Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

auburn63 · January 2004

Instead of ripping them off, why not put some metal hose clamps around them to tighten them up and stop the noise. One medium size one works for the b pipe and two usally work around most cats depending on the size of the clamp. There easy to install and shields can remain in place....

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

He can try that but it might be too late. When mine started dragging on the ground the heat shield was completely corroded and rusted out and was totally useless.

elmoblatch1 · January 2004

I am going to take a look this weekend & see if they can be clamped in place first. Thanks-

gregoryc1 · January 2004

Warm up your vehicle on a cold morning. Get the lubrication flowing freely before you put a load on the drive train and the engine. If "warm - up" is not important, then why do people who own boats warm up their marine inboard and / or I/O engine to normal operating temperature before leaving the dock? ----- Just my opinion. ----Greg

tompowis · January 2004

i am about to buy a type r (old shape ek9) and have been told the top speed is restricted?
does any one know how this is done and if its possible to remove the restriction?
if so email me on powisontour@hotmail.com
that would be a great help!

elmoblatch1 · January 2004

I finally was able to get under my Civic over the weekend. The front heat shield already had 2 hose clamps on it ....forgot I installed those a while back.

I removed the clamps & heat shield up front.

Underneath the feet of the back seat passengers, but in front of the Cat converter "appears" to be heat shield #2. It is only on top of the exhaust pipe. I also found another shield that was more like sheet metal shaped like the letter L. I was not able to remove that shield.

The muffler appears to have a heat shield on top of it...presumably to keep heat away from the gas tank.

After 2 test drives, I still hear the rattle, but not as bad as before. The sound only happens at about 45-50mph, when I take my foot off the gas.

Sounds like something is vibrating against metal, but just for a second or so.

Not sure what else to do. It's my wife's car, so she will have to deal with it. When she rattles enough about it, I will take the car to the dealer.

Thanks again for the posts-

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

Warming up your vehicle at idle before driving is not necessary on vehcles today. In fact, if you do that too often you have an outside chance of damaging your engine. My uncle works for GM in the powertrain division and when they first rolled out the Saturn lineup they had a major problem with the engines in the SC2/SL2 model. The engine had a design flaw in it, that when at idle, the engine was not splashing the oil around enough inside the valve cover causing inadequate lubrication which led to the engine burning oil and/or engine failure. Bottom line, follow the owners manual where it tells you that you do not have to have a warm up period in your car.
Greg, just wanted to point this out to you, you can do as you please with it. I remember you talking about how you used premium fuel in your cars. I don't know what kind of climate you are in during the winter months. My local news had a story on winter survival tips on the road, and they said that regular fuel makes for easier starts in the cold due to it being more combustable at lower temperatures than premium fuel. Just wanted to share that with you.

About the Civic type-R....A lot of vehicles today are speed limited electronically. I don't know about your case since you said it was older. However if you find out yours is electronically controlled then you need to replace the chip with a racing chip.

Good day all...Nick

gregoryc1 · January 2004

Nick, you are correct about Saturn engines. They do have an "oil problem", but let's explore this oil issue a little further. If the engine suffers from a "design flaw" with regards to "lubrication at idle", then driving this vehicle in traffic would cause the engine to self-destruct, because the engine would be at "idle" some of the time under load. In addition, summer driving would be an additional problem, because of the AC system in use at "idle". Taxi cabs in New York City do a lot of idling, yet they get 100,000 miles out of an engine. The reason being, that they do frequent oil and filter changes, and maybe some are running on synthetic oil. Most cabs go through three engines before they are taken to the "grave yard"! If you check some of the "Saturn Sites" you will find some VERY unhappy people who feel that the "engine quality" is lacking in the vehicle. I have been driving since 1960, and I have owned Ford, GM, Chrysler,AMC, Jeep and Honda vehicles all of which I warmed - up on cold mornings, and I never had an engine problem with these vehicles. QUESTIONS: ----How much fuel are you going to use on a cold winter morning to allow the engine to reach normal operating temperature? ----How can anyone operate a vehicle without heat from the defroster system on the windows? ----In order for an Automatic Tansmission to shift properly, the fluid must be able to flow through the valve body freely. This connot occur when it is cold! -----Just my opinion. ----Have a nice day. ----Greg

auburn63 · January 2004

Usally you can bang around enough on the exhaust to locate and repair the noise but sometimes the rattle is internal and to fix you need to replace. Good luck

dudka · January 2004

Gregory, warming up the engine does not warm up the transmission flud. Only the engine oil and coolant.
How can one operate a vehicle without a defroster? the rear defroster is electric and if you had not switched to "recirculate" your windows should not fog up. The defrost mode on the HVAC system activates A/C, which draws the moisture away from the glass before it has a chance to condence.

How may times have you seen a car on the road with the windows all fogged up, only because the driver was cold and chose to switch the intake to "recurculate", then the moisture froze up on the cold glass.

How much fule do you burn? The strat up alone uses more fuel than regular driving. Then you are sitting at 1500 RPM for 5-10 minutes, that 0 MPG's, more pollutants in the air while your engine is not being productive. Heat is the waste product of internal combustion engine, not its primary function. If you are uncomfortable driving a cold vehicle, get a ceramic heater.

When you warm up the engine and then drive off with the transmission still cold, the bearings are still cold, and so on, you are doing worse than you would have had the engine been cold. A cold engine is controlled by the PCM, it i snot producing full power, while a warmed engine is producing full power, but the rest of the drive train is still cold and not well lubricated. Think of it that way. If you start the car, let her idle for minute or two and then drive off, everything is on the same playing level, but when you fast idle for 10 minutes, the engine is warm, but the rest of the car is not.
Just my $0.02

snarks · January 2004

Automatic transmisions don't warm up idling (very well) but manuals do once you let the clutch out. I find it wasteful environmentally to warm up a car(more pollution emitted during warm up and its quicker to warm up by driving). Its too bad Honda does not put seat heaters in the Civic a solution to waste. I guess you have to purchase an Accord EX/leather. People I know including myself in Golf I used to own never warm up car with those, the seats heat up nearly instantly.

Just drive slow and easy to speed whatever it may be. I drive 2 minutes with a stone cold motor onto highway and slowly ease up to 75 MPH. I have hot heat at around 50 MPH during accelaration during merging.

If you are happy warming up a car thats fine, it symbolizes the waste/excess in the USA. Ask a european, they never understand the excessive idling for no apparent reason here.

sejinro · January 2004

Just bought a 2004 Civic Coupe EX with manual transmission. My previous car was a 2002 Toyota Camry (4 cylinder and auto trans), but I gave the car to my parents as gift as their car was getting old. With the Camry, at 60 mph, the RPM was right below 3000 RPM, but with the Civic, the RPM is around 3500 RPM. Is there something wrong with my car? I assumed that with a 5-speed transmission, at 60 MPH, the RPM would be lower.

celica115 · January 2004

I believe so. My 04 LX auto and 02 WRX manual both run 60mph at 2600 - 2700 RPM. Even my 1990 Celica GT manual runs 60mph at 2750 RPM. My friend's 00 Camry auto is around 2600 RPM at this speed. I guess your manual Civic should run 75+ mph at 3500 RPM (5th gear of course). Just guessing, other EX owners please input your info. It is interesting, thanks.

miester_v · January 2004

Hi. I own a 04 Civic EX Coupe Auto. It has around 450 miles on it. From the day I drove it out from the dealership, (not a local one, so all services and maintanence would be done at a closer shop) I noticed that it made some noises...like a high pitch whine at initial acceleration, a low pitch buzzing also during initial acceleration, and a trickling noise at random instances. All of these noises are rather faint, so only people with very healthy ears could hear them. I definitely could.

So earlier today I sent in my car for a service appointment, and told the rep exactly what I had experienced. He noted them down and said that a technician would test-drive my car to see if he/she could verify the sounds. So hours later, I get the call and the rep. says that the technician couldn't reporduce ANY of the noises I've heard, and that it was no different than any other brand new Civic. But the guy still offered me to come along to a test drive and personally 'show' them what I hear.

Should I go through the trouble, or just accept that maybe my ears are too sensitive and that I'm overreacting to things? I just hope that it's not the other senario where the technician is partially deaf from running those power drills inches away from his ears...

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

I don't know about Accords Greg, but I know my Civic will never reach operating temperature on a cold day with the heat/defrosters running by letting it just sit in the driveway. I know this because when my temp gauge just barely gets to the normal range, if I stop at a light with the heat running I will actually see my temp gauge drop down some. I have to agree with everyone else about the transmissions and once again I also want to comment on what the owners manual says about 5 speeds (which is what I have). It says something to the effect of, shifting will be a bit stiffer on a cold morning. This is normal and does not harm the car. To answer your questions...I would use infinite amounts of fuel to get my car to operating temperature because it will never reach operating temperature by just sitting there idling with the defroster taking away all the heat from the heat exchanger. I would rather just get in the car and drive in the cold for a few minutes getting 15-20 mpg instead of 0 mpg. 3. I have no need for defrosters since my car is garaged.

Have a nice day all..Nick

gregoryc1 · January 2004

You made a good point! Since you keep your car in a garage, you have no need to "warm it up". It is out of the wind and the cold! ---- I agree with you! ---- Have a nice day. ---- Greg

dalaw · January 2004

02 Camry right below 3000 rpm at 60 mph is a little high. 04 Civic at 3500 rpm is also high. Are you sure you are in the top gear? I think I read in Motortrend about the 03 Camry 4 cyl AT revs at about 2100 rpm at 60 mph, and from the same magazine, an 02 Civic LX 5-spd revs at 2500 rpm.

Here is a list of cars I've driven in my family and the RPM I observed at 60 mph:

03 Civic LX AT: 2400 rpm
01 Accord 4-cyl LX AT: 2250 rpm
00 Camry V6 AT: 2200 rpm
97 Altima AT: 2050 rpm

mazdaortoyota · January 2004

Wow I am surprised noone including you responded to my previous message given that we had the same issue.. Anyhow, I have exactly the same problem with my 04 civic coupe. Took it to the dealer twice. I drove around with the technician. First he heard the faint noise, but he said he had to check it to see if it was abnormal or not. Supposedly, there was air in the coolant system and that the noise was gone after the air was taken out! It's still there though. Maybe I am hearing noises like you too. My friend said it's prolly not a biggie. So I gave up. I turn on the music and press the gas medal. It still bugs me sometimes but oh well...maybe i am too anal!

gregoryc1 · January 2004

When an engine is "idling" in neutral or park, the torque converter is spinning and moving the fluid in the automatic transmission, so as such, "heat" is being created in the automatic transmission due to "slippage" between the "drive" and "driven" member of the torque converter. This action, together with the heat that is being transferred from the block of the engine, will warm up the automatic transmission case and the fluid. The transmission will shift smoother when it is warm. -----Just my opinion. ----Have a nice day. ----Greg

sejinro · January 2004

Thanks for the posts so far. The last couple of days, the RPM/MPH relationship has changed now. Now I am at:

60 MPH 3000 RPM
75 MPH 3600 RPM

Maybe I have the "break" the car in or something. Is there a RPM calculator on the Internet? Yes, I am in 5th gear. Maybe because the engine is VTEC and I do know that Civic LX is not VTEC. Does VTEC somehow cause the engine to run at higher RPMs?

