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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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  • dash400mdash400m Member Posts: 55
    Wow! The problem sounds like a bad distributor to me, but you mentioned that you'd already replaced the distributor. If you'd only replaced the distributor [cap], then I'd say take a look at the distributor... I bet that was expensive!

    Where's auburn63? He's the best around when it comes to M&R... Hey auburn63 -- can you work on a F-16 Fighting Falcon? I can't get my sidewinders to detach from this &^%$%^ bird!

    syldacat: Seriously, someone here will have an answer. Good luck.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Sounds as if the igniter is bad and or going bad. The distributor or the coil are also good guesses. The main relays were options back in 92 but not likely once running. Start with checking to make sure the cap and coil match good then check the igniter connections to make sure they look good. You could guess at an igniter but it may be best to have it diagnosed.. Good luck
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    F-16 Fighting Falcon aghh I don't know if I could handle all that power on the road/air test but it would be fun to find out..lol
  • barnonebarnone Member Posts: 118
    can you work on a F-16 Fighting Falcon? I can't get my sidewinders to detach from this &^%$%^ bird!

    there is a "fire" button to disengage your sidewinder =)
  • dash400mdash400m Member Posts: 55
    Enough of my nonsense -- good to hear from you. Since you said it, my bet goes with the igniter too. I had one go out on my '89 Civic Wagon.

    Have a good day and keep posting...
  • gvi1gvi1 Member Posts: 1
    Just purchased brand new from dealer. Car is stalling when brakes are applied. Has anyone else experienced this? So far the dealers have just re programed the computer on the car.
  • dash400mdash400m Member Posts: 55
    You're the Man! We're the team for the F-15E, and you're the weapons officer in the back section. Actually, I'd like to take a vintage F-111 in at low altitude, tour the streets of Baghdad, Tehran and others, and dump one final load as I'm puking up my ham sandwich.

    Yep. I'm &^%^%$# dreaming! Reality check...
  • syldacatsyldacat Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the ideas. We got an igniter and the car started right up. After about 2 minutes, a loud buzzing started coming from the Idler Air Control Valve and then, as we stared at it, the engine started surging and ebbing, surging and ebbing until it died. Now, it won't restart. We have ordered an Idler Air Control Valve unless somebody thinks this is just "too easy" and there is something else wrong that is being hidden....
  • travismtravism Member Posts: 1
    I recently (two 1/2 weeks ago) purchased a 2001 Civic LX Sedan. So far I don't seem to be getting very good gas mileage at all. I seem to be getting around 300 miles on one tank of gas (13 gallon tank), with most of those miles being interstate miles. Is there a "break-in" period for a new car concerning miles per gallon, or could there be a mechanical problem? I have driven the car fairly easily during this time, avoiding fast starts and the like. Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!
  • nimdanimda Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I just bought a 2001 Civic EX manual transmission. I have over 2000 miles on it and I'm starting to feel a very slight vibration at RPMs higher than 3000. You can feel the vibration in the steering wheel, the pedals, and near the dash board. Is this normal for a Civic?
  • syldacatsyldacat Member Posts: 8
    Well, we got a new Idler Air Control Valve and put it in, and although the car cranks, it won't start at all, now. Does anybody have any new ideas? We are going to wait until dark and check to see if there is a spark visible at the end of the spark plug wires when the engine is cranked. That should mean the coil is okay, shouldn't it? This is a brand new Sears battery, remember, but it got bogged down from so much cranking, evidently. We even tried jumping it from another car. No dice. And, no codes registered....
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Just hold the end of the wire while someone else cranks the engine. If it's leaking, you'll know it!

