Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

isellhondas · January 2003

Well, I wouldn't get too scared.

I start, drive, move and ride in new Civics every day. Probably an average of four a day?

I have NEVER had one fail to start or stall after it did start.

I have NEVER had one of my customers walk up to my desk and tell me that this was happening to a civic that I had sold them.

But...like anything, I'm sure there are isolated cases.

mattbrat · January 2003

Thanks Jade00 for the tire info. I'll check the Dunlop A2's on the tirerack website. By the way, did you just take it anywhere to get the tires installed, I don't think most places will put them on because one didn't purchase it from them. Did you find that a problem?

anonymousposts · January 2003

Our 2002 SI has been fine. Never had a problem starting it (knock on wood).

srockr · January 2003

My '03 Civic w/ about 900 miles on it has failed to start twice but each time restarted instantly on second try. I now keep my keys separate, don't know if this helps or not.

But love this car!

dudka · January 2003

i am not sure whether it is mentioned in the 7th generation manual, but what honda did to increase fuel economy, is that the alternator regulator shuts off alternator when battery is 80-100% charged. thus reducing the strain on the engine, and achieveing higher fuel economy. so when the fan kicks on, you lights flicker because the whole electrical system in the car is running off the battery.
hope that helps, and maybe the honda mechanics should read their manuals, where the system is described in detail, and not run out and replace a perfectly fine alternator.

ecastone · January 2003

ecastone · January 2003

Well I think I have exausted all of my efforts to figure out why this car is having this problem. Just picked it up and they said they couldnt find anything wrong with it. I know they tried. It is OK its one of those things that if it didnt happen to you, you wouldnt understand. I know it is probably a small flaw that my car has but unfortunatly I have no time or patience for it anymore. I think I am going to trade it in on something else. I just want a car that starts all of the time! Thank you everyone for you help. I really appreciated it.

rivertown · January 2003

I'm sorry. PA got a lemon law that applies?

ecastone · January 2003

I dont think so. The car has 40000 miles

rivertown · January 2003

Eca, what are you gonna trade for?

dudka · January 2003

I think the most common reason you have the no start problems is due to slow acting immobilizer. try this. insert the key, wait half a second, turn to "on" position (dash lights up) and wait for the fuel pump to prime (buzzing to stop), and the yellow check engine light to go out. then crank.
oh yeah, no other keys on the key chain, just the remote keyless entry, and preferrably on some kind of link that moves it farther from the key
let me know if it works.

icvci · January 2003

but, the owners manual for my 2003 CR-V says to keep it's key away from metal key fobs. I keep it on a ring all by itself.

Sorry to hear of so many problems. Once this is fixed, (and Honda will take care of it trust me) you'll have a great car for as many miles/years as you want to own it.

laurajl · January 2003

My civic's gas pedal is so heavy that my hip joint hurts.

Two shops, including the dealer, says it's the dirty throttle body. So I have it cleaned. It's somewhat better but still hurts me to step on.

Anything more I should do ? Thanks

spokane · January 2003

Remove the throttle cable from the throttle mechanism and then try opening and closing the throttle butterfly by hand to see if it moves freely. If it does not, a more thorough cleaning or replacement of the throttle body may be needed. If the throttle body and butterfly are OK, try moving the throttle cable by hand to see if it moves freely - the cable could possibly need cleaning or replacement. Another possibility is the cruise control - try temporarily disconnecting the cruise control cable to eliminate that as a possible cause of the binding. Good luck.

laurajl · January 2003

Thanks, Spokane. I'll have someone try those things you suggest. Laura

chiari · January 2003

i just bought a new car (civic 2002 ex coup). with the vtec engine when i run at 65mph down the freeway (yes, in 5th gear), i'm running at about 3100 RPM. is this right? i thought it should be lower. thanks

rivertown · January 2003

Honda engines have always been high reving machines. LOL, from motorcycles redlined at 12K, to '99 Si's redlined at 8K, to S2000's redlined at? A good thing they design 'em to rev high.

