Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

peter19 · July 2005

I had this temp-to-the-top problem on my 1985 Civic Wagon (127,000 mi). Turne out it had a bad head gasket. Just have your engine checked for a leaking head gasket. It's a very sensitive chemical test for CO in the coolant --exhaust fumes leak through into the coolant. With the test kit this test is easy-to-do; ask for it to be checked at a repair shop. After repair it now runs great with temp guage at 1/2 to 2/3. I love this Honda!

user777 · July 2005

you might try majestic honda's web-site as the exploded sub-system diagrams are excellent::
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/

or you might try your closest dealership.

delsoler30 · July 2005

Hi. I was hoping to get some feedback on this problem which just started yesterday.We were in traffic and the Temp gauge on my 95 Del Sol started to rise to the Red .Put on the heat just before it got there and got out of traffic and the gauge went back to about just under 1/2 ,where it normally is. Stopped to check on coolant level and it was fine, no leaks. The overfill had coolant also in it. Well we turned around and headed back home and we didn't have another problem on the highway with it.From what I could see when we stopped to check the car both the A/C and the regular fan's were working. The coolant and thermostat hasn't been changed for at least 60K. Wondering if both being changed might solve problem. Thanks.

temj12 · July 2005

I would not mess with the engine. Lack of power was common with that engine. I have an 05 Civic with the standard 1.7 liter engine. I was surprised at the power it had when I test-drove it. The lack of power has changed. Trade it in. They hold their resale value well.

jtrather · July 2005

My daughters 2001 civic ex runs down he highway for approx. 1 hour and the check engine light comes on it decelerates and then dies and want restart. Let it sit for a few minutes and it will restart and go down the highway for approx. 20 min. and die.

nailbunny · July 2005

Ok, last year I picked up an '01 Civic EX. Nice looking car and all, but it wasn't until after I began hunting for mods that I realized the perdicament I had gotten myself into. It turns out there are nearly no mods available for the shoddy little D17 engine. I did the cold air intake, cat-back exhaust, headers, blah blah normal little stuff like that, but I just am not satisfied with the little amount of power this SOHC engine is giving me. Short of throwing in a new cam theres not much else I can do to this thing, and I'm trying to find out about getting a JDM B16 engine and swapping it. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for me on where to get the engine and tranny and what other things I need to know before doing this.

puffidredz · July 2005

... Assuming that you *have* an owner's manual. I have a 02 Civic in which also the right side turn signals went out. My car did not come with an owner's manual because i bought it used, and I am curious as well how can I access the bulbs so I can change them.

alcan · July 2005

If the check engine light comes on, there are usuallydiagnostic trouble codes stored. AutoZone will retrieve the codes no charge. Post them.

sek4mlk · July 2005

While checking air pressure, noted that wheel is bent to the point where tire is slightly deformed at bead. Ride is not affected but I suspect replacement is warranted. Honda retail for stock 14" steel wheel is $121. Any ideas for lower cost alternatives appreciated.

blueiedgod · July 2005

Ok, last year I picked up an '01 Civic EX. Nice looking car and all, but it wasn't until after I began hunting for mods that I realized the perdicament I had gotten myself into. It turns out there are nearly no mods available for the shoddy little D17 engine. I did the cold air intake, cat-back exhaust, headers, blah blah normal little stuff like that, but I just am not satisfied with the little amount of power this SOHC engine is giving me. Short of throwing in a new cam theres not much else I can do to this thing, and I'm trying to find out about getting a JDM B16 engine and swapping it. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for me on where to get the engine and tranny and what other things I need to know before doing this.

The upgrade for the D17 is K20, not B16. B-series rotate counterclockwise, while D- and K-series turn clockwise. While you could do B16 swap from the 1999-2000 Civic Si, it has less troque than the D17. You can probably go as big as K24 from Accord/Element/CR-V or hot tuned K24 from TSX.

leonidas10468 · July 2005

Hi, I have a Civic EX 2000. 65K. I was driving the car without a problem and suddenly the SRS light went on. I has been on for about a day. My mechanic says that I have to replace the Air Bag Module which cost about $400? or the air bags might deploy themselves while driving.
It has to be a way to fix this problem without shelling out so much cash. Any suggestions ?

isellhondas · July 2005

The stuff you added will do very little to increase power. The car will just make more noise.

It is what it is...maybe you should just buy a car with a V-8 or something.

prw · July 2005

93 del sol SI 1.6 Started running rough at higher speeds. 60 and above. Changed plugs, wires, cap, rotor, checked the timing, valves adjusted. Starts easy, idles good, good low speeds. (Not the tires) It really does it when on a hill or grade. Does not over heat. I can't seem to figure it out. I have not changed the fuel filter, pvc valve, or 02 sensor. Could any of these things be a problem?? Or can you think of anything else.