    I"M KIDDING !!!! Been there, done that!
  • syldacatsyldacat Member Posts: 8
    Tried the spark test. Evidently, it's getting power. Plan to go out and buy a fuel pump today. I dunno, though, I still think it might be the Fuel Relay Sensor. The fuel pump is so expensive compared to the sensor, but, the sensor doesn't have anything to do with it starting, does it?
  • bjewettbjewett Member Posts: 62
    I have a '99 civic 4dr lx 5-speed. Stalling, vibration etc - not normal and not acceptable for a new car, certainly not a civic. Mine is up to 54k miles after 2.5 years - nothing like that. Make 'em fix it!!
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Don't throw parts at it until it fixes itself. Check fuel pressure with the key on, engine off to determine if the pump's working..
  • syldacatsyldacat Member Posts: 8
    I examined all the fuses--all okay, including the ECU fuse. We have tested the fuel pump output as best we can. We can hear it running when the key is turned in the ignition, and it did run for about 2 minutes right after we replaced the Idler Air control valve. The car cranks and almost starts. We're down to wondering if the fuel pump works but just can't give out as much pressure as it used to do. When the original problem started last week, my son reported that he didn't seem to be able to get much response when trying to accelerate. He was trying to get across a busy street when it died the last time. He was at a stop sign and when he tried to accelerate, the car just stalled.
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    As Alcan indicated, you need to measure the fuel pressure. Remove the 6mm bolt in the top of the fuel filter banjo bolt and attach a pressure gauge. You may need to rig a special fitting but this is the proper place to connect the pressure gauge. Disconnect and plug the vacuum hose from the top of the fuel pressure regulator. Turn on the ignition switch for two seconds, then turn it off, and then back on again. Pressure should be 40 to 47 psi. If the pressure is within this range, the fuel pump is probably OK. With the engine running and the vacuum line connected, the pressure should be 31 to 38 psi.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    You have to start somewhere but I haven't had to replace a fuel pump in a long time they hardly ever go bad. But it definitly is worth the shot so don't skip the presure test. Other than that let us know what you have done so far and if you used new or used parts as well as OEM or aftermarket.Good luck
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    Did you replace the fuel filter?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    Fuel filter might be good to replace, anyway. I don't remember how old your car was. But, if your son drives it, I'm sure he's been close to "E" on many occassions. It's what they do. That lets all the sludge out of the tank and into the filter.
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    bad fuel filter.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Replace all of those expensive parts, go through all of that trouble...just to find a plugged fuel filter?
  • syldacatsyldacat Member Posts: 8
    Thanks to all for the help. You really did help! The fuel filter was the first thing we replaced because we go on the 'fix the cheapest part first' idea. What was the last problem? It was the coil. I was telling a guy I saw a yellow spark, and he said, "the spark's supposed to be blue." So, I ran down and bought a new coil, installed it and voila! The car started and runs fine! As a total roundup, we replaced the battery, the fuel filter, the distributor cap and rotors, the igniter, the Idler air assembly, and the coil. Of all of those, probably the igniter was the only thing that didn't actually need to be replaced, but the car has 177,000 miles on it, so I guess it didn't hurt to get a new one. And, we are keeping an eye on that fuel relay, just in case......
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Glad to see that it is fixed..good luck with it...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    Isn't the coil integral with the distributor in that year/model?
  • seanycseanyc Member Posts: 1
    Side air bag light on dashboard keeps coming on occassionaly. Dealer keeps checking and says nothing is wrong. Seems to be unrelated to anyone sitting in the seat. ????
  • civic2001civic2001 Member Posts: 30
    For 2001 Civic with side air bag, I believe the sensors are mounted on the side of the front seats. The owner's manual states that if anyone should move in front of the sensor (e.g. side-to-side motion by a kid sitting in the front passenger seat), the warning light will come on, but should go away once the person has moved out of way. I had a similar experience before. Hope it helps.
  • vaforniavafornia Member Posts: 11
    I own a 2000 civic. I wondering if anyone try to flush there clutch fuild and replace it with a synthetic fuild. The problem that I encounter is that in the morning or during cold start, when I shift gear, from 1st to 2nd I hear metal grinding.
  • just_228just_228 Member Posts: 5
    Where does one find the technical service bulletins for hondas?
    Just bought a 2002 LX sedan. The driver side window is slow but "service" says it's ok. We'll see.

    I can't believe there is no shroud inside the front fenderwells to help keep ice, salt and water from the throttle linkage, wires and other junk hanging behind the motor. I can see straight through the car. I was hoping to drive the wheels off of it. Any problems and it will be my last Civic.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    It may be too soon for the 2002 model year for that info. I checked the NHTSA site and nothing was listed for 2002 Honda. The Edmunds Maintenance Guide (link in the additional resouces box) will be updated as soon as the information becomes available.

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • dudkadudka Member Posts: 451
    most likely replacing the fluid will not solve the problem, i would have honda check (while it is still under warranty) the syncro's.
  • kperkper Member Posts: 3
    Help! Honda dealer in New Hampshire has had car for 3 days. They still can't find reason why this car won't start when cold, except by holding gas pedal to floor forever until it finally starts. It runs fine when warmed up.
    Next morning will not start again. Car has only 36,000 miles. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
  • vaforniavafornia Member Posts: 11
    I am taking my civic into the shop on Tuesday to get it check. I am wondering if my factory warranty cover this parts? I thought that the clutch is not cover under the warranty. Is this part of the clutch? If so how much would this cost me to fix this problem?
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    In in a very cold area, the first few shifts on many cars must be made slowly to avoid gear gnashing.

