Rep Power: 0

2005 civic lx auto- bought 3 mos ago, no warrantee- here's the whole story in case it helps:

1 month ago car unable to accelerate after stopping at red light with a noise as if I am pressing gas with it in park, yellow malfunction lamp comes on. As manual said, gas cap WAS loose- then car drives fine and light goes off after 3 trips.

Few weeks later same light and weird driving, gas cap may have been loose- didn’t feel like it- but then car drives fine and light goes off after 3 trips.


Few days later- light on and weird driving but gas cap is NOT loose and light doesn’t go out. Car can drive at higher speeds but cannot accelerate after I slow down a lot or stop. Have to restart car at every red light to get it to accelerate a little better. Mechanic pulls a p0122 code (tps malfunction and may be an intermittent problem) but he says cannot replace only the tps, need whole throttle body. Resets the code so light goes out and drives ok, but light comes on 3 trips later, again just after accelerating. Mech resets it again and its ok- but seems to lurch forward as if I’m slamming on the brakes while at low speeds or coming to a rolling stop. Accelerating very slowly seems to keep the light out and car driveable for this week.

Looking online- people say TB can be cleaned, mechanic says no, Honda says yes. Other say wiring problem, mech said “wires looked ok” Honda says maybe. Both say maybe to the TB replacement.

Honda charges $120 for diagnostic, which they say may or may not lead them to the definite solution. Labor $109/hr. TB itself is $350 through Honda which they say I should not get anywhere else. Mech said code says computer may have to be reset so he didn’t think he could do it. But honda says anyone can replace it and comp doesn’t have to be reset.


Bottom line and questions-------who should I believe? Everyone says the TB itself rarely has to be replaced. In the interest of being poor not getting ripped off, should I skip the diagnostic and just get the TB part and have my mech do it? Can I get it anywhere but Honda? Should I get the honda diagnostic in case its just dirty or worse, wiring problem that my mech doesn’t see? Is cleaning even possible or a culprit of the symptoms described? Did having a loose gas cap too often break the Tps?

Has anyone had the same problems described and what was the solution?

Thanks I am a clueless chic if you haven’t figured it out, with no smart men around who know **** about cars!

 
Rep Power: 0

TBH it doesn't really sound like your mechanic knows what he's talking about.

 
Rep Power: 0

The throttle body can be cleaned, usually by removing it from the engine. Throttle bodies are usually dependable, the TPS might be another story. I have an 01 civic with over 200k miles on it and have not had a problem with the TPS. See if parts store sells the TB, it may be a dealer only item, also check online. Did your mechanic troubleshoot/test the tps? Good luck.