Rep Power: 0

1. The CEL is on

2. While in cruising speeds abt 2500rpm in EVERY gear, the car starts to jerk and buck pretty violently. While accelerating it seems normal. Decelerating seems normal.

3. No apparent loss in MPG - Maybe a LITTLE.

Im pretty mechanical so if theres anything a mechanical guy can to do help diagnose the problem(like take some stuff apart and check and put it back. I am able)

I'm gonna take it in to get it checked on sometime in the near future but can anybody help give me peice of mind and what I am prepared to hear from my mechanic?

I searched. I got a lot of "shaking" but what I discribed it as jerking/bucking fits the discription 10000 times better

Thanks for the help in advance guys

 
Rep Power: 317

Go find out what code is coming from the CEL???

 
Rep Power: 260

might be a fuel pump. Get the code checked

 
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can you check your spark plugs? if they are not firing on all of them the engine jerks at certain rpm and loading. the spark plugs which are not firing are usually black. how many miles u got on ur car?

 
Rep Power: 424

Sounds like you're running on 3 cylinders. Captain obvious dictates you can solve the problem easier by scanning the code. You probably need an injector, a spark plug or a coil.

 
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Currently having the same problems (jerking, shaking when accerlerating) in my '03 Civic EX manual. Changed all four spark plugs (NGK's per spec.) a while back and the problem went away for a couple of weeks. Now, it's back...going to check the EGR next.

 
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you sir most likly (90% sure) have a miss fire you need to find out what teh cel is ... if the problem goes then comes back after plugs are changed you moght have a coil problem...

 
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i think its a spark plug.. check the code pls.

 
Rep Power: 219

Any Autozone will check it for free for ya.

 
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The Autozones out here in CA no longer does this...liability issues. Before I changed the plugs, the CEL was on and had the following trouble codes: P0300, P0303, & P0304 (cylinder misfires). Now, when the car shakes, the CEL blinks occasionally and does not stay on. I will need to check again to see if there are any stored codes.

 
Rep Power: 811

could be blown headgasket leaking coolant into the cylinders. or a fuel injector problem. maybe one of em is clogged or not spraying a mist like it should.

 
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OK...the jerking, hesitating is progressively getting worse. The CEL is back ON again and the following trouble codes were detected:
P0301 - Misfire detected in Cyl. 1
P0303 - Misfire detected in Cyl. 3
P0300 - Random misfires detected

All four plugs were recently replaced (NGK's) <2 months ago. I will remove and check them again this weekend. Very frustrating...

 
Rep Power: 0

make sure that they gap them to you motor. if not changing them again will do nothing. i have had some friends that got plugs and they never asked to gap them or they never asked you if you wanted them gapped. when you go just ask can i have my sparkplugs gapped. then let me know what happends.


manuel

 
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The NGK's came gapped to the vehicle's specs. Trying to re-gap them will damage the electrodes.

This jerking, shaking thing is occuring in a LOT of Civics out there and I am quite dismayed a solution has not been found.

 
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gearbox, do you have step-by-step directions on how to remove and clean the fuel injectors on a '03 Civic EX?

 
Rep Power: 253

headgasket?

 
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i never said REGAP YOUR SPARK PLUGS. if every auto zone and advance auto parts stores sold pregaped spark plugs for the specs on every car, truck, suv, van, busses and so on not to say every motor size then all they would sell are spark plugs. why do you think they sell the tool to gap them yourself. im not saying that you dont know what you are talking about im just saying what i know. and i have ngk uritium spark plugs in my civic and they had to gap them for me and im going on 3 and a half years with them and no problems.

manuel

 
Rep Power: 0

What about valve clearances? Mine have not been adjusted since purchase. Currently at 76k miles. Can this be the cause for the car to hiccup and misfire?

 
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I'de like to know this myself. I have a 98 accord ex that is doing the misfire thing with the same exact codes, but the missing ONLY happens during idle. I did a leakdown test and found some minor issues, but this issue just started suddenly and not progressively. I hope more input is given on this......this could get interesting.

 
Rep Power: 811

usually valves being out of adjustment will not cause major issues. injectors need to be sent off for cleaning.

http://www.cruzinperformance.com/fuelinj.html

 
Rep Power: 811

usually valves being out of adjustment will not cause major issues. injectors need to be sent off for cleaning.

http://www.cruzinperformance.com/fuelinj.html

 
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just get the plugs right. then like gearbox said you might have to change your injectors but before i would do that i would pass a bottle of lucas fuel injection cleanner in my car. 1 it cheaper than new injectors and might fix the problem and save alot of time and money. when your gass is real low you mix it in your gas tank and then fill her up. because i have a vafc2 in my civic and we are trying to set the fuel for all my gears and sometime if we put too much or too little it would start to spudder but when im off of running it it runs normal. it also has a 2 step for me to set, we put it at 4000 rpm and it launches hard but when i get to past 4000rpm in 2nd it sputters like booop....booop....booop then i turn off the 2 step it runs fine because im not using no more or less fuel than i normally should be. thats why when i put my turbo on i just recently bought some rc 550cc injectors compared to my stock 220cc or 240cc injectors. try that and keep me posted, if that still doesnt fix it i have alot of friends that are honda certified tecs.

manuel

 
Rep Power: 0

I re-checked all the plugs and connections to the ignition coils -- everything is tight. Pumped in a half-tank of Chevron's super unleaded and poured in a bottle of Lucas FI cleaner. Will report back in a couple of days...

 
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alright keep us posted.

 
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It's been a couple of days already and the symptoms (jerking and hesitating when accelerating) have NOT come back, so for now, the half tank of super unleaded and bottle of Lucas FI cleaner seem to be working!!! Thanks, dude!

 
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no problem anytime.

 
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The problem came back after a couple of fill-ups since pouring in the Lucas. Also noticed that the heater is taking longer to blow warm air and it even fluctuates from hot to cold when the dial is turned all the way to the HOT position and the car has been running for a while.

 
Rep Power: 0

Sounds like a head gasket to me, since the heating issue could be coolant related. Do you have any white, milky substance in your oil? Do a compression check and a vacuum check. If you have low compression on to adjacent cylinders it's probably a head gasket. Or, if you are getting oil on the electrodes on your spark plugs, you might have worn rings, which would also cause low compression, and the oil on the plugs would cause misfire/ fouled plugs.

 
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And he's right on the gapping. Even if they say they're pre-gapped, I ALWAYS check the gap on my plugs. I run NGK Iridiums also, just put some in the other day. I only had to adjust the gap by .001-.002", but they are usually bigger gap than you need, so all you have to do is press them down a little, you don't have to touch the electrode. The only plugs you don't gap are those four-pronged things, I forget what they are called. Also, you're only supposed to tighten them 1/2-2/3 turn after finger tight and I try to look in there to get all of the hexes lined up the same so the gap is pointing the same way.

 
Rep Power: 253

I win!! I called headgasket..check to see if your getting exhaust gasses in your coolant.