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MORE: Honda Civic Repair Questions

Question: 1994 Honda Civic DX 1.5 liter hatchback mileage: 133,000. I recently replaced the oxygen. Should it be getting better gas mileage?

Answer: Your replacing the oxygen sensor should make your car run more efficiently. The effect on gas mileage may be very slight.
 

Question: 1999 Honda Civic EX mileage: 94,000. Speedometer problem. Car was wrecked on the front driver's side. Engine and transmission removed to replace part of framing. When removed, coolant got into the Speed sensor and Electrical plug connected to it. When car was finished, everything worked fine. Then about a week later, the speedometer dropped to zero for long periods of time and finally quit. The speed sensor was replaced and everything worked fine for six months and then all of sudden it started jumping around. It will drop to zero and will jump to 100 mph. Sometimes the Needle will jump as soon as the car is started. I have since replaced the sensor as well as spliced in a new plug elimination those two areas. What do you think the problem is? What is the best way to trouble shoot this without pay Honda a fortune or just replacing everything?

Answer: Because you replaced the speed sensor and are still experiencing the problem, we suspect that you have a faulty speedometer head.

Question: 1995 Honda Civic 4WD Wagon mileage: 175,000. Having just taken the car through an emissions inspection, I found my hydrocarbon outputs a bit too close to the limits, so I felt a tune up was in order. I have replaced the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, both fuel and air filters, some leaking fuel lines that I found in the process, PCV valve, and I changed the oil. Now, the car will not start. I have verified that I have spark from each of the spark plug wires, (By holding a connected spark plug against the valve cover with pliers and cranking the engine.) and the firing order is the same as when the old components were removed. (I made a diagram.) I do have fuel getting to the carburetor and all vacuum lines are connected where they should be. Compression should not be an issue, because the car ran before I did the tune up. I have checked everything that my Haynes manual has recommended me to try. The PCV valve fits into a socket on the block and a tube leads from a nipple on the PCV valve to the intake manifold. The old valve was dangling from the tube, and not fitted into the socket. I put the new one in correctly, however this should not affect the starting of the engine. I walked to a Honda Dealership and asked a mechanic if there were any other things I should check. (I do have fairly good mechanical knowledge and experience, but it's always good to ask the experts.) I have also tried replacing all the old parts that I removed, including the leaking fuel hoses. There is no way I could have installed the distributor cap or rotor 180 Degrees out of phase, as I have purposely tried to install it wrong. Ether starting spray will not work, nor will cranking with the throttle to the floor, with or without the choke propped open. I have let it sit for a few hours with the plugs out to allow any excess gas to evaporate. I am all out of ideas, as is my father, and several mechanic friends.

Answer: Three things you need for an engine to run, compression, spark at the right time, and the proper amount of fuel. Start with checking the compression and verify that the timing is right. If those two check out, trying starting it again.

Question: 2000 Honda Civic mileage: 88,000.  I am changing the timing belt for my Honda. I already have all that I will need. I would like to know what the marks are and in what position they have to be in. And I'd like to know how to do it without books.

Answer: Just loosen the old belt and slip the new timing belt on. Be careful not to move any of the pulleys. It is not necessary to know the "marks" in your situation.

Question: 1999 Honda Civic EX  mileage: 98,000. On acceleration anything below 2800-3000 rpm the car hesitates and just lacking power but above 3000 rpm it accelerates just fine. I have replaced everything from the rotor all the way to the plugs, I took it to the dealership, they did diagnostics, and everything checks out. I had changed the exhaust from the catalytic back to a performance exhaust with 2.25 piping and the mechanics said that this was the problem due to lack of back-pressure to the cylinders but the problem existed prior to the exhaust change so I believe the mechanic was giving me a SWAG. Do you have any ideas?

Answer: Your MAP sensor probably is giving you a weak signal. If not, scan the data stream that goes to the computer when you experience the problem.

MORE: Honda Civic Repair Questions

Question: 1978 Honda Civic CVCC. My son rebuilt this car by using a shop manual. The motor looks like new. He drove the car this summer and recently developed problems. He thought he had no alternative but to buy a new carburetor. It did not solve the problem. The idle is rough and sounds like the timing is off. He checked it and the dwell and they seem ok. The plugs have some carbon deposit on them. I also wonder why the manual list two type plugs NGK BR-6ES for the standard engine and NGK B-6ES for the CVCC engine. He could not find the plug so he is using the NKG BR-6ES with the CVCC engine. Is that okay? I would like to help him figure out the problem so I started by asking you for your knowledge.

Answer: The difference between the two types of spark plugs is very slight. The "R" in the part number signifies an internal resister inside the spark plug, which cuts down on engine noise in the radio. Your fouled plugs are probably caused by the "O" rings on the auxiliary valve housing in the cylinder head. The "O" rings can be replaced without removing the cylinder head.

