1996 Honda Civic engine stalling

Tiny
LEIF DAGULO
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 HONDA CIVIC
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 110,000 MILES
Hi, i'm Leif from the Philippines. My car is a 96 civic. I'm having problems with the my car's engine. When I'm driving for about 30 kms, with ac, it's fine But when I come to a stop, the engine seems to stall, I step on the accelerator so that the engine doesn't die. But when I start to move, the same problem occurs. When I turn off my ac, the car starts to run smoothly again. I have no idea what the problem is, please help me out. Thanks sirs!
Monday, March 23rd, 2009 AT 10:30 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
F4I_GUY
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,302 POSTS
You may have a vacuum leak or an IACV issue.

What does your vehicle normally idle at with the a/c off and the vehicle at operating temperature?
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 AT 5:34 PM
Tiny
LEIF DAGULO
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
W/o the ac it idles at 1000
w/ac it goes lower, around 800, is that normal? And what is an IACV? Thanks sir!
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 AT 7:25 PM
Tiny
F4I_GUY
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,302 POSTS
IACV is your idle air control valve. This valve allows air to bypass your throttle plate into the engine while your foot is off the gas. Basically it allows your vehicle to idle by controlling the amount of air. This valve is very problematic on hondas, but usually they cause a surging idle (the idle will fluctuate from 1000-2000rpm usually)

Your vehicle should idle at 750-800rpm when it is fully warmed up. The fact that it idles at 1000rpm has me thinking you may have a vacuum leak. Do you notice any hissing as soon as you shut off the vehicle? It'll last for about a quick second after you shut off the vehicle. If you do, you have a large vacuum leak. If you do not hear any hissing I would try finding the leak with either a propane tank or some flammable aerosoil such as brake cleaner.
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 AT 9:05 PM
Tiny
ROBERT CRUZ
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
The RMP ARE TO LOW
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 AT 9:41 PM
Tiny
BLACKHONDA2009
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Reggie here from philippines too, have same problem with my honda , rpm falls to 200-300 rpm when you release the accelerator, this is when the aircon is on. At times it is ok but when the rpm falls, you can feel that the engine is vibrating somewhat. Rpm falls then up again, it should be that the rpm needle stays on it's original 800-900 rpm during idle when I release the accelerator. Please help too.

Hey Leif, could you text me 09178002383 for some tips if your car problem is already resolved?
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 AT 12:20 AM

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