so that I can receive any future mailings from Honda. It's service like this that makes me keep going back to Hondas!)
So, if you come across any other Preludes with bad AC Condensers, as long as the repair was within 5 years, Honda should help them!
Another happy ending!! Thanks for your help!
i appreciate it.
this is my second civic hatchback. first one was a 1990 4 speed manual 1.5l. loved it.
you were right - i needed to get used to the auto tranny but now it is great. sometimes i disagree with how long it will stay in first or second gear when i heavily accelerate; seems like it takes too long to upshift. so i quickly ease back on the gas which forces it to upshift and then depress the accelerator more. want to keep the the rpm's low while still pushing the vehicle within it's limits.
EX, with only 24000 miles on it. That means 6,000
miles a year. My concern is that since it's a low
annual mileage car, so the service records shown by
owner indicate that oil has been changed at the
intervals varying from 5-8 months. I need to know
from anyone out there that if the oil change
interval is so long, how would that effect the
engine life. Is there any special kind of check
that a mechanic can perform to let me know what the
exact situation of engine is. I'm planning to buy
this car in a next couple of days so any early
response would be appreciated as I know nothing
about cars.
In fact I've posted my question in #120.
Is there anyway I can check how bad the engine of the 96 EX Civic is now because of delayed oil changes.
Thanks to all in advance for any kind of help.....
Can anyone give me some info?
I noticed that it seems having a hard time when fuel level is low. As soon as I fill up the gas, it starts fine.
Is there anyone with similar problem/observation? I guess I'll ask the mechanic at the dealer, but any response would be appreciated.
I'm still a few days away from checkup, although I'm tempted to do ut sooner than later..
I'll let you know what they said after that.
Thanks again auburn63 and spokane. It was nice to be armed with your diagnosis and fun to see if the mechanic was going to try to rip me off (he didn't). Auburn63, looks like your gaining quite a following with all these referrals for your advice!
Then I had trouble getting key out of ignition. Dealer service dept wanted no part of repairing it. Car was in 3X but I don't think they ever even looked at it. Finally, they said they'd order a whole new ignition switch. The problem was that the gear selector was not sensing that the car was in park. You cannot remove the key when the car is not in park. I FIGURED THIS OUT, if I left it to the dealer, it would have never been fixed. Finally, after my persisting, they adjusted the sensor in the console, and now it works fine. Be careful where you buy!!!!
No pressure AND no aftersell. Mine gets serviced now at Clinton Honda since I live in Hunterdon Cty.
Regrettably I bought my Honda at Rt 23 Honda also. I'd walk before I'd buy another car there. Be glad you live in Hunterdon Cty.
Where do you take your Civic for servicing?
Sorry to read about your experience-I think their service dept is ok, although I haven't used them for at least the last 6 mos.
When your car is due for servicing, I recommend you patronize Steve's Honda in Parsippany.
Hopefully that's not outof your area.
They are extremely honest, and are on-line w/ ALLDATA. They simply cannot do warranty work.
Hope this info helps. Good Luck.
BTW, how does your HOnda run? Have you had any trouble?
I don't think I'll ever use regular oil again.
Clinton Honda does my oil changes and they deduct the cost of their oil from my bill. Very nice people to do business with.
The 2 problems I've had with my car were an offcenter steering wheel from day 1. What a story about that! The 2nd problem was a loose and squeaky hatch door that Clinton corrected very Quickly-Rt23 thought it was a suspension bushing that needed more lube-not!!
Still love the car!
Pete
Please note that I don't drive in a mountainous area or ride the brake pedal. What is the problem? My 1993 EX sedan went over 70,000 miles before I had to have the rotors turned. Granted, most of my driving was on the highway at the time (I had a 100-mile roundtrip commute) and now I live less than three miles from work.
I don't want to spend the money for aftermarket rotors. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
When Honda brought out this generation Civic (1996-2000), I remember reading that the braking system cost 25 percent less than that of the previous generation's (1992-1995). Aside from switching to back rear drums on the EX, I think I know where they saved that money!
He said this has been known for a while, but Honda hasn't come up with any official notice..
He suggest I try waiting a little before cranking the key. I'll see how that works.
Another time, car was starting to miss during acceleration on highway driving. Remembering episode 1 above, thought I might need new plugs again. Went to pull plugs so I would know what to buy at NAPA, and found out that some of the plug wires were not pushed on to plugs all the way. Made sure all were on, then no more problems.
Both problems above ocurred during acceleration, but involved the engine misfiring, and some vibration in vehicle from that.
But if the vibration you have is felt more in the steering wheel during acceleration, I would look to the CV joints, as noted in my previous post.
Inner joints are hard to diagnose but the one tell tell sign of an inner joint is that the vibration will change with passengers(extra weight)due to the joint possition inside its cup.
Transfer noises/vibrations can happen if the exaust is bent or if motor mounts are going bad or if the cable is touching something or is stiff itself.
The tech should be able, if it is bad enough to atleast determine the area of the problem.If it is not bad then it will be difficult to locate.Good luck...