    The warranty does not cover clutch disk wear, but disk wear is not your problem. The noise you hear is the transmission gears which are unable to synchronize properly. The cause could be worn synchronizer rings. If they are worn due to poor driving habits such as failure to fully disengage the clutch when shifting and/or very rapid shifting...it's your responsibility and will cost several hundred dollars. Low clutch fluid level could be the problem; have you checked it? A defect in the hydraulic clutch system could also be the culprit; I believe the warranty will cover any problems of that type.
  • brorjacebrorjace Member Posts: 588
    If modern syncromesh transmissions (not just Honda's) have a weak spot, it's the synchros. Once these things start to go, they just get worse. This is especially apparent on cold mornings. The only solution is to pull the tranny and have it rebuilt ... or at least have the offending synchro(s) replaced.

    The factory gear oil is pretty decent stuff ... but you can do better by switching to Redline MTL. This stuff makes for smoother shifting ... but especially in really cold (winter) weather.

    --- Bror Jace
  • dudkadudka Member Posts: 451
    on my 99 civic, from day one, on a very cold morning the gear shifter would be much more difficult to shift, it had a very spongy feel, but once i drove for a few blocks it would go back to being silky smooth. i think the gear oil thickens and you have to be careful shifting when cold. but what you have is most likely the synchros, and they are covered by warranty. i think the only thing that is not covered by warranty is the pressure plate itself, everything else is covered.
  • brorjacebrorjace Member Posts: 588
    Dudka, the problem is that many synchro problems only become apparent once the car is well out of warranty. Then it's too late.

    Yes, the cold weather causing the oil to thicken is what causes the problems. There is a detailed description of what's going on inside manula trannies (from the Redline site):

    "All oils are slippery, and with most lubricated components, the slipperier the better, but this is not so with manual transmissions. The synchronization of shifting gears requires friction to transfer energy from the synchronizer, which is locked to the input shaft, to its mating surface attached to the gear to be locked in as the drive gear. Few modern transmissions use sliding gears to change gearing other than for reverse gearing. Synchromesh transmissions have the gear pairs constantly in mesh. The drive gear is selected by using the shift forks to slide a synchronizer ring, which rotates at the same speed as the input shaft, in contact with the selected drive gear. Once the drive gear is brought to the same speed as the input shaft, the locking ring on the synchro assembly is allowed to slide over and lock into the drive gear.

    The time this process takes depends on how easily the synchro ring moves and the rate of frictional energy transfer between the two synchronizer surfaces. Higher viscosity lubricants slow the sliding of the synchro ring on the input shaft and require a longer time for the oil to be squeezed out from between the mating synchronizer surfaces. After the lubricant is squeezed out, the coefficient of friction of the lubricant determines the rate of frictional energy transfer between the two surfaces. Slippery lubricants such as hypoid gear oils and ATFs can take too long to synchronize the gears, which promotes synchronizer wear.

    Clashing of the gears (actually clashing of the synchromesh gears, since the drive gears are always in contact) can occur if excessive shift effort is used in order to shift the locking ring into place before the surfaces have achieved equal speed. It may also occur at the end of a reasonably smooth shift if an instability exists in the coefficient of friction, causing stick-slip to occur. In this form of clashing, the ring slides on the mating synchro gear, but a sudden slippage causes a grinding of the gears. In order to prevent stick-slip from occuring and the gear clashing which results, the coefficient of friction should inflect downward as the relative speed drops to zero."

    Honda makes a very good manual transmission ... but their synchros are a weak point.

    --- Bror Jace
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Traditional synchronizer rings are made of brass with sharp spiral ridges on the inner tapered surface to channel lube from the matching taper on the end of the gear, thus allowing friction between the two to bring the gear (and all it's constant mesh components including input shaft and clutch disc) to output shaft speed. Over time the ridges on the rings can wear, preventing them from evacuating lube from the gear cones and allowing them to hydroplane on the cones. The gear and dog clutch speeds are not matched (synchronized) when the sleeve contacts the gear's clutching teeth, resulting in clash. This condition can be worsened by high viscosity lubricant or friction modifiers. However, several newer transmission/transaxle designs use synchronizer rings made of steel with compressed paper or powdered iron friction liners (eg Ford and GM). Due to the different friction characteristics of these materials, the correct coefficient of friction lubricant (synchromesh gear lube, Dexron ATF) MUST be used to achieve satisfactory synchronizer operation.
  • pallovepallove Member Posts: 9
    I have a 2001 Honda Civic 4-Dr Sedan EX.

    I noticed sometimes when I come to a complete stop at stop signs and traffic lights that the car wants to hesitate and stall. The RPM level drops past 500 and then it comes back up to its idle.

    The car shudder and shakes and feels like it wants to cut off.

    In addition, I was driving to work last Friday and I had to make an abrupt stop at the traffic light. When I came to a stop the RPM level went to zero and the car cut off.