So, I dunno that your revs are a prob. I bet not. It sure is different than driving a vehicle redlined at 5.5K (and throwing rods at 6K), though.

bjk2001 · January 2003

Our 02 EX Sedan @ 65 MPH RPM is about 27-2800.

jade00 · January 2003

I live in a pretty small town so i had my tires shipped to one of the installers listed on the Tire rack website. I don't know where you live but if is in or close to a metro area I would suggest having them shipped directly to the installer(prices etc are listed on the Installers Info pages)I am sure any Tire dealer or Service/Repair Station would be happy to install them for a PRICE even if you didn't purchase them from them directly! So you could get quotes from your local Tire dealers and compare. I paid $65. for the install which was slightly higher than local,our local Les Schwab Tires charges $5 a tire plus $8 for spin and balance(they even charge you the $8 for spin/balance when you buy your tires from them!)It was worth the extra money to A)Not have to haul 4 tires around! and

Get to drive 80 miles on the Highway and check out the QUIET,SMOOTH ride on my new tires!

jade00 · January 2003

I never got a key number plate when I bought my car(01 Civic) After reading the owners manual i contacted my salesman to ask for it but he was no longer working there. I forgot all about it until I misplaced my keys Sat. and didn't find them til today. Now I'm wondering what happens if I DO lose my key...Does anyone know if I can still get the key info from the dealership? what dept would I contact? I bought my car through the Internet Sales Dept and my former salesman was my only link to the dealership. Any input would be appreciated.

chalupny · January 2003

I concur with BJK2001. My 02 LX sedan turns about 2700 RPM when doing 65 mph, in 5th gear, on a straight and level section of interstate highway. My tach doesn't read 3100 RPM until about 75 mph on the same stretch of highway.

drdomore · January 2003

I took my 3 month old 2002 Honda Civic LX to the Honda body shop after I got it into a freeway accident with a dog. The front bumper was smashed and radiator was bent and nearby things were damaged. This being a new car I decided to let the dealer's body shop work on it even though I had to pay a $500.00 deductible.

Now after 2.5 weeks when I have my car back from them it looks fine on the outside. However when I drive it it immediately heats up! The temperature shoots up beyond the "H" mark even if the car has been driven for only 5 minutes. I called up the Honda body shop and they want me to bring it in!!! I tried to talk to them to tow it as the dealer's shop is some 30 miles from my home but they refuse!

I am extermely disappointed with the level of service I have been provided. The total repair bill was $3200 and if they can't get the car back in good shape after spending all this money then they should be ashamed of themselves.

I am thinking of complaining to American Honda. Is there anything else I can do? I have clearly been duped here. Honda is supposed to provide some sort of guarentee on their work???

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated

auburn63 · January 2003

You should be able to contact the service department and have them run you VIN. It should be on the computer. Good luck

spokane · January 2003

Is the radiator full of coolant and the overflow bottle partially full? If not, fill the radiator and warm the engine - but shut it off if it nears the danger zone on the temp gauge. Also verify that coolant is not leaking. If the coolant level is OK and overheating is imminent, please don't drive the car, drdomore. Have it towed to the shop, even if you must pay the tow bill. Overheating can ruin the engine in short order - and you would have a hassle with the manufacturer regarding liability for the engine damage regardless of the instructions from the shop. If you don't have a leak or low coolant level, my guess if that a radiator hose is blocked or they somehow failed to repair the cooling system properly. In any case, I would expect them to recognize their oversight and reimburse you for the tow. Good luck.

seaf · January 2003

It's pretty cold here lately, about -16 F in the night, not including wind chill factor. Last couple of times I started the car, I let it warm up about 2min, it has been idling pretty rough. I thought it was just because everything was so cold. After I got home last night, I remembered that I should put in some of the gasoline antifreeze that is supposed to keep the gas lines from freezing up, I had a half-tank of gas, and I put in about half a quart of the gas antifreeze. I idled the car for about 3 min to let things get mixed in.

This morning the same roughness, but as I was traveling at highway speeds around 65mph, the engine temp was warming up to about the midpoint. I then let go of the gas to decelerate slightly to adjust for traffic and my engine light came on, nothing else. I took the next exit and when I came to a stop at the traffic light, my engine stalled and it wouldn't start anymore. it cranks fine, all the lights are on, the battery seems ok. I tried starting it for about 10 mins, waiting about 1 min before cranking it, it turns over, as if the engine is started so the cranking stops automatically, but it sounds as if there wasn't fuel to keep the engine running. After about 10 mins, it finally started and it ran fine, but the engine light stayed on.

So does anyone know what could be the cause of this light to come on? And after it comes on, does it stay on until a technician can inspect it and turn it off with special tools?

mattbrat · January 2003

Thanks again for the tire install info. I'll check it out...can't wait to get new tires!

fritz1224 · January 2003

That sounds like an awful lot for 1/2 tank of gas. If it's the same stuff I have used before I think an 8 oz. bottle or so will treat up to 20 gallons. I didn't even think this stuff came in such large size containers. Are you sure of what you put in? It wasn't just regular anti-freeze was it?

gee35coupe · January 2003

or your O2 sensor. I don't think you were supposed to use that much.

seaf · January 2003

Oops, my mistake, I meant a pint. It was a 12 oz container, and I used about 7 oz of it with about 7 gallons of gasoline in the car. Either way I think it was the cause of the problem (old father's advice). After I did some online research, I realized that here in Minnesota, most of the gasoline sold already contains about 10% ethanol, which is an alcohol that can help prevent gas line freezing. The stuff I used contained methanol, a harsher version. It probably created emissions problems combined with the low temperature. So the ECM detected it and set a warning flag, even though the emissions problem was only temporary.

So instead of forking over $100 to the dealer to do a diagnostic test, I figured I'd reset the ECM myself, and if an O2 sensor or something was really wrong, the check engine light would come on again. I filled up my car with regular gasoline to dilute the stuff I put in. Then I took out the main battery fuse for about a minute to let it reset, then started up my car again and the check engine light stayed off (after its 2 second test). I had to dig up the Anti-theft radio code since the radio reset too.

Lesson from all of this, do not put anything in your gas tank that you aren't 100% sure of. I learned my lesson the hard way...it could have been a lot worse. Also supports my theory that most car problems are human caused rather than mechanical failures, as much as we'd like to deny it and blame it on someone else.

drdomore · January 2003

Spokane and others,

I spoke with Body Shop and they wanted me to drive there (some 30miles) even though the car was overheating within 5minutes. I drove the car for 2days from home to work and back (about2miles) and the car would reach "H" mark by the end of the trip.

Bodyshop towed the car from my work to their shop. They say that they found an air pocket in the coolant circulation system that they bled-off and now the car is driving without heating up.

However, I feel, that the engine has become noisier. I can hear the pistons or something moving each time I accelerate. Also, once I stepped on the brake and the whole car started shaking.

This is 3-4month old car and is covered by warranty so I am thinking of taking it to the Honda Service Shop even though I can not pin point what could be wrong. I'll let them figure out.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks for your help
DrDoMore

bcrsc · January 2003

Hi everyone,
I have a problem with my Honda Civic and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

I bought this car new last January. Everything was fine for sometime. In October I took it on a 4-hour long trip on the highway. On my way back, it suddenly started making a whistiling noise and it continued to do so as soon as I went above 60 mph. Not knowing what it was, I freaked out and drove it home at 45mph. The next day, I took it to the dealer and he took a test run. The car didn't make any noise. The dealer told me they needed to hear the noise before doing anything else. We were not convinced and so tested it again on the highway for about 25 minutes. The car behaved just fine. We were quite relieved and took the dealer's explanation that it was caused by the road and wind conditions on that particular day. The car ran fine for a while. Last weekend we made a 3 hour trip on the highway. The whistling noise was back. It was very annoying. It continued continously for 2 and 1/2 hours during the trip. On our way back, we could drive about 40 miles before the noise started. This time it was intermittent. Once again we take it to the dealer and it does not make any noise. When we drive the car in the city it does not have the same noise problem.