Question: 2001 Honda Civic  mileage: 140,000. My wife's car is overheating and losing coolant. However, there is no water in the oil and no oil in the coolant. I continue to add coolant, as it gets low. What could be the problem?

Answer: Overheating is usually caused by a partially plugged radiator or a malfunctioning electric radiator fan. In addition, pressure check the cooling system for any leaks.

Question: 1995 Honda Civic mileage:175,000  Hi and great site!  I started doing a valve adjustment the other day and found that the Chilton's manual called for .0007 to .0009 on the intake valves and .0009 to .0011 on the exhaust side.  No problem till I looked under the hood and noticed the sticker stating that the adjustment it called for was A LOT different, .0020 and .0025 respectively.  What's a man to do?   The motor mounts haven't been touched, the hood is original and I'm confused. 

Answer:  What you are reading under the hood is probably be metric.

Question:  2001 Honda Civic mileage: 75,000.  My A/C works fine first time you turn it on.  Runs for 10 min then stops cooling.  I got it checked out.  There were no leaks in the system.  The mechanic's guess was, compressor doesn't turn on when it is hot.  He gave me an estimate of $1100 to replace the compressor, receiver dryer, evacuate, recharge etc.  Is this the only way to fix the problem?  Could it be something else that causes compressor to stop when it is hot?  I would appreciate it a lot if someone could help me out.

Answer:  When the air-conditioning compressor stops working, check the voltage to the magnetic clutch coil.  If you have 12-volts, then the clutch coil is probably weak and needs to be replaced.  It is extremely difficult to help you further with seeing your car – we can only guess that either the clutch is failing or the compressor is starting to seize.

Question:  1999 Honda Civic mileage: 130,000. My car began making a choppy sound when it was cold (it being the weather and the car). I live in Texas and so it was not cold very often.  However, when I started it this morning and the weather was less than 40 degrees, it sounded as if I had a propeller for an engine.  However, it seemed to go away after I added a fuel system cleaner (Techron concentrate) to the gas tank.  Last night I began driving it home and I heard a squeaking sound periodically (especially when I was driving very slowly).  The sound was accompanied by another more screechy sound that seemed to occur randomly.  I decided it was a belt of some sort so I thought I'd put it in the next day.  However, on the way home it slowed (it was if I'd driven off the road and was driving in tar).  The engine was still running, but barely.  Half a mile later, the engine died.  Fast-forward to the part where my mechanic informs me that my distributor assembly, coils, etc are entirely burnt-up and they need to be replaced.  My questions are: 1) He said that this happens on occasions with Hondas.  Is this true?   Why?  2) I'm not sure why the distributor assembly would cause, a prop sound along with screeching etc.  My mechanic says it’s all related.  I guess I'm not convinced.

Answer:  Honda has a real problem with their distributors.  You have done a fine job explaining what happens when the distributor starts to fail.  The noises you heard were most likely caused by the bearing in the distributor and a misfire caused by the faulty distributor.  Your mechanic is right they are all related.

Question:  1998 Honda Civic  mileage: 155,000.  I bought a liquid bottle called "fuel up"(for fuel system/anti-rust cleaner) pour half of the bottle in the gas tank (full), as recommended on the instructions.  Next day I drove my car for about 15 minutes and the "check engine" light came up, I stepped on the gas pedal and the car turned off, I started the car again and it turned on ok, and the check engine light went off.  I would like to know if it was the fuel system cleaner I bought or something wrong with the car.  Please help.  Thank you.

Answer:  We are not familiar with the product “fuel-up” but there is a chance that having it in the fuel system may have caused a malfunction in the oxygen sensor lighting your check engine light.

Question:  2000 Honda Civic mileage: 80,000.  I recently had 4 new Firestone tires installed on my car.  They were mounted and balanced.  The car for the first time since I owned it began pulling to the right.  Therefore, I had a 4-wheel alignment done.  My friend who did the alignment set everything exactly to spec.  The car still severely pulled to the right.  We then swapped the front tires and the car pulled to the left.  After consulting with a couple mechanics, they said the problem is the steel belts in the tires.  I returned to the tire shop.  They said the problem is a bent rim.  They swapped a back tire for the questionable front tire.  The car drives straight, but speaking with other mechanics, they say a bent rim will not cause the car to pull and putting the questionable tire in the rear disguises the problem.  Is the tire shop trying to pull one over on me?  Will a bent rim cause pull?  There is no shake in the steering wheel.

Answer:   The mechanic that said the problem is in the steal belts in the tires are probably correct.  We cannot conceive how a bent rim could cause the car to pull to one side.  If the rim is bent, it should show up on the spin balancer when they balance the tires.