Rep Power: 812

I know civics are slow and have their problems, but my car has so many I don't know what to do. Can you guys offer any help?

1) low gas mileage (22mpg) and messed up fuel gauge that NEVER reads the right amount of gas despite getting a new fuel sender.

2) Engine sounds horrible after and during A/C use. Sounds like a very bad rattle or growling.

3) Can't feel VTEC engage at higher rpms anymore. I used to be able to.

4) When cruising at constant speed, pressing on the gas slightly causes rpms to drop like the engine is bogged down.

5) Car feels very slow--more so than usual at certain times. After some driving, I can press the gas down and it feels like the car doesn't want to go.

Old dealer says since the check engine light is not on, your car is fine. I'm going to the new dealer in a few weeks to see if they're any better. Any ideas on what I can do would be great. And I have a new air filter, good tire pressure, and the car is stock except for a muffler.

 
Rep Power: 434

You can feel your VTEC engage? Interesting...

Anyways, sorry to hear about all those problems. I can't drive around with more than 2 people in the car (me and someone in the passenger seat) or else the car won't move, or it will, but not up hills or very "quickly" as it would with only 2 people.

 
Rep Power: 295

hopefully the new dealer will be somewhat more helpful

 
Rep Power: 424

Try changing the spark plugs. That may explain shitty milage and the sluggishness. Its worth a try for the 10 bucks it would cost to get 4 new ones. Also try a bottle of injector flush. You may have just run some bad gas through the car.

 
Rep Power: 812

I'm thinking it might be gas. Now I get mobil1 instead of chevron cause there isn't any here. I still add that fuel system cleaner every 3k miles though. What are some good spark plugs?

 
Rep Power: 362

yep ... and make sure the spark plugs are gapped correctly. Try going for denso iridiums if you have money ... a lot of people say it's a waste of money, but you should just try them out to see if they are any better for your car ...

 
Rep Power: 0

do those oil additives or fuel system cleaners or those kinda of things worth money they cost? what are good things in the market?(name or brand)

 
Rep Power: 0

What's the mileage on your car?

 
Rep Power: 812

I only have 17000 miles. The mileage was really good when I first had the car. But during the last few thousand miles it has gotten progressively worse. When I had my SRI on, I was actually getting 25mpg. I took it off and it got much worse.

 
Rep Power: 302

Maybe you should try resetting the ECU if you haven't already.

 
Rep Power: 0

Damn, that's really bizarre for so few miles. And the platinum spark plugs should still be brand new at 17k... although changing them may not hurt, just to give it a shot and see what happens.

The only other thing I can think of at this time is to take it into an independent mechanic that knows Hondas, that you trust, and have them do a full diagnostic on your engine. It may cost a bit of cash, but at least they'll be more honest with you than your dealer, who seems to be trying to avoid any warranty work.

 
Rep Power: 0

Almost sounds like you might have a vacuum leak, make sure everything under the hood is tight and connected, check to make sure the intake is tight, plus check for any cracks in all the vacuum hoses. Just a tought.........

 
Rep Power: 301

I think my car is losing power also, ever since I put my intake on it seems like it has gotten slower and slower

 
Rep Power: 812

I had an intake and it robbed low end power. That's why I took it off. The funny thing was I got 2-3mpg more with the intake on! I'm hoping it's just the spark plugs that are bad. I'll post back when I get them installed.

 
Rep Power: 362

depends on what kind of intake you put on

aem sri and injen sri suck ... despite tons of fans liking them on this site

 
Rep Power: 0

It sounds like a fuel filter to me. Bad gas would clog it up in a hurry. Bogging under acceleration but gets better when you let off the gas is a classic dirty fuel filter symptom. Now as to where it is on the civic...don't know..Hell I don't even know if they have one (although I'm assuming they do). I'm not saying thats what it is...but it sure sounds like it to me.

 
Rep Power: 812

Fuel filter? Don't even know how to handle that problem. Hopefully it isn't, but I'll remember it if the new plugs don't help. The strange thing is it performs fine when the engine first warms up. Once it gets hotter from alot of driving, the engine starts lagging and it feels like it'll break if I step on the gas too much.

 
Rep Power: 0

fuel filter may be the cause. 20,000 miles is the recommended milage to change all that, and if you ran bad gas a few times, it may have shortened the life of the filter. wouldnt be a bad thing to look into. seems like it is somethign more though. sounds pretty strange for a new car.

 
Rep Power: 0

I have 11k miles on my 2003 coupe already... I hope I don't run into these problems...

 
Rep Power: 0

It's right next to the tank ... and you have to remove the rear seat in order to get at it from inside the cabin.

 
Rep Power: 453

maybe you just need a tune up, a major tune up. replace your spark plugs, ignition wires, timing belt, water pump, etc...

 
Rep Power: 0

I don't think any of your items listed are going to help him, for one there aren't any ignition wires, he has a EX. A water pump will not cause a car to run bad unless its leaking coolant, and I think that would be pretty obvious. If the timing belt slipped the car would run crappy all the time , in fact it might not run at all. I don't think spark plugs are the answer either, normally spark plugs will just cause a slight performance problem or just rough running, or a miss, but they won't make a car bog down, after the car is warmed up.

If it is the plugs by chance, then he has a problem somewhere else, because plugs with low milage don't just foul out without a reason.

What he describes sounds like a fuel managment problem, or a ECU problem, or a air managment problem. I'd take it into a shop and have it looked at instead of guessing and replacing parts.

 
Rep Power: 812

Well, I did order new plugs and they're coming Friday. The old ones were all black, which makes me wonder how they got bad so fast.

Anyone know exactly how to change a fuel filter?

 
Rep Power: 0

It's in the Helms manual if you have it ... doesn't look that easy though. Something I would let the dealer do on my car.

 
Rep Power: 302

Well, if the plugs are black, that's usually an over rich condition.
You DID retrain your ECU? It may be getting the wrong signals from the airflow sensor, or throttle sensor and inject too much gas. That would make it bog down when hot. I think someone already asked if any and all vacuum hoses are connected tight?
I doubt it's the fuel filter.

 
Rep Power: 812

I thought the ECU would learn on it's own. I did reset it a while back just in case. I'll probably do it again when I get all my new stuff installed just to be safe. The plugs may have gotten black from not driving hard enough to burn the carbon off. Who knows. I'll have some answers maybe in a few weeks.

 
Rep Power: 302

Yeah, put the new stuff on, then reset the ECU and let the car IDLE for 15 minutes without touching it. That should do it.
The ECU SHOULD learn on it's own, but it can and does screw up sometimes if things change too much. Then a proper reset is your best bet.

 
Rep Power: 331

are you using a high octane fuel?

 
Rep Power: 0

time for a full tune up...to hell the honda recomendations

 
Rep Power: 0

any car made today, doesn't matter who made it, shouldn't need a tune up at 20,000 miles. If his spark plugs are fouled or black then he has a much bigger problem than a fuel filter or tune up will cure. Spark plugs take for ever to wear out enough to cause a car to run crappy.

He has a fuel managment problem, or air intake problem.