amhudson02

My factory stock civic just started giving me issues. It's a 5 speed 4 cylinder. When I put it into gear it seems like there is no throttle response. When I push on the gas it takes forever for it to respond and ends up stalling and when I'm in nutreul it tacs out around 3500rpm. Any suggestions?

ezone

Miles?
Maintenance history?
CEL--codes?

Got oil, clean and full?

When did this start?
Did it come on suddenly or slowly?

Did this start after a cheapo air filter got installed?

amhudson02

74,000 miles. This just started suddenly. I have to CEL codes yet. Not due to an air filter either. I may need to take a peak at my oil level though. Oh yes and my check engine light has come on

ezone

The oil and CEL are where you need to start.

Have you slacked on oil changes much? (This includes using cheap oil.)

You would be surprised at the stuff I find.

amhudson02

I will admit that I should do better wit my oil changes. I know it needs to be done now...and badly. I use penzoil 5w30. Do you think that could really be causing this issue?

Matt_75

Lack of oil changes can cause the issues you're having. If there is enough sludge build up, you're blocking teeny tiny passage ways that allow oil to flow through, lubricate and cool your engine. On top of that if your oil is severely broken down then it is not lubricating correctly and will cause severe wear on your engine components.

The car topping out at around 3500 rpm is trying to keep you from blowing it up. The car knows there is a problem.

Do what ezone said. Check/change the oil and get the CEL code(s). You should probably do a general inspection of the engine including under the vehicle to see if you have any oil/transmission leaks as well.

ezone

Why do you think I would ask such a question?

I think you just may have made 3 strikes. Wrong oil, neglect, and now a sudden huge problem with how it runs. I think it may have jumped time.

Neglect of the oil changes, and using oil that does NOT meet Hondas sort of stringent specifications, both lead to excessive timing chain wear, and that leads to the chain jumping time. The engine runs like it is Anemic. No power.
Then, a little bit later it jumps time again and quits. It could do serious damage the second time.
No clue on price, and it ain't cheap. You may be at the mercy of a shop, and it had better be a good one.
I have had to deal with the work of amateurs, and it was not cheap.

Factory does not warranty problems like this because it is neglect. Not that there is any factory warranty on it anyway, if it turns out to be this.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

ive seen this first hand on my parents 92 accord. they bought it new, dont drive much, usually make short trips, almost never do any maint not even oil change. a couple yrs ago (only 100k on the engine) i came back to visit and drove it, i couldnt believe what a total disaster it was in. aside from leaks, the engine had no power, stumbling when you press the gas, and idle stalls. mind you this is the 2.2L so it should have way more torque than a civic. i opened the valve cover to fix that gasket and the tube seals and was shocked what i saw. huge clumps of "fluff" and junk all over the top of the valves, chunks and goo everywhere, varnish, i was shocked how the engine could even run at all. i grabbed handfulls of carbon chunks out as much as i could and closed it back up. ran a full treatment of auto-rx.com for 5k miles, then flushed with new oil and did the rinse. im changing the oil again next month. this stuff was really a miracle in a bottle and i would normally never say that. it feels like a brand new car again. no more idle drops, very strong acceleration, smooth idle, and back to 26/34mpg. the moving parts looked completely clean again (still some varnish but only on fixed parts). started using lc20 after that so i can go a year between oil changes and so far so good. luckily my civic never needed it. i do yearly oil changes in the civic too with lc20 and the engine is like new inside. just avoid short trips and make sure car is fully warmed up any time you drive. this is the main reason i would never buy a used car. vast majority of people do not take care of it and even 1 year is enough time to seriously screw up something. the time to worry is before something bad happens, not after. you would also benefit from opening up the intake system parts (throttle body and related sensors, pcv valve) and cleaning those out with carb spray. more than likely there is carbon all over them and causing sticking. you have a long road ahead of you so start with these and go from there. go to the auto store and have them read the check engine light too.