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

It depends what transmission you have. If you have a manual transmission, the rpms naturally run higher than a automatic transmission because of the way they are geared. Manual transmissions are generally geared shorter than autos creating higher rpms. I'm not sure, but there might be a gearing difference between the LX and the EX model because the redline on the LX is 6000 and the redline on the EX is 7000.

theracoon · January 2004

According to the HondaCars.com website, the LX and EX Coupe engines have the same displacement, but the EX is a VTEC engine with different HP and torque:

EX - 16-Valve SOHC VTEC®
127 HP @ 6300 RPM
114 lb.ft. @ 4800 RPM
9.9:1 compression ratio

LX - 16-Valve SOHC
117 HP @ 6100 RPM
110 lb.ft. @ 4500 RPM
9.5:1 compression ratio

Both engines have the same displacement, bore, and stroke.

sejinro · January 2004

I have a manual transmission, but now I am worried about gas mileage. I am assuming if I drive at a higher RPM then my gas mileage will degrade. Does this mean that the Civic DX, HX and LX have better mpg that EX? I think it comes down to the fact that EX has the VTEC engine.

snarks · January 2004

Greg,

You need to put your transmission in Drive or any gear and sit with your foot on brake to actually warm it up. Fluid does not circulate when the engine idles and doesn't warm very much of transmission.

You need to change your warm up method if you want to actually warm the tranny, sit in car waste a few minutes and freeze while your car warm up. Or just drive off slowly...

ngagun · January 2004

Hello everyone,

I bought a 2004 Civic LX coupe auto about 3 weeks ago. It has just developed a troubling problem: when you start the car and accelerate, it accelerates for about half a second, then kind of loses power for a moment, then continues accelerating (all in 1st gear). This also happened once when I was reversing. After driving the car for a few minutes, when it warms up I guess, the problem goes away. Does anyone know what this is, or has anyone had a similar problem? I am going to take it into the dealer because it seems dangerous -- you don't get the acceleration you expect.

thank you very much,

Stephen

ngagun · January 2004

This is a reply to the message above from Sejinro. I think 3000 RPM for 60 mph is still much too high. At 3000 RPM my 04 Civic LX auto would be doing about 75 mph. I think such high RPM will negatively affect the fuel economy.

The EX actually has slightly better fuel economy than the other models, according to the EPA ratings.

You can easily compare your fuel economy to what is reasonable to expect. Consumerguide.com reports fuel economy for vehicles tested over thousands of miles. Their test EX sedans averaged 30.5 mpg. I have been getting similar mileage with my LX with a combination of city and highway (75 mph) driving. So I think you should expect about 30 mpg, a bit better if you do a lot of highway driving at the speed limit.

gregoryc1 · January 2004

If the automatic transmission has a "Torque Converter" and a "front pump", there is "fluid circulation" in the "Torque Converter", in neutral and / or in park at idle. If the transmission fluid is water cooled, the fluid from the torque converter, will be sent to an oil cooler, and back to the transmission pan, where it will be circulated again.-----Greg

dudka · January 2004

I think you worry too much over nothing. If you have a manual it will run at higher RPMs at the same speed as comparable auto. We have duscussed already how EPA numbers are acheived: At 48 mph, granny shifting. I have and Si and it is geared even shorter than regular civic. I run at 4000 rpm at 80 mph, I barely acheive 28 mph, but it is all worth it because with such short gearing I don't have to downshift from 5th to accelerate.

If you look for the specifications you will get the exact gear ratin for each gear and the final drive. Take the outer circumfernce of the tire and divide it into a mile. This is how many revolutions of the tire it take to drive a mile. Multiply that by the speed you are inquiring, take that number and divide by the product of the particulr gear and final drive, it should give you the RPM's. I hope I didn't leave anything out, someone please confirm.

hazcat00 · January 2004

Hi everyone... I have a 2000 Honda Civic LX with an auto transmission, 4 cylinder, PS, PW (a pretty basic LX model).

I recently had a problem where the car would stall while driving and while sitting at idle. The code for it finally popped up (after months of no codes) for a cracked catalytic convertor. That was replaced free of charge by Honda. The stalling seemed to have disapperaed after that.

However I still have an occasional instance of a loss of power while driving (usually 65 mph+). The car would lose power and then kick roughly back to where my accelerator had been after flooring it for a long period of time to get some power. Sometimes the AC would be on, and sometimes it is not on. It usually begins to lose power after a long steady drive of a couple of hours and some accerleration while passing the slower traffic. Any ideas of what may be the problem? Honda doesn't seem to know what it may be.

