So this isn’t my girlfriend’s dad’s car, but it’s the same engine from a 2001 Civic. I haven’t dug into it much yet but you guys are pros when it comes to Hondas and if it’s something common and easy, this could save me a lot of time. I have some ideas but could be wrong. A general tune-up is definitely needed. The car leaks oil from a few places, and it definitely needs spark plugs, but no sputtering or bucking until about 2k RPM. I’m thinking it might be the MAF, throttle position sensor, or maybe a clogged cat? The car has about 180k miles. It doesn’t burn coolant or smoke, sounds like great compression. Her dad is pretty strict about me working on it (I’ve been a master tech for 10 years), but Hondas aren’t really my thing. I’m sure I can figure it out but it’ll take time since it’s an engine I don’t have much experience with. Any advice is appreciated! I’ve ruled out coil packs since it has no cap or rotor to clean. My last thought was maybe it’s a fuel issue. I need to get my code reader from my parents’ house, but it’s 6 hours away, and no one is willing to take it to AutoZone. I’ll grab a cheap code reader but that will just give me symptoms, so thanks in advance! Happy to join this forum. I used to have a Civic that looked like this, but mine had ‘VTEC’ on the plastic cover instead of just ‘Honda’. I miss that car. I’ll be checking the comments.
Sorry for the lack of info, but I have to sneak around the car because her dad’s paranoid it’ll break. It’s not going to last another 1000 miles this way, though. I’m going to buy the part once I figure it out and replace it while he sleeps during the day since he works nights. I’ll try to rig it so he has to drive the Cruze if I’m not done yet. It’s just frustrating because it’s a clean car but running so poorly. It’s literally my job to fix it, and I want to do it cheap since her parents are going through a tough time with medical bills and we’re supporting them.
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All options are possible: clogged air filter, failing fuel pump, bad spark plugs, dirty MAF, or a clogged cat. But I’d put my money on a bad coil pack. It’s easy to buy one and try it in each of the 4 positions to see if it fixes the problem. If it doesn’t, you can return it. I have the same Civic and several newer ones, and it’s almost always the coil pack, followed by the valve cover leaking, then blown engine mounts, and eventually lower suspension arms. If you do the coil pack, consider changing the plugs too. It’s only a couple more bucks for 4 plugs.
@Rory
Yeah, I’m going to do everything myself: trans pan and filter, oil pan and filter, clean the sludge and valves. The car looks great on the outside except for the faded headlights, which I’ll pay to replace. It’s got no rust, and it’s a Honda, so 180k miles isn’t much. My old Civic had almost three times that! The valve cover gasket definitely needs to be done. Honestly, the whole car needs to be resealed, but since it’s the only car they have, I wouldn’t pull the engine and tranny to do all the bearings and seals. It doesn’t burn oil, so maybe I’ll just do a light honing and deck the head for a little extra power. But really, I just want it to be reliable. I just put a battery in because it needed to be jumped every time. They’re going through a lot with medical bills, so I’m happy to help.
@Rory
I’m doing plugs and all filters this month anyway. I know it needs to be done, and I’ll do the valve cover gasket because I’m sure it’s wet around the plug base. I might clean the MAF sensor, maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll help. I could also grab a coil pack if nothing else works, just to check if they’re original. It feels more like a clogged cat, but the car seems too strong otherwise for that. I’ve dealt with that issue before. Well, I’m going to give it a much-needed tune-up. I’ll grab a coil pack, try it in each cylinder, and maybe that’ll fix it. Engine mounts are new, or at least newer than everything else. I might just clean the plugs and regap them for the drive to AutoZone, just because it can’t hurt. I assume AutoZone or NAPA or Advance will have a coil pack in stock. Thanks, I’m glad I’m on the right track. I have to find my pressure tester for the fuel rail in case the pump is weak. At least it’s a simple car!
Does it have a cat converter? It could be clogged. I had a similar issue with my 2001 Honda Odyssey, where the cat got plugged due to a clogged EGR. The symptoms were pretty similar to yours.
Jory said:
Does it have a cat converter? It could be clogged. I had a similar issue with my 2001 Honda Odyssey, where the cat got plugged due to a clogged EGR. The symptoms were pretty similar to yours.
Yes, the cat is still there. It doesn’t seem to get too hot when I check it with the heat gun, but I can only check it out of the car, not under load when the problem happens. I’m thinking of making a test pipe if the tune-up doesn’t help or at least if it doesn’t give me any clues.
