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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Basically I have identified three wierd sounds that I am hearing:
1. A high-pitched whinning/whistling sound that comes once the engine is over 2000 RPM. After that the sound gets louder as RPM goes higher. After 30 minutes or so the sounds tends to get very irritating and annoying.
2. When I drive on highways at around 80 miles per hour or slightly above 3000 RPM, I start hearing a sort of a loud howling sound something like WOOO....WOOO......WOOOO...WOO. The sound is coming from the front of the car and I get the impression that this sound is becuase of wind. Maybe this sound is related to the whinning sound that I hear when the car is above 2000RPM.
3. The third sound sounds like there is water bubbling or trickling. This is a very soft sound that can be heard when the car is not moving but engine is running.
The car seems to be driving fine. The only problem is that these wierd souds seem to be coming all the time.
Anyone else hearing similar sounds or know anything about these sounds?
The driver side of this vehicle is 1cm lower than passager side, is that normal?
Is anyone have the same issue?
Thanks
max9
maybe it's shuddering/shaking (not bouncing) when you stop quickly? If the car shakes vibrates during stop that sounds like rotors again. Maybe they've been machined too many times (usually twice is all they can handle before they are too thin and out of spec) and need replacement? Maybe you didn't brake them in well and/or you brake too hard in general causing excess heat/friction in the rotors which causes warping.
elissa
Do you have aftermarket wheels and tires?
2) does the car have less than 80K miles on it? probably not, but if it did you should bust up that mechanic who replaced your cat. the EPA mandates all manufacturers to warranty cats to 80K so you could have gotten it for free from your dealer.
3) if your problem was gears/synchros you would hear and feel a definite GRINDING noise going into that particular gear. not rattling! get yourself a new mechanic who knows something about transmissions!
4) he is right about one thing - don't down shift into first. that can wear out the 1st gear synchro. but it could take you years. i downshifted to first in my '93 civic for 110K miles over 10 years and never had a tranny problem - but then again, I had synthetic in the transmission too.
Elissa
1.it only does it with clutch engaged.......the first mechanic was a casual friend who said it was the throwout bearing and wanted to change the clutch kit, he just wanted too much. i wish i knew it were more i would've gone to someone else.
2. The car has 135,000 miles on it and i saw the cat it was completely clogged up except where the baffle broke, also i would get a massive amount of exhaust fume in the passenger compartment, that's all fine now, car has more power and better on gas.
3. i don't get a grinding going into gear it shifts positively and smoothly, but when i put the car in first with the clutch down and let the car roll (down a hill for example) as i let the clutch out, just as it's grabbing it starts........takatakataka.
4.i never downshift into 1st unless the car is basically stopped or on a decent hill. I'll only downshift to 2nd, i realized the problem while trying different things to isolate the noise.
Elissa
I needed a rebuilt tranny to fix 3rd gear synchro problem, main shaft bearing rattling, leaking tranny housing, clutch chatter.
Aamco $2000 they would swap in a rebuilt tranny, replace clutch, resurface flywheel, warranty for one year.
Honda Dealership $1800 they would rebuild my own tranny and replace 3rd gear synchro, main shaft bearing, related parts, new clutch, resurface flywheel, warranty for one year. My worry is that in cracking open the tranny, they'd find a lot more work that was needed if my tranny was in bad shape.
Honda Hospital $1900 they would swap in a rebuilt transmission, replace clutch, resurface flywheel, warranty for two years (option to buy 3rd year warranty).
I decided on going to the Honda shop (Honda Hospital) barring one more quote from an independent transmission shop. I like the Honda shop that I use and their price and solution were consistent with others, plus the warranty was great.
But I'm hoping I can put off this expense for another year :-\ We'll see. Let me know what you are quoted please, and what work is included.
Thanks,
elissa
Is your transmission still having the problem? I guess your problem is similar to mine, so I thought to share. I've been having a similar problem on my ' 98 Civic (83K) automatic transmission for over 2 years. When shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd, it delays about half a second and vrooom, the throttle goes up to about 3000 rpm until the 3rd shift engages. It always happens when shifting under a light throttle. (Does not happen above 3000rpm, but I'll have to drive crazy in order the problem not to happen.) I have my way to go around the problem: when I think or feel the transmission is going to shift from 2nd to 3rd, I take my foot off the gas pedal about a half second or so (exactly like you are doing stick shift, except for your left foot and right arm won't make any move). After that it is already in the 3rd gear. Well, this won't fix the problem, but at least it worked for me over 2 years. I changed the transmission fliud a couple of times but never helped.
Let me know if things have changed with you.
Best,
Delden
p.s. my tranny is a manual not auto, and i tried many different ways to ride around it, but the problem appears to be the main shaft bearing, when you turn the main shaft by hand you can feel the grinding and roughness as it turns, the new tranny (swapped one) turns very quietly and smoothly. thanks for post
Oh, you may want to go when they are closed.
Thanks.
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Solution: Clutch piston shaft lubricated. Problem not only solved, but the clutch pedal action much smoother than ever. Quick and simple. (Why on earth are dealers, as some report, replacing the hydraulic components?)
"Is this the shaft at the slave or master cylinder and how difficult a job is it?"
This was done under warranty. I did not perform the work.
My mechanic briefly explained what he'd done, but I didn't think to ask him for further details. My guess would be that it's the shaft connected to the clutch pedal, since that's the region where the sound seemed to originate.
I assume that gaining access might be the only difficulty, but again, I'm uncertain. It may be readily accessible.
Yeah, I know, an extended warranty. But most of those are useless insurance policies that actually cover very little and cost a bundle. Again, Honda is uncompetitive in warranty coverage and finds itself in the company of the big 3 domestics as the only major Asian brand to still offer just 3/36 on everything.
The recall summary states:
"ON CERTAIN SEDANS, COUPES, HATCHBACKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN DEGRADE DUE TO THE HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED.
WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH."
There's a possiblity it could be the worn contacts, but I doubt it because that would more likely be a problem that would deteriorate over time meaning that you would have noticed it before.
I've seen this problem on other cars though, mainly other friend's Fords, but have never had it happen in my civic. If you can start the car and keep the engine running by stepping on the gas pedal, it probably means that your "engine idle control" is dead. So go out and test this by stepping on the gas when you start the engine. If it doesn't run by doing that, take it to a mechanic! If it does run by doing that, you'll still need to take it to a mechanic.
Elissa
Elissa
Typical sign of an incompetent shop. Either they are causing the new damage due to inability to fix a problem without creating another one. Or, they are so incompetent that they can not see that there is another problem brewing. I would suggest that you save all the receipts from the warranty work, and give Honda corporate a call. Explain the situation and mention that you bought the car based on the reputation it made of being a reliable vehicle. Ask niceley for them to extend warranty on either the whole car or the components that failed. I don't know if you had repeated problems with the same component. If you did have 3 repairs on the same component, check out your state's lemon laws. You may be able to get Honda to buy this one back.
Most importantly, go to a different dealer. You don't have to service the car or perform warranty work on the car at the dealer you bought it from. You can go to any dealer in the US and I think even in Canada and Mexico.
P.S. ACT also told me that if Honda wants to know any info to have them call the company directly and they will show them the results to the testing. Also, Honda dealerships on the west coast have told me that they install ACT clutch kits REGULARLY in civics and accords.
Would be interested to hear from anyone with knowlegde of similar incidents involving Honda Civics.
Also... I was thinking of placing them on my stock steelies and then getting summer rims and tires in spring? Any thoughts? Will the winter wear be too much on the stocks?
I've often wondered whether after-market performance seats like Corbeau, Recaro, etc. are safer than the OEM seats in most cars?