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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    I have no real solution, but stop by the dealer and sit in the Si. It has the best seats a car can have, they are much harder and hug you in. If you like those, check ebay for used Si seats or aftermarket for Recaro's, or Spearco race seats.
    Other than that, did you test drive the car before you bought it?
  • holenone79holenone79 Member Posts: 20
    I hear a high pitched whine when accelerating from a stop. It is an automatic. Is this normal in the civics with a vtec engine, because my daughters lx does not have this. Both cars are 2004's. Has anybody else experienced this?
  • mott_da_hooplemott_da_hoople Member Posts: 15
    Does anyone know a good source for Honda Civic OEM accessories with free shipping?
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    http://www.fairhondapartsforyou.com
    I think they charge about $3.95 per order for shipping. If you are in NYC area, you can pick it up as well. If parts are not listed on website, call the number, and they will get it for you. Don't be unrealistic with your expectations though. Nothing is free.

    The sponsor of this forum, http://www.handa-accessories.com/ are pretty good too, but they are on west coast, and it takes a week to get stuff from them.

    http://www.hparts.com/ are in heartland, and probably a good choice for that region.
    I have ordered in the past from each of the companies once, but keep coming back to http://www.fairhondapartsforyou.com because of the price and speediness, plus if I don't want to wait, I just stop by and pick up the parts from them, for the same internet price. I was so pleased with their parts department that I even bought my last car from them. Read on the forum about Fair Honda of Danbury, CT.
  • lizzilizzi Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 Honda Civic LX that I purchased about 1 year ago. It's been running well, but today I noticed that my horn isn't working. I realized there was a problem when it didn't honk when I used my remote entry. It was all working fine just the other day. I want to get it fixed right away because now my alarm isn't working since it's hooked to the horn. Does anyone know how much it will cost me to get it looked at and fixed? I know it will depend upon the problem, but I'd like a ballpark. This is my first car and I haven't needed a mechanic yet so I have no clue about costs. Thanks!
  • kentkmokkentkmok Member Posts: 27
    How often should I change the transmission fluid? I got a used 98 Civic LX with 75k miles on it. The last owner changed the fluid once at 30k miles. Last week when I had an oil change at the dealership, they recommended the "transmission service" to be done on my car -- which I think it means changing the fluid. I don't want to spend money on things that aren't necessary. Any advise is appreciated. Thanks!
  • ncampbell2002ncampbell2002 Member Posts: 163
    #2994

    Horns aren't expensive to replace if its just the horn itself. They do go bad after awhile. I think a new one runs around $30-$50 depending on what you get. If you find out its just the horn itself, another option is to go to the store and buy one and put it in yourself.

    #2995

    I think they recommend the ATF be changed every 30K miles, but just to be sure you should always reference your maintinence schedule provided in the owner's manual for these types of things! Clean ATF is critical for an auto tranny if you want it to last.
  • crazygrrrlcrazygrrrl Member Posts: 85
    Before you take the car to the dealer, did you check your fuse box? Maybe it's just the fuse that's blown out. If this is the case, replace the fuse and the horn should sound again. If it's not the fuse, then you really do have a problem with the horn or the wiring. Good luck.
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    why would alarm be hooked up to the car horn rather than having its own siren?
  • tonisamatonisama Member Posts: 7
    I have a 2000 Civic LX with a keyless entry system. The remote seems to have a very short range (5 meters max) compared to the remotes that my parents and friends have with their cars. I am wondering if this is normal for all Civics to have a transmitter with such a short range. I have tried changing the battery and it had no effect. Having to stand so close to the car kind of defeats the purpose of the panic button and not being able to lock and unlock from a distance is a bit of a pain. Any advice is appreciated.
  • ncampbell2002ncampbell2002 Member Posts: 163
    The battery is probably low in the clicker. Change the battery!
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    I think the norm is 30 feet, which translates to about 10 meters. I don't think LX came with remote keyless entry from the factory in 2000. You may have an aftermarket alarm, or keyless unit. Is your remote a Honda branded one, or other brand? If it is Honda branded, then the keyless entry was added by the dealer, and may have not been installed properly. Another thing to consider is that on some Hondas that had Honda branded alarm installed the range was limited, because the alarm took over the keyless entry functions. Since the LX did not have the keyless entry from factory, I don't think it did anyway, and you if you have a Honda branded remote, you most likely have a Honda security system. People have reported that Honda security system had a short range, adding a strand of wire to the alarm antenna solved the problem.
  • tonisamatonisama Member Posts: 7
    My Honda remote is a factory remote with an FCC ID ending in 106. All 2000 LX models come with the receiver installed at the factory. All I had to do was buy the remote from a Honda accessories dealer. There is no security system unit installed in the car, and it has only factory components.
  • aln1972aln1972 Member Posts: 9
    I have a 1988 Civic LX. It has around 80K miles. All of a sudden it started showing the Engine Check light.
    I took it to the dealer. He charged me USD 300/-

    The dealer said he had to do the following:
    replace spark plugs - 18.44
    ignition wire - 71.43
    Cap Assy - 34.13
    Head Assy.. Rotor - 28.34
                        -------
                         152.34
                        --------
    What is CAP ASSY and HEAD ASSY ROTOR ?

    That is the cost of the parts. He charged me an additional 170 for Labor.

    Is the total cost reasonable? The parts all looked small. I am not sure about the labor charged. Just wanted to make sure I was not excessively charged...

    Any insight appreciated..

    Thx
    Alan
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    You got a very expensive basic tune up. You could have replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor for under $100 with original Honda, or aftermarket parts.

    Cap Assy - 34.13 = most likely the distributor cap
    Head Assy.. Rotor - 28.34 = most likely the rotor in the distributor.

    replace spark plugs - 18.44 the most expensive plugs from Bosh are $4 a piece for a total $16, NGK's are about $3/each, there are cheap alternatives at $1/each
    ignition wire - 71.43 OEM Honda wires from internet dealer is about $30, same for aftermarket wire at auto store.
    Cap Assy - 34.13 $20 for aftermarket, $30 for OEM
    Head Assy.. Rotor - 28.34 $15 for aftermarket about the same for OEM
    You would also need diaelectric grease, $2 and tools. Most auto zone stores will read your "Check engine light" and reset it for free.
    Labor = one afternoon (2 hours at most), greasy knuckles, and satisfaction of job well done (maybe admiration from the MRS)
  • aln1972aln1972 Member Posts: 9
    Thx for the msg "blueiedGod". In short it looks like I was ripped.
    What are these "auto zone" stores you were talking about. Is it a chain of stores? Any one recommend a good mechanic in the Orange County - CA area. By good I mean, does the job well, does what is needed only, with reasonable prices.. Thx.
  • hobieslug96hobieslug96 Member Posts: 9
    yeah i agree with blueiedgod sounds like a cover up of a basic tune up but none of those things will cause a check engine light
    I'm afraid to even think what he did to get rid of the light
    it wasn't the maint. light was it?
    on the 88 you have a two prong connector that you can jump and the check engine light will blink a code. get a cheap book on your car and you can read your own codes to help protect yourself.
    yes autozone is a chain store. maybe they're not in your area
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    Sorry, I did it so bluntly. But it is what it is. The only reliable mechanic is going to be you. I generally don't trust them, people are in a business to make money, not friends. An honest mechanic will not survive these days on honest estimates and honest jobs. They may survuve in rural communities where the costs are lower to run a business, but not in major urban/suburban developments. The garages cost money, electricity, water, tools, comrpessed air, help... There are a FEW honest mechanics that are reasonable, but you will only know one by the word of mouth, not coupons in Valpack, or ad in the paper, they don't need advertizement to draw people in. They usually do cost more upfront, but you know what it is going to be upfront, rather than when you car is in pieces and they have you over a barrel. While dealerships are usually somewhat honest, they are way overpriced. They charge about $80/hour for labor, unless you make $166,400/year, your hourly pay is less. So, your time is not money, like some say. And dealerships are not always hiring properly trained personell. They may have one factory trained mechanic, but the rest are regular off the street mechanics. Your best bet is to buy a Helms, Haynes, Chilton (this is the order of my personal preference) book and do the work your self. This is the only way you can be assured that the work is done properly.
    Most Auto zone, Pep boys, Strauss Auto, and other chain stores have code scanner on hand and will run the codes in hopes that you will buy parts from them.
    Good luck.
  • pigboypigboy Member Posts: 1
    Hold down the trip button (knob) and start the car. Hold it until it blinks and let go. Turn off the car and restart it. If that doesn't work it's some small variation of that.