Thanks in advance...

dudka · January 2004

seems like your car needs a full tune up

dan186 · January 2004

Hi there
When I start my 2000 (Civic ex standard) in very cold weather, there is a loud whine for about 5 mins till it warms up.
This is my first winter with it. Anybody have this problem or ideas.
Thanks
Dan186

snarks · January 2004

In cold temps (10F or lower) things do whine, my car always has since new. If it continues when warmer or car warmed up I would then worry about it.

regata · January 2004

Hi,

I own a 1995 honda civic DX. A month back my car skidded and turned 180 degrees and went out of the road. Nothing is damaged or hit by anything. Onething I notice is front bumper slightly moved it's position. My car is working fine apart from AC button not turning on. I took it to Michel's tires plus and they checked all the fuses and said everything is fine. They doubt on relay. I do not think either it is relay or fuses. I suspect some wiring connections might have got loose. I have very poor knowledge of auto engine. Anybody faced this before or suggest me where to take it to for diagnosis ???

Thanks for your suggestions.

bmorematt · January 2004

Hey everyone. My 1996 civic LX just started knocking when the car goes less than 40 mph. At first I thought it was an issue with my brakes because I was usually braking when I noticed that the car was knocking. Since then, I have heard this knocking when the car was sitting at idle. At highway speeds and on most roads where the speed limit is 35 mph, the knocking goes away. From inside the cabin, it sounds like the knocking is coming from the front wheel on the driver's side.

Does anyone have any ideas where this knocking could be coming from? Thanks for the suggestions.

snarks · January 2004

One guess is that your Freon escaped possibly due from impact of accident. If you have no Freon the AC will not run. Take your vehicle to an AC repair shop. The AC will not light if no pressure in system.

regata · January 2004

Even if Freon is gone, the ac button should turn ON. Shouldn't it ? I understand if it is the case that AC button is ON and not getting the AC. It's like you turning on the light switch and bulb is not glowing.

Thanks for your reply.

mattpdx · January 2004

Hi-

Okay people. My new Civic is nearing 3K miles and I'm wondering about the oil. Manual says 5000. I drive my car quite a bit on the freeways (somtimes a lot faster than I should!). I'm getting antsy about the oil. Also, my gas mileage has been absolutely miserable (hovering 28mpg avg). I'm supposed to be getting 33/37. I tried for two tanks driving less agressively and didn't notice a difference. I switched from Chevron 89oct to Texaco 89oct. Again, no noticeable difference.

My questions are:

1)WHEN will my gas mileage improve? It HAS been very cold here lately (Richmond, VA).

2)WHEN should I change my oil??? I would think with all the metal filings from the engine changing at 3K would be better especially since I've driven my Civic pretty heartily.

Other than that, I'm loving my car. I HAVE noticed that parallel parking in this car is more difficult than any other car I've had even though it isn't much larger. I think it has to do with the high trunk lid. Has anybody else noticed this??? :-/

*sigh* Can't beat it though...I love my car.

MattPDX

snarks · January 2004

A few things on MPG, the highway mileage is figured at 50 MPH not higher speeds. This lowers your fuel mileage. Also don't use a higher octane fuel, use 87, anything else is a waste of money and can get less mileage.

Also mileage will be lower since car is not broken in yet. Lastly, when its cold mileage is lower beacause of fuel formulations changed for winter for less pollution and especially if you warm your car up (0 mpg idling).