Thanks

blueiedgod · July 2005

Hi, I have a Civic EX 2000. 65K. I was driving the car without a problem and suddenly the SRS light went on. I has been on for about a day. My mechanic says that I have to replace the Air Bag Module which cost about $400? or the air bags might deploy themselves while driving.
It has to be a way to fix this problem without shelling out so much cash. Any suggestions ?

When the SRS light is on the air bags won't deploy, even in a crash. The guy is trying to scare you into payin ghim to fix it. See if there is a warranty on the airbags and the control module it self. Chances are that a lose connection or dyeing alternator caused the light to come on in the first place.

znosko · July 2005

Can anyone tell me how to reset the clock on a 2001 honda civic? I bought the car without an owners manual and can't get it to reset for daylight savings time.

dead9uy · July 2005

Honda also has a 150,000 mile emissions warranty under which my exhaust manifold was replaced at 148,000 miles. It also included a free oil change, plugs, wires and cap. All for free.

hpydude · July 2005

My Civic's Windshield glass broke, I called insurance company and they gave me three names in Northern VA, DC, Maryland area - Royal Glass, Banner Glass, Virginia Glass. Anyone has any idea about windshield replacement. Are these companies use OEM Glass or do they use their own? I have no clue.
Is it something different than standard dealer route ?

Valuable advice needed.

Thanks

samshem · July 2005

For about a week now, when I back out of a parking spot with the wheel turned, and then proceed to put the car into drive, it seems as if for a few seconds the transmission slips before engaging. The car moves a little, but not like it should or used to. It doesn't happen all the time, but it has happened 4 times now. It only has 6500 miles on it and has not been abused. Has anyone else experienced this or know if this is a known issue? Thanks for your help!

theracoon · July 2005

Ah. Then my recommendation would be to run to your Honda dealer and order a manual...

Or, go to the American Honda Ownerlink website, register for an account, then add your Civic by model and year or by VIN. You'll be able to view the Owners Manual as an Acrobat PDF file.

Note: Owners Manuals are only available online for newer models (it is for our '02 Civic Coupe but not for our '99 CR-V).

Good Luck.

leonidas10468 · July 2005

Hi, my wife has an Accord 96, it runs great but now the alarm system goes off just by a car passing by. My neighbor has complained several times about and I don't know how to or where to adjust the motion sensor. I try to lock the car without setting the alarm on, but the damm car armed itself in 20 seconds. Will somebody please tell me what to do before I get suit

sp0t · July 2005

i was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. when i'm driving my car the front passenger wheel will emit this loud grinding, screeching noise. the noise usually will go away when i apply my breaks, but lately the grinding, screeching noise will happen even when i apply my breaks, however somedays i won't even hear the noise. i removed the wheel and visually inspected the rotor and brake pads which looked fine. one of my friends told me that the brake pad(s) could be cracked and then another friend told me that the wheel bearings might need to be replaced. one of my friends who's a mechanic told me he would check it out, but he won't be able to look at it for another week. has anyone else had this problem and if so what needs to be done to fix it? thanks!

chris

1johnnyv · July 2005

Hello!
I have a 1993 Del Sol and just went over 100,000 miles a few weeks ago. I have never had any problems with this great car until last week when the "Check Engine Light" came on. I continued to drive the car home (15 miles) and all appears to be fine. I checked the temp, oil, radiator, gas cap secured, fluid levels and everything appears to be normal. The next day I drove the car 30 miles to work and back (60 miles total) because I had no choice and the car drives just fine? I have no idea why the light is on? I had a full service tune-up at 93,000 miles. Any ideas?

bluearm · July 2005

Thank you . It's a nice website, i will try the YOKOHAMA.
guess what mileage i'm getting now!?
29 MPG wow !! I just changed the engine oil and it jumped from 24 to 29 mpg!!
i didn't think engine oil would make that much difference!! :P

markdel · July 2005

And, just where on this site do you get to vue the .pdf file???? :confuse: :confuse:

flieger · July 2005

Hi,
did you ever resolve your issue? I have the same problem and would like no know what you did?

Thanks

rlw13 · July 2005

I have a 97 civic DX that the A/C is not working. It worked fine since I bought the car but quite suddenly stopped blowing Cold Air. The compressor does not engage after the button is pressed. Is it correct that if it needs to be recharged then the A/C system will not kick in?
Thanks

93civiccoupe · July 2005

I have a 93 civic coupe. The speedometer works sometimes and then other times just falls to 0. I suspect it is the VSS, but even a used one runs $50.00. Is there anyway to trouble shoot the VSS?