    good luck
  • benniebennie Member Posts: 5
    i recently purchased a 2004 civic and in the beggining had some problems with it starting. a couple-second-crank-time-delay is what i was experiencing. on my old honda, '92' i use to wait a couple of seconds before turning the engine over, (just out of habit), and i carried that over with my new honda. didn't work! when i stopped delaying the start and just turned it right over i had no problems.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Ambassador Automotive...none better or more honest.
  • tonisamatonisama Member Posts: 7
    My 2000 Civic LX is approaching time for an oil change and I was wondering this. The manual suggests 5W-20 oil, but other posts on this forum states that 00-20 or 5W-30 oil is good for the car. I was always partial to Mobil 1, but the closest match to this car that they make is a 5W-30 oil. Would this oil work well in this car?

    Also, I noticed that when the car is low on gas, the engine has a hard time cranking. Sometimes it will sputter for a few seconds before turning on. At first, I thought it could be a battery problem, when I filled up the tank, the problem went away. Is this common on all Civics?
  • ncampbell2002ncampbell2002 Member Posts: 163
    In regards to the oil, if you are using mobil 1, use their 0w20 which is formulated to be very close to 5w20. If you don't then only use 5w20. I had the same problem w/ my Civic too when it was low on gas, I never thought of it as a problem but merely it telling me I needed to head to the gas station.
  • weav727weav727 Member Posts: 15
    My 2000 Civic EX 5 speed coupe is having a problem with hesitation/jerking during acceleration, usually around 3000 RPM. This never happens at higher than around 4000 RPMs. This has been a sporadic problem, but it is getting worse in the past week. Now it occasionally idles very roughly when I come to a stop, and will stall if I don't keep my foot on the gas. I was thinking maybe some less than pure gasoline could be the culprit, or maybe a bad fuel pump. I just added STP fuel system treatment today, we'll see if that helps. Anybody else having this problem?
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    The direct replacement for 5W-20 from Mobil 1 is 0W-20, it says so on the bottle. I use it, and get better gas mileage than with 5W30.
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    What is the mileage on the car, and when was the last time full tune up was performed (air filter, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, fuel injector cleaner, pcv... ect)?
  • blondie2blondie2 Member Posts: 2
    The gas pedal of my 1998 Honda Civic DX is so hard to push down. It seems that after five minutes of driving I have this problem and I feel trembling under the pedal. I do not have smooth acceleration and the car seems to lunge forward. I would appreciate any help. Thanks
  • blondie2blondie2 Member Posts: 2
    The gas pedal of my 1998 Honda Civic DX is so hard to push down. It seems that after five minutes of driving I have this problem and I feel trembling under the pedal. I do not have smooth acceleration and the car seems to lunge forward. I would appreciate any help. Thanks
  • kentkmokkentkmok Member Posts: 27
    You may try to use a bottle of Chevron TECHRON Fuel System Cleaner for about $6 at Pepboys. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I had a similar problem on my 98 Civic LX and that cleaner solved my problem.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    It sounds like the linkage is binding somewhere.

