Civic - Honda :: 1996 - Rough Start But Runs Fine After That?
Jun 5, 2014
96 civic 120K miles, stock, automatic.
In March I was running low on fuel, maybe 1 gallon left in the tank. It took a few cranks and on the last try i gave it a little gas and it started, albeit very rocky for about 1 minute of driving, filled up immediately and 2 freeway miles later, no real issues. I live in LA so very low ambient temperature is not a problem.
April through May, starting was a little rocky, it was inconsistently rocky too, sometimes there was no problem. Usually it's weak, stuttering, sometimes just cranking but I seem to get it to start. I stopped giving the pedal gas because I read that's bad (I own a vintage bike, so it's news to me). I don't drive that far and figured I'd try some Seafoam and some freeway miles would clean out any debris. Worked for that tank a bit for the next tank before the problem came back.
Still getting the rough starts, but now when I give the car gas as I pull out sometimes it doesn't accelerate for 15-30 seconds, maybe 25 yards then it drive like normal. No dying at all but getting worse with starting up.
I've tried turning the key (not turning the engine over) 5 times and cranking on the 6th and it seems to work. I thought maybe it's the fuel pump or fuel filter but read it could be an ignition coil/ spark plug/ spark plug wire issue. Two different ball games.
My MPG is not really droppingI had a new fuel filter put in in February as routine maintenance (thing was on so tight had to bring it to a shop so no rookie mistakes there). Timing belt &water pump replaced 6,000 miles ago
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Have a 2001 Civic DX, Manual Transmission, 228K miles. 1.7L SOHC.
Recently changed front motor mount and timing belt on the same day.
I noticed the car running rough and is only rough at certain RPM. Here are the rpm ranges it runs rough, 700rpm which is idle, 2200-2400rpm and 3400rpm approximately. It idles at 700rpm which I believe is the idle rpm on my car, so thinking my timing is not off. One more thing I noticed is if I have AC on and reving down in rpm it sounds like it is about to shutoff (never shuts off) and get a stronger vibration and same thing when I turn the AC on at idle. With ac on my rpm are 720rpm give and take a few. I been driving with above symptom for 300mi+ so far, even got it upto 95mph, don't know if it is an indication of anything. Got new spark plugs installed at 220K miles.
Could it be the motor mount or my harmonic balancer is out of balance. I did have to use 3/4" impact wrench to knock the harmonic balancer bolt loose. It is a little rusty given I got 228K miles on it.
I am just dreading the thought of my timing being off by a tooth, me and my friend checked the timing marks per oem manual, he checked the cam shaft pulley marks and I did the crankshaft. When we installed the timing belt I only turned the engine counter clockwise so I would not cause a problem with timing belt slack. My AC belt may be a little too tight as well.
The motor mount I put in was an aftermarket one that I bought from amazon. But I have put in aftermarket mount before on the same car and never had anything like this. I am planning to loosen the motor mount, shake the engine, tighten them back up and see if it makes a difference. May be the engine is not seated properly.
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I have a 1999 Ford Escort SE wagon with 112k miles on it. Last week when leaving work my car started very rough. This was unusual so I killed and restarted the car about three times before letting it run it's course (~30 seconds), after which the car ran fine. About a week later on my way to work the car seemed to 'sputter' (for lack of a better word) when I pushed down on the petal looking for some power on two separate occasions. On each side of the sputters the car seemed to respond fine, but when it did sputter there was a severe lack of power. I got to and from work just fine, but while letting the car idle in the parking spot of my apartment for a minute before shutting off the engine the check engine light finally came on. The following morning the car again started rough (as if it were misfiring/running on 3 of 4 cylinders) and this time it took a good minute before smoothing out. However, after the car smoothed out I experienced no issues on the way to work, no sputtering, no loss of power, nothing. Doing some initial online research I feel that the problem may be one (or more) of the following:
-Fuel pump
-Vacuum lines
-O2 Sensor
-Spark plugs (they are original)
-Fuel Filter (it is actually past due for replacement)
I plan on getting this checked out ASAP, but that still may be 2ish weeks away with my schedule. Some similar reports say that I may be having a 'lean mixture' issue (not getting enough fuel), but I haven't had the time to check the code. My question is, how "safe" is it to continue driving my car with the current situation? Is it at a super high risk of failure/random stalling during rush hour? Will it cause any damage to the engine if there is a cylinder misfire upon start up? I was also wondering if the car would be reasonably reliable to drive on a ~400 mile road trip on an upcoming weekend, but I am making plans as if it is not.