93civiccoupe · July 2005

My 93 honda civic coupe started and ran for about 3 minutes (about two blocks traveled) then died. It would not restart. Turns over fine, we have spark to the plugs. I suspect the PGM-FI relay, but I got another one from salvage and it did not fix problem. I have a honda service manual. it says to put power to pins 6 & 8 and then test for continuity between pins 5 & 7. Can someone suggest how to test for continutiy? I have no voltage when I test pins 5&7. I do get voltage from pin 5 to groud. I can hear a clicking sound when I put voltage to pins 6&8.

bwad · July 2005

I had a light on my 95 EX civic and on that you just jumper a connector with a paper clip to get the codes from a cycle on the engine light. On mine it was a green wire with blue end two prong hanging behind the dash to the right of the glove box. You can find a code list online like at autozone.com probably.

bwad · July 2005

Relay probably crapped out but something caused that to happen. Mine was burnt so we replaced the compressor coil and clutch and so far so good (clutch seemed to be locking up when new relay was installed). Relay was around $40 and I didn't want to keep replacing that. If you depress the valve on the a/c line and it is pressurized it doesn't need to be charged.

alcan · July 2005

Yep. It's a permanent magnet AC signal generator. The accurate way is to use an oscilliscope to trace the signal but a DVOM set to AC voltage and connected across the sensor leads will work. If there's an AC voltage output, the sensor's working.

rlw13 · July 2005

I can hook it up direct to the battery and the compressor will kick in, it just will not get cold, would this still be the relay?

bwad · July 2005

Sounds like you need refrigerant. The relay only controls the compressor.

93civiccoupe · July 2005

Thanks - will the ac voltage be present if it is setting still, or do I have to connect everything then drive the car.

ere1124 · July 2005

I have a 2001 Honda Civic. Yesterday during traffic I moved it from D to D3, but accidentally went all the way to D2, but switched back. Drove home in D just fine after that. This morning, heard a weird noise, sounded like a belt or something, but went away after switching into R. Drove for about 500 feet in D before I felt my car revving up, as if stuck in 2nd gear. Turned back, check engine light came on. Is it stuck in 2nd gear? What's involved in fixing this, how much and does this happen often?

y2za · July 2005

Regarding message #3990
I have a 2005 Civic VP with 8K miles.
I have noticed the exact same problem you are describing. A slight hesitation when going from reverse to drive.
Have you heard anything about what is wrong? I have a service appointment scheduled for this Thursday.
Since it does not do the problem you described every time, i am concerned that they will not be able to "re-produce" the problem in the shop and will tell me something to the effect that it is all in my head.
Any info would be appreciated

alcan · July 2005

The sensor is a magnet with windings around it. Every time a tooth on the trigger wheel passes it, the magnetic field is disrupted and an AC voltage pulse is induced into the windings. The faster the car goes, the faster the trigger wheel turns, and the frequency of the pulses increases.

artycat · July 2005

It seems my brand new '05 Civic HX has a rattle in the steering column. It is most apparent going down or up a hill. It doesn't matter what gear I'm in. I think that there are wires right below the steering wheel that are rubbing on the inside of the plastic molding. Does this sound reasonable. I'm going to talk to service in the morning and tell them that the rattle which they thought they might have fixed is still there. The dealer thought it was coming from the dash but my husband & I narrowed it down to inside the steering column. I tried to talk my husband into opening up the housing and seeing if we could fix it but he wants to send it to the Honda Dealer.

obafunque · July 2005

My 95 Civic is now 70K miles since I am not using frequently. Now, the engine light came on and very suspiciuos is related to the oxygen sensors. Since this is a 95 Model ( not OBD-II conditioned) how I can get the codes and now for sure is O2 sensor related? My other car is an Avalon and had exact problem. Please, advise

lilchick · July 2005

I just bought a 2000 Civic. It was making a metallic rattling noise when accelerating somewhere between 5 and 20 mph. I took it to a mechanic who said it was the heat shield rattling and he had removed it (without asking first). Now I swear the car sounds louder, but he said the heat shield has nothing to do with that. Is he right?