    Never heard of this one before!
  • kentkmokkentkmok Member Posts: 27
    Isell:
    Actually, when I took the car to the dealership, they said it could be "the linkage" too. But after they jack the car up, they didn't find anything broken or bad. They then said it could be a dirty injection system and suggested a $120 "fuel system flush" service -- which I think was a joke.

    Anyway, of course you could be right since none of us really knows what's going on. But the fuel system cleaner did work for me, and I think it won't hurt to try a six-dollar experiment.
  • alotawattsalotawatts Member Posts: 44
    Alan,
    The cap assy would be the distributor cap. The head assy rotor is the distributor rotor that spins inside the cap.
    Here is what I paid at a Seattle dealership today:
    Cap 26.39
    Rotor 21.94
    I have a 97 ex coupe. Maybe the older car parts fetch more....
    I thought this was pricey but I was not surprised.
    Easy to do yourself !
    Carl
  • alotawattsalotawatts Member Posts: 44
    blondie2,
    The gas pedal in our 97 ex coupe was stiff. I found a recall on the throttle cable that I will follow up on but here is my temporary fix.
      Just before the throttle cable connects to the spool/linkage on the engine there is a protective rubber boot. The small end has a small ring retainer that is pinched too tight. The boot has grease in it but was still binding. I sprayed lubricant in the boot, slid the boot back and forth to loosen things up and I have a smooth pedal now.
      Your problem could also be where the cable goes thru the firewall. The service guides say use a silicon lubricant for that.
       Has anyone else had a Honda Dealer throttle recall/ replacement ?
    Carl
  • weav727weav727 Member Posts: 15
    The car has 81,000 miles on it, it is not due for a tune up until 90,000. It is currently in the shop since it completely broke down the other day. It will need either new fuel injectors or it will need the fuel injectors cleaned. Hopefully it will be the latter, since a replacement will run me $600.
  • benniebennie Member Posts: 5
    I recently purchased a 2004 Civic EX and I've been noticing right around the door handles small dents/ ripples appearing. Is it because of the heavy doors, (coupe) or because of it being so airtight??? Not just my car, I've been peeking at others too. The same.
  • charlie29charlie29 Member Posts: 1
    My civic has 130,000 miles, never a problem.
    Now i have a problem with the keyless entry.
    The remote key does not work. The battery is ok.

    Would I be able to diagnose and repair the problem?

    Thanks.
  • nine51nine51 Member Posts: 77
    I never had a hesitation problem, but about 2 weeks ago my 04 EX rapidly started to loose power. It took about 1/2 mile before it completely died and I had to have it flat-bedded to the dealers. It would not start and smelled real "gassy" when I cranked it over.

    Turns out it was a bad fuel injector. It failed open and flooded the engine. Dealer didn't stock the part so they took one off a new car to get me out the door. Had them change the oil too since it was near the 5000 mile mark and all that raw fuel pouring down the cylinder wall wasn't real great for the oil.

    This thing just failed without warning. No stumbling or poor running at all. Good thing the Civic is a good "glider". I just coasted around a corner out of traffic and waited for the tow truck.