Additional Details:-Tried charging the fuel lines (car to 'ON' then 'OFF' position 3-4 times), had no effect on the morning start-up-Commute to/from work is about 20 miles
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I've got a great little 1991 Civic DX, 1.5L manual. It's never let me down and I love working on it.
Stalled on the highway a couple weeks ago and I couldn't get it re-started. Over the years, it's had a bit of a personality where it chugs and occasionally stalls at a low idle, or when very slowly accelerating from a stop. If I'm sitting still, I'll turn the key to full off, give it about 30 seconds, and it'll start right back up. For whatever reason just re-starting without turning off never seemed to work.
So since it stalled on the highway and I wasn't able to get it started at all, here's the list I've replaced or completed:- main relay- fuel filter- plug wires- spark plugs (the old ones were due, but not overdue, and all four were pretty fouled with burned oil and had oil in the wells)- spark plug well o-rings and valve cover gaskets- and fully charged the battery
At this point, if I let it sit until it's cool, it'll start right back up with no trouble. Then once it warms, it starts to run a bit rough, eventually chugs, stalls, and then I can't get it started again - spins a few times, then kinda sticks, then spins a few times, and kinda sticks again.
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This problem has been getting worse over the last 2 years. When the car starts it idles fine at about 1000 RPM. As soon as it warms up, it starts to idle rough, between 500 and 750 RPM. It almost quits running. As soon as you give the car some gas it runs just fine. About 3 weeks ago I got a "Engine Lean" check engine light error. I reset the system and have not gotten the error again. Since then I have: changed the MAF cleaned the EGR (made sure it closes completely and ohm out the coils in the actuator) changed the O2 meter on the exhaust manifold cleaned out the throttle body Ohmed out the air idle controller. What I should check next. I was planning to check the fuel pressure in case it is a fuel system problem. It is a 1999 ....
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My husband was just returning from a long car trip in our 1996 Honda Civic when the engine seemed to downshift, start revving, there was a clicking sound, and so he put it in neutral and pulled off to the side of the road. As he was pulling off, there was a loud popping sound, clicking continued, and the car died. He could restart it, still clicking, seemed like it was running in a really low gear. Had it towed to a CarTalk recommended auto repair shop which put him about 2.5 hours from home. The garage called us and said that the car had almost no oil in it and it was likely that the engine was starting to seize and pretty much done for.
So regarding the low oil...we got an oil change right before the trip, so we were not quite 1500 miles, and three days into the oil change. The oil light never came on (until the car stalled and ALL the lights came on.) or my husband obviously would have stopped sooner. The garage is now putting the car up and trying to figure out where all the oil went. They put in over three quarts to fill it up.
My question...could the car have gone for 1500 miles with the old oil drained and no new oil added? We're talking pretty intense freeway driving here. Why didn't the oil light go on? Could the oil change place have done or neglected to do something that precipitated the demise of our Civic's engine? I'll update this post when I hear back from the garage.
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1995 Honda EX with 150,000 miles. Its been running rough ie rough idle, stalling at low rpms etc Additionally for awhile now when humidy reached north of 85% the car wont start. It cranks but rarely runs.
Took it to a mechanic last week for a tuneup. They replaced the Distributor cap, spark plug and wires and fuel filter. Car ran great for a day. Then progressively got worse. Was undriveable the other day stalling misfiring while at speed. Took it back today. They determined that it was still not getting spark and replaced the distributor. They did so, test drove it, declared it good and I came to pick it up. Paid the bill, walked out to the car and the damn thing would not start. Humidity was high.