artycat · July 2005

Hello, I just got a new '05 Civic HX which is just a great little car. My problem is that the tires, Dunlop SP20FEs, are crap! I'm glad it is hot and dry in Utah right now because I'd hate the thougth of driving with those tires in Rain or heaven forbid, Snow! These tires are also exceedingly noisy! Yuck. My last car was an '96 Olds Ciera on which I had Michelin Symmetry Tires. What do y'all recommend in P185/70R1?. I want a long lasting quiet tire that has good wet and snow traction. I'm thinking of Michelin Harmony or HydroEdge or maybe the Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds. I'm willing to spend up to about $80-90 per tire. Also, I'd like to get them on the car before we drive to Riverside CA to visit my father-in-law around Labor Day. Thanks in advance for the help. :confuse:

ruking1 · July 2005

I also have the Dunlop's They are wearing far faster than any tire I have ever had also. They look on track to go 35-40k, which coincidently is the end of the warranty period. In addition to GY A Triple Treads and M Hydroedges I would add GY Comfort Treads and Toyo 800 Ultras to the list.

captjono · July 2005

My 1990 Honda Civic Hatchback seems to go through a CV Boots like kids go through shoes! I'm not hard on my car, it's got 178,000 miles on it. Just about every 1 1/2 years I have to replace the axles because the CV Boots keep tearing.

Is this a problem with anyone else?! I love my
car, but this is getting frustrating!

Help please!

y2za · July 2005

Just to recap - i have the exact same problem you described but mine is a 2005 with intermittent (once every 1-2 days) hesitation when shifting from reverse to drive.
Fortunately, my check engine light came on for a few hours last week. Because of this the honda dealership was able to determine that there is indeed a problem with the transmission, something about a sensor.
Anyway i was told that there is a back order of 1-2 months for the part by honda dealerships - apparently this problem is not isolated - no mention of any such service bulletins out there - at least not yet.

yleecoyote · July 2005

I will first say that I am a Michelin employee as my disclaimer. That said, I've been through two sets of Michelin's and am on my third set. The first two sets were Michelin X plus, which is a tire that is sold through Sam's club. Both of these were run to 80,000 miles and had enough tread at the end that the dealer kept them to re-sell. Presently I am running Hydroedge and like them. They do have good handling and ride qualities. They seem to maintain a better ride at higher inflation pressures than the previous two sets that I have run.
I have had them in rain and they do handle it well, I have yet to experience them in snow.
I hope this helps.

artycat · July 2005

Thanks, I've been riding on Michelins since owning a '72 Peugeot 405. Every car I've owned has wound up with Michelins when the tires needed replacing. I can't believe the cheapo tires that came on the Civic HX; I guess Honda has to save some money some place. If I can get the HydroEdges to fit the 14" wheels; I just might do that.

chdev · July 2005

Yesterday my check engine light came on and then I noticed that my speedometer wasn't functioning. Today I began having all sorts of electrical problems (put on brake, radio goes off, etc.). I assumed that it was the alternator not putting out enough juice. Then I decided to do some research and came across this posting. I checked and fuse 15 was blown and the wire harness crossing the intake manifold bracket was worn through. I tied the wires off of the bracket and replaced the fuse. Problem solved.
I can't thank you enough!!! Now I'm going to take my wife out to dinner with the savings!!!!

vanx · July 2005

Hello,

I am a proud owner of a 93 Honda Civic EX-4dr-5 spd. The temperatures during the summer time in Houston Texas are in the range of 92-99 with high humidity. As I drive on hot day , I turn on the A/C, set it to low, and the cold air begins to blow. After 5 mins, the A/C starts to blow warm/hot air.

As I drive at night and the sun is not out, The A/C works better but the coldness of the air comes in and then goes away. Again, my A/C blows cooler at night and longer than 5 minutes. At night I still encounter the problem with the coolness of the air leaving and then coming back. I have read in the owners manual that my 93 Honda Civic EX-4dr-5 spd uses R-12 but it does not give me solution for the car symptom.

Its my hope you will read my message and be able guide me to a solution.

Thanks,

Gustavo Luna
Houston, Texas

ncampbell2002 · July 2005

You can buy conversion kits at your local auto parts store to convert it from R-12 to R-134a. Sounds like your system just needs a recharge. Go to the store and buy a kit...it will come with a gauge and stuff you need to get it where it needs to be. It is a really easy do-it-yourselfer What is happening right now is the compressor is running in a "safe mode" which means it keeps shutting itself down because there isn't enough refrigerant running through the system so it is preventing itself from burning up. That is why you might be getting short bursts of colder air and at night. Anyhow good luck!

theracoon · July 2005

It's not on Edmunds.com. It's on the http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com website. That's the American Honda Ownerlink website. After logging in (you will need to create an account) add your Civic. Once it's added, click on My Civic and in the left hand menu you'll see a Owners Manual link. Click it.

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions