misssandyp

first i just want to say, i'm new here but in much needed help . . .

my 2005 honda civic ex broken down on my the other day. it started to shake really bad whilst idling and eventually shut off. got my car home and my neighbor [who is a mechanic] checked it out and found out that i had a melted ignition coil. the spark plug is also melted and still in the engine . . .

my question is how does something like that even happen? my neighbor also told me its possible that the spark plug melted and is stuck to the piston??? will i need a new engine?

also, does anyone know what kind of warranty a 2005 civic engine has? i have 58k miles at the moment.

thanks in advance.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

wow very very rare for a coil pack to melt or even go bad. the only thing i can think of is the spark plug got old and the gap was over spec, causing it to pull alot more power thru the coil to fire itself. coils are normally made to outlast the car. try and get the spark plug out first and go from there. replace the plug and coil and hope that nothing goes wrong again. a 2005 will not have any factory warranty, but its easy to fix yourself. i have a used coil pack in perfect working order for $15 shipped if you want it. theyre normally over $50 for a new one at the dealer.

misssandyp

yea anyone i've told has said its really rare.

i just talked to my dad because he talked to the neighbor. apparently the threads are stripped on the head. which i assume means i need a new head??

as far as the warranty goes, if they don't cover it i imagine it will be an expensive fix??

i'm learning all this car stuff now . . .

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yikes, yeah there is no way to really repair the threads on the car because metal shavings will go inside the motor. only option is take off the head and at that point, might as well just put a different head in. try and find a used head local or online, because a new one is gonna cost you a ton. be sure to have a machine shop test the head for compression and warpage and clean it up. and replacing the head is also very expensive. its a huge process that requires taking apart most of the engine bay parts. most shops charge between $500-1000 just for replacing it. and you also need new head gasket, intake mani gasket, exhaust gasket, oil, and coolant. i also strongly recommend replacing all 10 head bolts with new ones. they are also expensive at $10 a piece. i would estimate maybe $250 for misc parts, plus the head (over $1000 for new, maybe $200 used), and labor $500-1000. cheapest you are looking at is around $1k but it could end up being alot more. may as well replace the waterpump and timing belt since everything will be taken apart and its easy to throw them on.

misssandyp

wow. yea that's a lot . . . bleh.

thanks so much for your help!

jagass

Welcome to the forum...

misssandyp

so a follow up . . .

i went to honda today to ask about warranties and such and explained what happened to my car to the service advisor. he explained that the factory spark plug has a 105k mile warranty and if they find that the issues were due to the spark plug honda will cover most, if not all the cost, considering that my car only has 58k miles.

i'm going to have my car towed into honda tomorrow to see what they say and if they will cover whatever it is that will be needed. if they don't then i'll look to have it serviced elsewhere because i know it can cost a lot through honda.

he said a similar issue happened with an 06 civic with way more miles than my car had and honda covered most of the expenses . . . i'm crossing my fingers in hopes they will cover it . . . i'll keep you guys posted.

mr22508

Well first off and foremost, WELCOME to the forum... It's kinda jacked up that you had to come in with this kind of issue, but That is what the forums are for I guess, help fix and mod the vehicle!!! Hopefully if you get lucky, honda will cover the problem. I had a plug melt on me, but it was due to not hot enough plugs, and a fifty shot of nitrous!!! Best of luck to ya!!!

mr22508

Sorry I meant to say TOO HOT of plugs and a fifty shot!

misssandyp

yowza that cant be good . . .

mr22508

No it wasnt! But luckily I didnt destroy nothing! I got away with tappin the *** of nitrous and getting away with it! at least for the time being!

pantherss

Did Honda pay for this? I have an 03 with 70000 miles. Same issue

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i have some extra used coil packs if you need any. you can take them all off and measure the resistance (ohms) of each coil using a multimeter. they should all be close to the same value. if one coil is way off, its bad.