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I think the 2004 civic I purchased is slowly dying!! the power is getting worse. More I push the accelerator (chewing up the fuel now) the slower it is getting. I really takes awhile to get up to any speed. Is it time to look for a new motor??
I am gonna start with a compression test. then,...... I don't know. Any thoughts or remedies to try??

Please reply

 
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how many miles and do you have maintenance records?
Did you do minimum maintenance items after purchase?

Example: If there is a mice nest in the air filter it is not going to run well

 
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136,000 miles on engine, no maintenance records, replaced a few things like, new plugs, oil change, ran fuel cleaner through it. It has a cold air intake and a header exhaust system. The clutch is ready to go also. Talk about buyer beware!! Grrrrr

 
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Check the simple things first; filter, plugs, check engine light, oil, timing. Then worry about compression, clutch slipping, cat clogged, etc.

 
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How do I check the timing? also what should the compression be at? I heard no lower than 135

 
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also, what cars are you used to drive? there is a reason they are called econoboxes. I drive rentals a lot for work and the 7th gen civic are what is called momentum cars, can be fast in corners, but engine is not the best around (D-series engines are not K-series engines), 7th gen D-series are econo type engines.
136k miles should be OK if well maintained.

forget compression for now, check what else is wrong (or not)

 
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https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ne-timing.html

 
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My son has a bone stock 04 civic and it has the power you would expect, not neck breaking torque but descent power, mine,.... well not even close for an Si Vtech engine, I think this car was bagged before I purchased it. Wish I would have had a real mechanic look at it, again buyer beware. To bad, it really is a cool car. Black on black, 17" custom wheels. I super detailed it and it gets the thumbs up. It is too loud though with the crazy exhaust system. (sounds like a car at the race track). So, I really want to keep this car and get it running nice.

 
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huh, what is the diameter of the exhaust across engine/tip of the exhaust? too big and it will lose torque
does it still have a cat?

 
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My '01 LX was a total dog for the 50k miles I drove it. Transmission type does make a large difference too. The automatics are ridiculously slow, where the manuals are only really slow.

 
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cat is in it (sensor there also) has one of those AERO exhaust system and exhaust tip (really loud, kid stuff). I am gonna check the timing AM tomorrow, I think that is it. It popped out of 5th gear again and over revved the engine it started miss firing and hesitating. I pulled over on highway and shut the car down. after awhile it fired up got it home and it seemed to run okay, just weak on power. Thanks to all that sent the "how to" on checking timing!! Love this Forum!!

 
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5 th gear popping out? Check the base of shifter, the plastic ball at the pivot could be splitting and leaving enough play that it does not engage properly.

 
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checking plugged cat is not hard, just loosen any part before the cat to let gases out (manifold to engine should be in)

 
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I will check the ball of the shifter also, I use a bungie cord to hold it in gear, so if the ball at bottom of shifter is toast, could be the problem. I will disconnect the exhaust pipe from the header. Is that what you mean gassing out the cat?

 
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Oh, that's THIS car. I remember that thread.

Yeah, this one may need a once-over. It doesn't sound like it's been well maintained.

 
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no not well maintained, I think abused. Right now Im extremely intimidated by all this. watching videos on "how to". Gonna give it my best shot. checking the timing and the belt.

 
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I’d probably do a compression test before anything. I doubt timing is the issue. Look for large discrepancies between cylinders (beyond 10%).

 
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oh, right, was starting to jiggle me memory too

 
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Ya compression test for sure. I am so far into this car now ($$$$) got to keep going. To date I have done struts, rear springs, brakes, ball joints, 1 wheel bearing. Stuff to do now is lower control arm bushings (didn't know until I went in for wheel alignment), clutch is weak. I purchased a new to you 5 speed tranny to go with new clutch and,....... timing belt and water pump. Then find the time and know how to do it all. All in, my wife is going to kill me ($$$$)!! Also, she loses her parking spot in the garage,... she'll get over it,... I hope?

 
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Only one way to find out :P

Most of the work is pretty straightforward - it just takes getting used to. My first timing belt was on my '01 when it snapped and I was fortunate enough that it survived.

 
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I think alot of the stuff you need to do is easily fixed.
See how strong the gas smell is in the oil, then you will know how bad the rings are.

Does it have a cat? If the downstream O2 sensor is missing on the cat, the car will act weird and chug gas. Its also possible that the sensor that you see on the exhaust is the wrong one and not working properly. These cars are very sensitive to the OEM parts.
Check things like the EGR valve, IAC valve, VTEC solenoid if it has VTEC.
I also wonder if the ECU is having trouble regulating the timing, which would make it do weird things when you step further into the gas.
If it has a CAI on it, if the wire that was originally on the air box isnt connected it could act funny. (when compounded with the other issues)

Have you checked to see if theres any codes? If the motor is down on power there should be tons of codes. (hopefully you have a code reader) Codes will help you narrow this down so youre diagnosing instead of throwing parts at it.

 
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Thank you very much for the intel. I will get a code checker, your right could be a ton (no engine light at all whew!) and hopefully no more parts BUT, I just scored an exact car for parts (got the roof and windshield totalled by a deer on highway). Buddy is selling a ton of stuff to go with it,.... SCORE!!!. I will check codes and Im very sure I will be getting on the FORUM to ask all you great folks on what the,..... is this or that!!!