    Has anyone experienced this type of problem with hesitation and stalling? Could this be an idle speed problem?
  • kperkper Member Posts: 3
    An update to my message #910: New Hampshire dealer replaced distributor (what ?) and ignition coil (possible) for $472. He says car now runs fine. I won't know until my daughter tries to start it ( I live in NJ). Very strange that these parts last only 3 years or 36,200 miles.
  • daveyddaveyd Member Posts: 14
    I have a 2k1 Civic EX coupe. I think i have that same problem. I dont want to bring my car to the dealer cuz I hate my local Honda Dealer, and there is only one dealer around. I could drive 150 miles to another but who wants too. I go up there when I have some other stuff to gripe about. Try looking on www.2k1civic.com for a soulution. That site has a lot of info, and only info on the 2k1.

    D
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    If you have an auto trans and you can feel the engine pulling against your braking action as you come to stop, the problem is likely related to the control circuitry for the torque converter clutch. The dealer should be able to zero in on this and make repairs; usually not major.

    If the stalling is not accompanied by pulling against the braking action, which is the case with a standard transmission and may be the case with an automatic, I would first suspect the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve. Checking and adjustments of this involve several steps but are detailed clearly in Section #11 of the shop manual. A Honda dealer mechanic with any experience has surely addressed this type of problem. Good luck.
  • pallovepallove Member Posts: 9
    To all 2001 Honda Civic EX owners. If you are having problems with Hesitation/Stalling or any problems at all, make your problems known on www.nhtsa.dot.gov. You would be surprised to find out how many people have complained about the stalling/hesitation problem.

    This was a similar recall for the LX and DX models. The fix it, was to replace the PCM. Why Honda would do this for the LX and DX models and not the EX is a question in my mind.

    I took the car into the dealer on Friday, they checked for codes in the PCM and they found nothing.

    I plan on taking it to another dealer. My problem is an intermittent one. It happens at random.

    I feel strongly that it is the IAC. If the IAC is causing this idle problem, can it affect the PCM? Can a code show up in the PCM?
  • racer_x_9racer_x_9 Member Posts: 91
    My state decided to redesign thier license plates this year. So instead of the usually sticker, you get new plates. Ever try to take off 7 (94 civic) year old bolts? For some reason Honda decided to make these metal as we as the threads. Rusted together. Spent over 2 hours with the drill removing them. The anchors are also part of the trunk lid so it's not like you can replace them.
    Drilled all the way through the trunk and secured with long bolt and nut.

    Hope Honda uses platic or aluminum screws and threads for anchors now. Anyone know if they do?
  • dudkadudka Member Posts: 451
    i had similar problem, i just cut the plates around the bolts in a flower pattern, and just removed the plates, then similarly cut the new plates to put them on.
    new cars have plastic nuts
  • strong68strong68 Member Posts: 22
    The front passenger window creates alot of wind noise, but I can not pinpoint where the noise is coming from. When the window is rolled up I don't get any water leaks, etc and the seals seem fine. Could it be the power window isn't shutting correctly?? Anyone have the same problem??
  • sslibertyssliberty Member Posts: 7
    My Civic just rolled over 180k miles. No problems until last week. Then I noticed that the electric radiator fan runs contiuously while the engine is running and the fan no longer runs for a short while after the engine is turned off. What's wrong? I would like to repair it myself. Thanks in advance!
  • flyingfish176flyingfish176 Member Posts: 22
    The "check engine" light comes on in my dash mysteriously and consistently. It happens only when climbing hills, shortly after starting, only in cold wheather. It has been happening since I bought the car used 2 years ago. My dealer told me to replace the O2 sensor; I did, and to no effect. Does anyone know what the light means and what should be done about it?

    liberty: just replace the fan on my engine. It wasn't running at all, causing overheating when sitting in traffic.
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    May be a stuck/shorted switch on the radiator or shorted/stuck relay.

    Try the coolant sensor for the check engine light. What code is it blinking?
  • jolsonjolson Member Posts: 1
    I own a '95 Civic with 130K miles on it that some mornings will not start. The car sits outside overnight in Wisconsin and for 5 or 6 recent mornings will not start. I'll wait for a couple of hours and it will start fine and run perfectly the rest of the day with several starts. One cold morning it was raining...didn't start. It rained all day...didn't start all day. Next morning, dry and a little warmer it started fine. Battery seems fine and starter cranking but will not fire. And this is only SOME mornings, not all. Do I follow syldacat's approach and replace the fuel pump & filter, distributor cap/rotors, and coil? A mechanic checked the igniter when it wasn't starting and said it was fine. Please Help!!!
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