Rep Power: 0

Ok, this is not my car, it's my ex wife's but she needs help and I said I would help her out. She has a 1995 Civic EX with 233,000 miles on it. The car has a surging idle that goes from 1000-1500 rmp whenever the car is at rest with the clutch in or out. The check engine light came on for the first time yesterday.

I took it to the local parts store but this one doesn't read codes anymore so I have to find another one tomorrow. The guy there said it was a vacuum leak and I searched to no avail on the intake hose. Any ideas what would cause the surging idle? Also, I did a search on idle and saw alot of posts mentioning relearn the idle but I couldn't find one explaining how to do it on a 1995 Civic. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also, with this many miles, does anyone recommend any additives like Lucas or Restore for the engine oil?

Sorry Mods, noticed that this is in the wrong section. Can I get it moved?

 
Rep Power: 812

usually surging idle is caused by bad tps (throttle position sensor) on the throttle body. meaning the whole tb will need to be replaced. usually pretty cheap for a used one on ebay $50-100 and clean it up before installing. thats assuming you dont have any vacuum leak tho. with that old of a car, one of the hoses may be worn out. and check pcv valve too while youre at it.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm only finding ones on ebay for an AT transmission. I will try the local breaker yard tomorrow to see what I can find.

 
Rep Power: 812

yeah dont get the auto tb if you have a manual, it wont work.

 
Rep Power: 0

I still haven't found one for sale, but a guy at a local shop told me to check the IAC valve. How would I do that?

 
Rep Power: 812

its the piece that has two coolant hoses going into it. usually bolted to the throttle body or intake manifold and has a few screws or bolts holding it on. you can clean up the insides with carb spray cleaner.