More freeway mileage even at higher speeds is better than city driving with regards to oil. 5000 miles is fine, however if you are uncomfortable then just change it. The idea of shavings is so old school from I don't know where. If you change it yourself, its pretty doubtful you'll see any. I would then worry... good luck

dudka · January 2004

Regata, Snarks is correct, the A/c will not turn on if there is no pressure. Freon is mixed in with the lubricating oil and the system is designed to prevent self destruction. There is a pressure switch that will diasble the a/c compressor clutch from engaging when the freon is low. I don't know if the '95 were R-12 or R-134, if it is R-134, you can do a quick check for $10. Go to wall mart, find the discount section, last time i looked they had 16 oz bottles of freon R-134 and oil on sale there for $10. Charge up the system the a/c should work for a minute or so, before eveything has escaped. You may actually see where the gas is escaping. My guess would be that you need a new a/c radiator, I think it is called evaporator core, or condenser. Although I am pretty sure the condenser is on the cold side.

alcan · January 2004

The refrigerant in Hondas since 1994 is R-134A, not R-12 (Freon). The service ports are different, so R-12 can't be introduced anyway, and trying to mix both will damage the car's AC system and any refrigerant recovery equipment used to service the system.

R-134 molecules are about 1/6 the size of R-12, and it's leakage rate is greater. On a car that old, it's likely that the system has lost it's charge.

If refrigerant pressure is less than 33 psi due to leakage or higher than 340 psi due to cooling blockage, the dual pressure switch on the condenser line opens the circuit to the AC control unit and stops the air conditioner to protect the compressor.

Time to take it in to a qualified shop and have the system checked.

crv16 · January 2004

I have a 2003 Civic EX 5 speed, which I purchased 9/03. My MPG's started out at 33, and gradually made it up to almost 40 at about 5,000 miles. With winter's arrival, and the oxygenated (winter) gas, my mileage has dropped down to 34-35 mpg. Mostly all highway, 75-80mph.

You don't need to use 89 octane gas. I'd recommend going with 87. High octane gas is useless, unless your engine is designed to use it. The Civic is designed to run on 87 octane. You might actually be harming your mileage by using the higher octane.

The oil change interval for the Civic is every 10k miles, or 5k miles for "severe service". I'm being a little more conservative - I'm going with changes every 4,500 miles.

gregoryc1 · January 2004

Changing your oil and filter is cheap maintenance. You are going to read many different opinions on this board about this subject. The price of an oil and filter change at my Honda Dealer in Northern New Jersey is $23.00. We change the oil and filter on both our 2003 4 cylinder Accord, and our 2004 4 cylinder Civic every 3,000 miles. If we perform this service four times a year on each vehicle, the total cost is $184.00 for both vehicles. The oil is VERY clean on the "dip stick" of both engines, so as such, we know that we do not have any "sludge build up" in the crankcase of these units. We also burn 93 octane fuel in both vehicles, with an upper cylinder lubricant for the valve stems and piston rings. This is also a "personal choice"! We like the insurance of a little more octane when we "load the engine"! We also "warm - up" our engines in the morning to "normal operating temperature" before we drive the vehicles. These are the choices that we have made for the Hondas that we have owned or leased. Other people on this board have a different opinion on this subject, and that is "ok"! You now have heard another point of view. You make your own decision. -----Just my opinion. ---Greg

dudka · January 2004

Greg, I have been seeing you post constantly about the higher octane and marvel mystery oil. I was just wondering, how come you have not tried using Octane 104, or other octane boosters, or find a 76 gas station and fill up 101 octane or 104, whatever they have. Also, some shell stations carry 94 or 96 octane gas, would that benefit? And what about using Mobil 1, or Amsoil synthetic oil instead of the dyno oil. All of those allegedly benefit the longevity of the engine.

crv16 · January 2004

Do you understand the relationship between an engine's compression ratio and octane requirements?

What does octane mean?

The Civic was designed to burn 87 Octane gas. Using a higher octane gas will result in the fuel/air mixture igniting at a later point. This results in the engine performance potentially worse than using 87 octane.

