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Hey everyone im new here, i just thought i would ask some of you guys that are more mechanically inclined instead of paying a mechanic tons of money just to diagnose my problems... anyways..

Car: 95 civic ex 144,xxx miles

1. When i drive my car, i notice the smell of something burning... idk what it is but it smells like burning antifreeze... there are no leaks that i see and i have no idea what it is... any suggestions?

2. After i drive my car for awhile and i turn it off for a short amount of time, it has trouble starting up again. when the engine is cold it starts fine, but when its warm it has trouble.. any ideas?

3. My civic is getting poor gas mileage.... i got 60 miles on half a tank. it goes through gas fast, and on top of that, the gas guage on my cluster is never accurate. it sometimes says im empty then half a mile later i have half a tank... help?

 
Rep Power: 217

1. Burning antifreeze has a very distinct odor. Smells like pankcakes and syrup. Basically smells sweet. This could come from a few things. Old radiator cap, a crack in your radiator. Perhaps a head gasket. Is the car overheating? Have you checked your radiator fluid recently?
2. Can't really say, but it could stem from number 1 in a way.
3. Older cars use a little floatie in the tank which varies depending on hill grade or turns. My old car was like that. I could go around a turn at a little over half a tank and the fuel light would come on. The **** poor mpgs can be caused by a number of things. May be in need of a tune up, but your problem sounds like it can be much worse. What's the condition of your exhaust system? O2 sensors?

 
Rep Power: 235

1. Coolant loss without a leak is a classic symptom of a bad headgasket. Do you have any steam or white smoke in the engine bay or out of the tailpipe?
2. Again, classic symptom. It has trouble starting because of fluid in the cylinders.
3. Poor MPG's could definitely be caused by the above mentioned. The fuel level indicator wouldn't affect the poor MPG's.

Is it overheating? Whether it's overheating or not you need to check coolant level and re-fill as necessary AND replace the radiator cap with an OEM one (cheap insurance). *DO NOT open a hot system. Antifreeze burns hurt really bad, I know. You can open the system when the upper radiator hose has no pressure when you squeeze it.* You also need to check for leak again real good just in case you missed it before.

Pull the spark plugs an see what they look like. Shine a light in the cylinders and see what they look like while you're there. Pics would be great.

When was the timing belt/waterpump replaced or ever?

When was the last time you did regular maintenance (air and fuel filters, spark plugs and wires)? May be time to do that but, it seems like you have something major wrong. Try getting codes out of it: http://check-engine-light-codes.blog...retrieval.html

 
Rep Power: 0

Hmmm sorry i forgot to mention, it doesnt overheat, but the coolant level seems to drop mysteriously....

i dont have to much info on it because i bought it recently, the only things i have done to it was replace the cat converter, fuel filter, ECT sensor, and spark plugs.

 
Rep Power: 367

head gasket likely 1-2-3
search for "overheating common causes" thread

 
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Na my car does not overheat.... it did once though, a hose ripped and coolant spilled everywhere but i fixed that

 
Rep Power: 367

head gasket troubles are listed in there, so check there
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...reference.html

 
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Thanks for the thread i just hope its not a HG i dont got the money for that...