    If it's dirty injectors, try the Techron. I had a hesitation problem on a 96 Subaru Impreza, and 1 can of that cleared it up.
  • jagsumanjagsuman Member Posts: 2
    How did you finally fix the problem
    I am having the same problem and today its not starting at all
  • jagsumanjagsuman Member Posts: 2
    can anyone tell me more about the fuel-injection main relay failure and how much does it take to get it fixed
  • rah9rah9 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 99 EX Coupe with 24k miles. The other day while driving the radio just quit working. Nothing unusual that I can see caused this to happen. The display still works, the clock still works, just no sound from the speakers and it doesn't seem to be able to find any stations. The CD player will take and eject CD's, but will not play. Any ideas or suggestions would be nice. No error code shows up on the radio display.
  • markg4markg4 Member Posts: 44
    my wife had a very similar problem with her mercury villager. everything else seemed to work fine except her radio and tape player. it turned out to be an indication of a failing battery. we were looking into buying another radio when one day her van wouldn't start. i put in a new battery and the radio worked just fine again. not sure if this is the case for you but you might want to get your battery load tested just in case. good luck.
  • xinyuxinyu Member Posts: 3
    I experience a click sound from with my 96 Civic LX auto w/o ABS. This click sound does not occur when I turn right or left; However, When I step on the gas when traffic signal becomes green or accelerate from stop sign, such click sound appears. I can only tell the sound comes from the left and right wheel directions. My friend told me it is the problem of CV axles. But the sound is still there even I change CV axles (remanufactured)on both sides. Of course, the frequency of such a click sound seems to be slow than before. Did anybody have any idea about this problem? Thanks. Xinyu.
  • aln1972aln1972 Member Posts: 9
    I have a 98 Civic LX. My engine used to over heat. I mean the reading on the dash showed the reading always close to red or on red. I took to a mechanic. He found nothing wrong, and said it might help to replace thermostat and something else.. I said ok and got it done ($90).
    After about 3-4 weeks the problem is surfacing again. After driving for a while, when i stop at signal the needle moves up to red, when i go on roads that have slight elevation, the needle moves to red...
    Any one face similar prob and what the fix was?
    Thanks
    alan.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Cheap fix...A collapsed radiator hose.
    More expensive....Head gasket.
  • sek4mlksek4mlk Member Posts: 24
    Yesterday, I installed the Honda keyless entry system on my 2001 Civic LX. Everything associated with the keyless entry seems to work fine. However, today I noticed while driving the car for the first time since the install that the car will stall when reaching idle speed after decelerating to a stop. Car runs perfectly otherwise.

    The instruction sheet for the installation said to disconnect the negative battery cable which I did. I've heard that when the battery is reconnected to the car's electrical system, the computer is reset to default parameters which could result in less than optimum performance until the car is driven a bit.

    Any ideas folks as to the cause of the stalling? Just coincidence that the problem cropped up after installing the keyless entry system?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    You could try an idle reset procedure on it to see if that will work or not. To do this all you have to do is get the car to operating temp and then let it sit and idle with all loads off(such as lights,radio,rear gef,a/c ect..) for 10 min. Then see what happens. Good luck
  • sek4mlksek4mlk Member Posts: 24
    Well, after about 30 miles of mixed driving, the stalling problem has disappeared. There must be some truth to the "computer reset" theory. I didn't have a chance to let the car idle for 10 continuous minutes, but did catch a few minutes of idle time at several traffic lights.

    Since just about every repair done has "disconnect negative battery cable" as step #1, I hope I don't have to go through this each time I do maintenance on the car. Strange that none of my maintenance manuals mention this issue.
  • weav727weav727 Member Posts: 15
    Well, here is an update to my "hesitation" in my 2000 Civic. It sat at the dealer for 3 days, and they test drove it every day. They agreed that it was "acting up." After three days the car stopped "acting up," and they did nothing and gave it back to me. It was trouble free for about a week. Now it is bucking and chugging sporadically. So the dealer can't even figure out what's wrong. Anybody else ever in this predicament?
  • wonderingwondering Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone had any trouble with their speedometer suddenly going dead and then springing back to life while cruising around? This keeps happening to me with my 99 automatic civic. I also get a funny shift between 2nd and 3rd and wonder if the two are related somehow? I believe I read somewhere that there could be a connection via the car's computer circuits. I took out a Honda mechanic for a spin while he had it connected to some type of hand held computer but couldn't find anything wrong since the speedometer wasn't acting up at the time. He also mentioned that he didn't think it was the speed sensor since "no one in the shop has ever replaced one on a 99 civic before". I've been to various transmission shops and no one can give me any ideas as to what may be the problem. The only advice I've been given was to get a transmission flush and try replacing the speed sensor.

    Can anyone help?

    thanks
  • gregoryc1gregoryc1 Member Posts: 764
    Water in the fuel?
This discussion has been closed.