"Many drivers still believe that the higher the octane rating of the gasoline, the greater the power and the better the performance their vehicle will have. This isn't true. If your engine runs without knocking or pinging on regular fuel, then you will have exactly the same power on premium fuel." http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/030731/11/u47t.html

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

Just for the record, the owner's manual for the Civic actually states the engine will run on 86 octane gas. I used to put that in my car until my local Sunoco stopped carrying it. The car never missed a beat!
Greg, I still want to know how you can warm up your vehicle to "operating temperature" while having it idle in the driveway on a cold morning. If you are running the heat while attempting to warm it up I don't see how that is possible. I hate to burst your bubble but I don't think any vehicle will reach its full operating temperature on a cold morning unless you run it for a very long time and have all defrosters off which in that case would defeat the purpose of warming up a car. I even remember in the summer when I had my 95 Civic the thermostat went bad so I replaced this. After doing so my Dad thought it would be a good idea to purge the coolant system and in the service manual it recommends that the vehicle reaches its full operating temperature before doing so (which they say it has done so when you first hear the fan come on). We started the car and even in 70 degree heat it took almost 20 minutes before the cooling fan kicked on. I know that even if I'm stopped at a traffic light for a few minutes and I have the heat blowing full blast the coolant gauge on the dash drops below where it normally is when the vehicle is at operating temperature because you're taking away all that heat from the exchanger.

lisshawill · January 2004

Hey all, maybe someone can help me here. I have a 2003 civic sport. We live in a rather cold climate and somedays it is neccessary to leave the car running to warm it up.
I am unable to lock the doors with the car running? Why is this? Any remedies?

gregoryc1 · January 2004

Lock the car with the second key. ----Greg

gregoryc1 · January 2004

Amsoil is a Great Product. If I wanted to change my own oil, I might consider using it in my engines. If I used Amsoil, I would use the Amsoil oil filter, and I would change the oil every 5,000 miles. I use Marvel oil in the fuel as an upper cylinder lubricant for the valve guides and the piston rings. In my area of New Jersey the highest octane fuel is 93. The "on board computer" will advance the timing till a "knock" is heard. The computer will then back off the timing. If 93 octane is run in the engine, the computer can advance the timing further before "knock" is introduced. Don't confuse "performance" with "fuel economy". My engines run VERY smooth, and have great acceleration. My engines reach operating temperature in the driveway with the heater on. I am only sharing some information with people on this board. I no longer have an interest with regards to working on vehicles, but I love to read about the technology. The fuel today does not have a lubricant, and this is taking it's toll on engines, especially the valves guides. If a valve starts to stick in a guide, in a short time you will have a "burnt valve" and valve train problems. Years ago "lead" took care of this problem. ----Have a nice day. ---Greg

ncampbell2002 · January 2004

Just to let you know, there is no problem with your car. It is a feature to make sure you don't lock your keys in your car. Your remote disables itself when you have the car on and if you notice you have to lift on the driver door handle to get the switch on the door to lock the driver's side door at all times. They're just preventing you from locking yourself out! The only solution is to use your second key like Greg said if you must lock your car after you start it.

To Greg, I still have a tough time understanding how you get your cars to operating temps. ( to the point of the fan coming on) when its this cold out unless you have your own defintion of "normal operating temperature". If you have some secret let me know cause I know there isn't anything wrong with the operation of my car and it will never get there if I'm running the heat and letting it idle. I'll run into a party store to get a coffee in the morning on my way to school and I leave my car running, when I come out the temp gauge drops about half way! Even though I don't have a habit of warming up my vehicle in the morning I'm still interested to know how you accomplish this. I have a curious mind! Good day all.

snarks · January 2004

With regards to changing the oil. The real answer lies in a used oil analysis. It will tell how much life is left in your oil but also costs $20. Most owners find decent dino's last 4-6k miles while synthetics last anywhere from 10k-15k. Amsoil is a good oil that people who have used for years have changed it usually once a year. There is much experience with extended intervals in the realm of large trucks. Its very expensive and a hassle to change it in a large vehicle's engine. check out bobistheoilguy.com you can learn a lot about changing oil etc.

Lastly, where are you getting the idea that lead missing from engines fuel is taking a toll on motors? Motors that ran off lead never lasted as long as current motors do on average. This mostly has to do with the use of fuel injection over a carburater that keeps the oil from being contaminated with unused fuel and combustion by products from incomplete burning. The average life of a car is much longer, typically 9 or 11 years now I believe.

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions