Rep Power: 0

I'm new to the forum and a new Civic owner. I bought an 02 Civic Coupe for my daughter with 85k. The vehicle had been in an accident but when we drove it, it drove fine. Not long after, while driving when you hit a good enough bump it - for lack of a better term - jumps to the right. Front and back and come back in line. Kind of like hitting a small patch of ice, for us northerner's. The front and rear sway bar links have now been replaced. When I put new front brakes on it I didn't notice any play in the wheel bearings. I can't imagine this is normal for a coupe. I am way too **** with my vehicles and I can't figure this out. The tires have about 10K left on them, but do not look like they were faithfully rotated, if at all.

Also, if anyone has an idea where a common short for the interior lights would be at let me know before I loose my ever loving mind and tear things apart there, too. And I have I have to replace the driver seat belt to get of the dash light. I just need a good source to purchase it. Any help is greatly appreciated. My biggest concern right now is the suspension.

Thank you in advance.

 
Rep Power: 518

Steering wheel straight ahead.
Get out of the car.
Get down on your knees.
Sight down the side of one of the tires. Repeat for all 4 tires.
See if one if the tires is not pointing straight ahead.

From the description you gave, my first thought is that sounds like at least one of them will be pointing somewhere far away from straight ahead, while the rest point straight ahead.

If it has been crashed and shoddily repaired, there could easily be chassis and suspension parts bent.
Better get a professional to drive it, rack it, and check it out.

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Elaborate on the problem with the "interior lights".
Be specific. Be thorough.

A "short" is a very specific term that is most often used incorrectly by people that have no real knowledge of electricity and electrical theory, and they tend to assume every electrical problem MUST be a short.
Guess what category you just fell into.

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There are plenty of Honda dealerships with websites on the internet that are more than happy to sell parts for well below the manufacturers suggested list price. They have catalogs you can look up your own parts in, all online. Some of these even use factory catalog information, these are the ones you should look for. They will be Honda ONLY, you will not be choosing the cars manufacturer in a OE parts catalog.

If only there was some way to search for them.....

(Did anyone see what I did there?)

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The shop I work at covers the buckles under the lifetime seatbelt warranty.
Some dealers will *NOT* cover them under the warranty.
TECHNICALLY, the problem that causes the SRS light issue is not covered under the seat belt warranty.

Now: If you somehow have a buckle that does not latch, that IS technically covered by the lifetime seatbelt warranty.
But: If someone finds a penny stuffed into the slot making the buckle not work, that isn't warranty.

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HTH

 
Rep Power: 0

E-zone - Thank you for all the information. I should have elaborated the "short" issue. It simply is this. Put in fuse. It goes POP! when the lights are activated. I am using the correct size fuse and no I won't stick 30 amp in there and look for the smoke :-) I wasn't sure if there wasn't a common problem where wiring would run too close to a body joint, weld, pinch point etc. I haven't bought any books for the car yet so if you can recommend something more comprehensive than a chiltons or haynes, I'm all ears.

I'll have our friend put the car on his new rack and check the alignment and suspension after I look at the tires. Thanks again. I look forward to hearing from you. I should make sure that belt is latching properly too while I'm at it!

 
Rep Power: 518

Ok, good. Correct use of the term.
+1 internets for you.
LOL


First, figure out if it blows then the parking lights come on, or when the headlights come on.
Are there separate fuses for left and right sides? Some other clue to narrow down to some part of the car, instead of the whole car?

A thought:
Have a supply of fuses.
Have someone watch the lights. You need someone observant, not just someone that goes UHHHHHHHHHHH.

Some lights will probably work briefly before the fuse blows.
Or at least try to light up.
The ones that can't even try to light would be the one to start checking for the short at.

Next thought:
Go to the areas where there has been body damage and bodyshop work. Look for where lights have been worked with, and wherever harnesses run through and to those lights.
Human errors are the #1 cause of wiring issues in these cars.
The factory rarely got it wrong.



Have you checked for the SRS codes, to make sure it is only the buckle causing the light to stay on? If it has been crashed, it could have deployment codes. Just saying.


HTH