Has anyone had a similar problem or have any suggestions about what it could be?

auburn63 · January 2003

Your most likely problem is the upper windshield molding as they tend to catch air and as it leaves the other side it whistles. I think there may even be a TSB out for it but not for sure on the years that apply. If I can remember I will try and look on monday..However in the meantime in case I forget. Carry some masking tape in the car with you and if the noise happens pull over and apply some tape to the molding on top all the way accros and then see if it is gone..Good luck..

wmajcher · January 2003

Hi,

I replaced the washer pump on my 1999 Civic with a new one from Autozone. The pump looked exactly the same and installed very easily. The problem is that the fluid drains back into the tank when not in use. So it takes a few seconds to begin spraying out of the nozzles. My Honda dealer informed me that the Honda replacement pump has a one way valve to keep this from happening. The autozone pump cost 16.00 and a honda pump cost 40.00. The dealer did say however that I can purchase a small one way valve to install on my pump. I checked the local auto stores and no one carries this valve. Can someone please let me know where I can find this valve or any sggestions on how to go about fixing this? Any responses are appreciated.

Thanks

pageaut · January 2003

I have a 2002 Honda Civic that I got in Aug, 2002. There is a problem with my emergency brake. I started my car and put it in neutral and fully engaged my parking brake. I got out of the car, locked it with my 2nd set of keys, and walked about 10 steps when I heard a noise from the car. (the brake letting loose) The car starting rolling backwards. I managed to get the door open as it was going down my driveway but I fell and the car ran over my leg and the door hit me and bent it all the way back to the front panel. I now have a few thousand dollars in damage on my car. The door will have to be replaced and the front panel is all dented from the door opening so far and possible damage to the back from the snow bank it ran in to across the street. I brought it to the dealer and they said the brake is fine and that my car was probably on ice. I told them it was NOT from the ice because it went all the way down the driveway, across the road, and up a 3-4 foot snowbank. My car would not slide that far with a working brake. He also said that I probably did not put the brake fully on. I DID put it fully on and if I didn't it would have started backwards as soon as I took my foot off the brake while I was still in the car and not when I had time to lock the door, and walk about 10 - 15 steps. I HEARD when the brake let loose and I was wondering if anyone else has had problems with their parking brake on the 2002 Honda Civic. Thank you.

gee35coupe · January 2003

Our Civic has done a "phantom roll" twice. We've been lucky to have no damage both times. I didn't address it at the dealer for I knoew they would have the reaction that you recieved. i don't know what to tell ya. But I DO know the Civic's parking brake SUCKS.

rivertown · January 2003

Dunno if it will help, Pag; but there were a bunch of posts on this board and/or on "Honda Civic Si / SiR" about the parking brake. Gee did predict an accident due to the parking brake. None of us has reported the brake 'letting go' like yours apparently did; our experience has seemed more like the brake slipping rather than letting go completely.

pageaut · January 2003

I HAVE NEVER POSTED ON THIS BEFORE. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT FROM THE REPLIES SO FAR. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! I HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO nhtsa.dot.gov AND WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF ANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM WOULD REPORT IT ALSO (EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD INJURIES). THIS IS WHERE YOU REPORT AND THEY DETERMINE IF THERE SHOULD BE ANY RECALLS ON THE PROBLEM. I AM GOING TO PUSH THIS IN ORDER TO TRY TO SAVE ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PAIN I AM IN RIGHT NOW. THANKS AGAIN!

dcd · January 2003

I second auburn63's suggestion that it is probably the windshield molding. I had the same problem on a 1998 Accord I used to have and it drove me nuts until I figured it out. I went to a body/glass shop where they had a special tool to poke the molding back in (free of charge).

bjk2001 · January 2003

We never had any problem with our 02 Civic EX Auto, again we always put the gear shift in PARK then apply the parking brake. If you have a stick shift when you park your car maybe you could put your car in either 1st or reverse gear instead of neutra then apply parking brake. I used to own a stick shift when I parked on any slope I always put in either 1st or Reverse depends heading of my car.

regards,

alyssazmom · January 2003

I always put my Civic in park and then apply the parking brake. I've never had it unbrake before. I have an automatic if that makes a difference.

Carrie ~Eternal Blue Pearl 2002 Honda Civic EX Sedan

njcar1 · January 2003

I have a 2000 Civic DX (hatchback) and the best that I've gotten in terms of mpg has been 26 (and it was exclusively on the highway), but have been consistenlty been getting arround 23 mpg for the past two years. On the Honda website (as well as on the Edmunds) it states that I should be getting 32 city and 37 highway. Am I the only one that's getting ripped on the milage per gallon???

rfruth · January 2003

I have the same vehicle as you (mine is a stock `00 Civic DX hatch 5 speed) and it routinely gets 40 MPG (mixed city/highway) the fact that you only get in the 20s is strange, something must be wrong (but you know that) lets see I'm in Houston so I don't do what most would consider cold weather driving and my tires are a bit over inflated (book calls for 31 PSI I run with 35 PSI) keep it tuned up, avoid jack rabbit starts/stops, short trips etc but I don't baby it, can't imagine why your MPG is so low.

rae52 · January 2003

I have a '99 Civic DX hatch w/5spd; I live in NJ, car sits outside regardless of weather. I allow a maximum of one and a half minutes for warmup-I do app. 60% highway driving. I can commute during offpeak hours. My mpg is roughly 34-35.
Hope that helps you.

dq1 · January 2003

My '95 civic dx has 120k miles and has started making some pretty good valve ticking, so I decided to call the dealer for an estimate. To my surprise, he told me the cost of a valve adjustment was only $80, assuming they didn't find anything wrong when they took off the valve cover.

I have three questions:

1. The dealer said this service should have been done every 30k miles (it's never been done). I've always been told that if there is no ticking sound, everything is fine. What's the rule of thumb for civics on valve adjustments?

2. Does $80 sound right (I checked with 2 other dealers and they were right in that ballpark)? I have read posts on other cars where this adjustment was approx. $500.

3. Once the dealer takes off the valve cover, what is it likely that he could find damaged what are the tell tale signs I should have him show me to prove there is damage? The car runs really strong, so I'd be hard pressed to believe he'll find anything damaged?

gee35coupe · January 2003

There are a lot of things that are "never done". Like swapping out brake fluid every so often. Brake fluid attracts moisture and should be flushed every so often.

bjk2001 · January 2003

I personally won't ask dealer to do any valve adjustment like you said unless it's noisy. If your car run strong there is no need to do it. Also what guaranty that mechanics won't mess up the valve clearance?
I have some cars went over 180 k miles and never had any valve adjusted. I do change brake fluid tho.

spokane · January 2003

I agree that valve lash should be checked and adjusted at 30K-mile intervals as specified in the owners manual. Generally, after 75,000 miles or so, the wear rate of the valve components decreases so that intervals of 40k-miles or more would probably be sufficient. The adjustment procedure is not difficult but is a little tedious. An $80 labor charge seems reasonable. If the lash was not checked in 120k-miles, the clearances can be expected to be perhaps 35% to 50% greater than spec - which would cause some noise. The greater danger, of course, is that 120k-miles of driving without adjustment means that one or more rocker arms has been "hammering" against the end of the valve stem due to the excessive clearance and damaged the tip of the aluminum rocker arm. The technician can show you this damage if it exists. This problem reaches into the hundreds of dollars. Possible, but even less likely, is damage to the camshaft which is much more expensive. Hopefully - and probably - adjustment is all that you need. Good luck.

debs4 · February 2003

with my 2002 Si. The dealership can't find the problem. It's getting so frustrating, tonight will be the 4th time I've had to take it in in less than a month.

Have you learned anything more about why yours is doing it?

firecraig · February 2003

I have a water leak, the drivers side front floor gets very wet when driving in rain. Dealership is looking, says not their problem. Car is

years old (Time) and just past 36K miles. I beleive its a seam or something, and isn't a wear and tear issue. How to proceed? How to determine source of leak?

asdxere · February 2003

To fix and avoid the "Civic starting problem" altogether,
is it possible to just "disconnect" the 2001-2003 Civic immobilizer at the dealer's service department ?
Or would this cause other warning lights to illuminate ?

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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