Rep Power: 811

Okay there are some things about this car that really make me wonder. Like today I was driving home and felt like the car didn't have enough power like always. Well then I see the rear defroster light on and say oh yea and turn it off. I guess its tied in with the a/c or something cause it uses alot of voltage. Its even worse with the ac on. feels like the car is running on 3 cylinders. I tell people this and they think i'm joking but its true. When I roll up two windows at a time it drains so much power that my idle rpm drops. Is it just me or is this car very fragile? Seems like every small detail affects the engine power in some way.

 
Rep Power: 300

i dont have this problem. maybe its a auto thing... cause my 5speed is still pretty peppy with defroster/rear defroster on, not as powerful as it is without it on but i can move still...

 
Rep Power: 256

Yeah, my idle drops, headlights dim and everything. Our cars just have a weak electrical system. Can't wait until I get my HO alternator.

 
Rep Power: 277

Mines fine with the rear defrost, its just the a/c.

 
Rep Power: 309

I dont have those problems, even with the a/c ON, the car runs smooth, runs a lot responsive when having the a/c off obviously. I guess it feels better when having the a/c ON because of the AEM pulleys, mine its a 5-speed.

 
Rep Power: 811

i guess if you only have 90whp in an auto, every few hp is noticable.

 
Rep Power: 0

I only have that problem with the a/c on... and i got a manual, so it must be a problem with the automatic versions. And i don't have power doors... so it never causes a problem like that... just causes other problems.

 
Rep Power: 336

dude part your car out, sell it and get a ford.
then when your done, beg for the civic to take you back.

 
Rep Power: 0

I noticed this on all compact cars small displacement four cyl. engines esp. automatics. My Vibe was a manual and it still drained power with the a/c or set to defrost. It's the same for Cavaliers, Sentras, Pt Cruisers, Neons I've had to drive those at various times. I always shut off the a/c or even the fan to get more power when I need it, It used to bother me but I got used to it coming from a larger engine. I used to drive Grand Prix GTP before basically downgrading to economy four cyl engines so I never had to worry about it sucking up power for the electrical system. And...I'm gonna have to wait until I can afford something with more power, but right now I'm glad that I can just pass by those pumps and not have to pay for premium, which also turned me away from buying a 7th gen eclipse.

 
Rep Power: 0

ok is that gearbox bitching about his superior civic? everytime i see you post about our vics, it's always, 7th gen civic is better this and that (see 8th gen review thread). what the hell is going on? the world is coming to an end.

 
Rep Power: 346

I don't know what the problem is. I passed an Echo earlier and I kept up with the other compacts on the highway earlier with the heater on. Hmm... I wonder if Ferrari's or Lambo's have any kind of issues like that where if you use the AC you lose a couple dozen horsepower or whatever... Someone should put a Ferrari on a dyno and check how much hp it will actually lose.

 
Rep Power: 811

its crazy even the wipers use alot of power and the turn signals.

 
Rep Power: 348

you guys must all have auto's because i dont have any of those porblems.

 
Rep Power: 287

in the end, its a commuter car and its not suppose to be powerful. civics are civics. slow, saves gas, and cheap to maintain. i also have a auto civics and i hate it b/c ALL of my friends have cars with 200+ hp. whenever we roll anywhere, im always flooring it just to catch up to their "crusing speed". use to bother me SOOO much but now, i dont care anymore. i just gave up and accepted that MY CAR IS SOOO ****ING SLOW THAT A AUTO NEON CAN SPANK ME. im done.

 
Rep Power: 0

I have this problem with my 5-speed. I mean, I just assume the car is always slow and I never really expect any power out of it, so maybe that's why I'm not so astounded by this.

 
Rep Power: 336

i thought you owned an s2k?

 
Rep Power: 0

yea my cars maybe the slowest car ever made........

 
Rep Power: 811

does anyone else have intermittant start problems like it cranked 10+ times before finally sputtering to a start? i think maybe its the weather cause its really foggy sometimes and then freezes into frost and maybe stuff like the tb is getting frozen shut.

 
Rep Power: 0

Mine cranks over about 3-4 times at most when it's cold outside, but I'm in Arizona

 
Rep Power: 330

never had that happen. yeah the cars electrical system is pretty weak. i wouldnt say its fragile though. a wrx is fragile, with that gearbox made out of glass. im still getting one though

 
Rep Power: 336

not here. 3-4 starts at worst. check your plugs and such

 
Rep Power: 0

ive had that happen.. also happens after long highway trips or extended periods of driving ( like 2.5 hours Plus of no shuttin it off ) and then shut it off for like 5 minutes and it takes like 3 minutes to get it started.. i thought it was the starter but whatever..

the problem with the headlights its something i noticed but when i threw in a regular sized optima that stopped.. also i have a 5spd but everyonce in a while it doesnt seem as peppy with the a/c AND defrost on..

 
Rep Power: 811

ya i have an upgraded headlight harness and they STILL dim! bah. but i guess as long as stuff works most of the time i'm not too worried. i'm sure other cars have even more probs.

 
Rep Power: 336

ive driven for 8 hours straight, turned off the car and turned it back on a few minutes later and it started hot like normal. wtf is wrong with yalls cars?

 
Rep Power: 0

I think we're just being picky....

 
Rep Power: 811

i guess with all those parts somethings gotta fail

 
Rep Power: 0

yah, its sux, i just punish my car... rev the **** outta it. that will teach it to be a punk.. hehe i know ur pain gearbox, when im flooring it and a school bus full of Fat kids just rolls on me. My first race was with a 1st gen prelude with a blowN headgasket and pepboys exhaust and neons, i lost.

 
Rep Power: 309

^haha

 
Rep Power: 300

this accually happened to me today, i remote started my car as i was walkin up to it, and it sputtered and stalled, i thought i was in gear so i get into my car and i wasnt, so i start it again, putter...stall. i was like wtf... one more time and it cranked. i dont know why it did that, i didnt drive it for a week, while i was in FLA, but i had my gf come over and start it and let run for like 30 minutes, on the really cold days. i dunno. might need new plugs, im at 55k been 12k since i bought it...

 
Rep Power: 256

i totally agree with u, its really sucks, when i roll the windows, my lights dim, when i have the ac or heater, its all slow, man, since i have an exhaust, u and i have my car parked, but on when i turn the wheel, u can ACTUALLY hear the power steering rev up my engine, its like dumb, and my dad has an 03 accord coupe, and he has no problem what so ever like that, we can be on the freeway with the ac on, and it still runs like a champ, but w/e thats why im selling mine