Mechanic pulled a spark plug and put a tester in and didn't get a spark when cranking. He is assuming the distributor he just put in is bad. So they are keeping the car overnight to be fixed in the morning with a new distributor.
However I'm not convinced the dizzy is bad, I believe, as I've read that the Honda's ECU is probably bad and shorting out in the high humidity. Can a bad ECU would prevent spark?
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The car idles rough on cold mornings but runs fine. It will stall while idling but starts back easily. I am getting a 1131 and a 1151 code with my scanner along with 0300 and lean bank 1 codes. I started having these problems after I had to remove the upper intake to replace coil packs. I was getting egr code and had an egr port completely block off but cleaned that out and no longer get the egr codes. Spraying carb cleaner around the engine I get a very slight bump in rpm around a couple of the intake ports could that be my problem or should I look deeper?
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Starts fine. Runs fine till warmed up. Then dies at idle and runs rough on gear till 1000 rpm. Has only coded iac when unplugged. But would idle with it unplugged. I replaced it. Also got crank can code once while checking it ...
2001 dodge ram 1500 318 engine ....
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I drive an 03 Civic Hybrid. Twice, a week apart, while driving about 50, the speedometer goes to zero, then the power steering goes out and I lose power and momentum. The dash indicator lights go on like a christmas tree, engine still running, but car sluggish. I shut it off, and then get no power at all, not even hazard lights, and car won't start. With jumper cables, it starts right up and runs like nothing happened. IMA and check engine lights are both on, and have been since I bought it three years ago. In those years, my gas mileage has been consistent (42mpg) and no other funny business. Dealer won't work on it except to replace IMA and O2 sensors, which it has always coded for, and would cost the value of the car. What to do?
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I have a 1994 Honda Civic LX. It has a new 4 month old radiator and the fluid level is good. When I do in city driving I have no real heat to speak of. But when I get on the highway the heat kicks back in.
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2000 F350. Starts great. Idles fine. After it warms up a little, it will run rough and lose power like it is only hitting on a few cylinders. It will eventually stall unless I push the clutch in and bring it back to idle and then it smooths back out. I figured it was starving for fuel but I can rev it with the clutch in with no issue. I ran it up to 2500 rpm and held it there with the clutch in and ran perfect.
I let the clutch out and start rolling....missing again. The check engine light does come on but my scanner says that there are no codes stored. If I idle it, it will smooth out, and the light goes off. All I have done so far was change the fuel filter which was almost plugged shut and the housing was full of rust looking debris which I cleaned out. BINGO! Nope. Same issue.
I am really at a loss as to where to start. I bought this with 120k on it and it now has 170k and I have not had to do anything other than routine maintenance.
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Let me start with I have a 2003 f250 5.4. The motor blew on my truck and I had a 100k motor dropped in it. I've put new spark plugs, ohmd out the coils. I tried both sets of injectors. cat delete and new fuel pump. It has rough idle and stalls but runs fine at higher rpms. Also has basically no brakes. I am thinking vacuum but I've check all the lines. No codes either!! also cleaned throttle body.
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I bought an avenger that runs a little rough and I am trying to figure out if I have a fuel and air problem or a broken motor mount. In neutral or any other gear the car does not shake. In drive it shakes horrendously. Watching the engine as the car is put in drive the engine moves towards you a about 3 or so inches. Now with throttling the car takes a while to accelerate even after I stomp it on the highway to merge. On home roads I can let off the gas and the car will sustain itself at 25 to 30 mph. 1st gear is not very responsive. All other gears seem to be ok with acceleration. I am trying to find a good starting point.
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Started happening 3 days ago. This only occurs when the car is idle and the A/C is on. It does not kill the engine but makes it bog down during this. The cycle is that it dies this and then runs smooth for 30 seconds before starting again. Does not happen when in gear (that im aware of) When traveling in neighborhoods the air blows cool, main roads cold, highway ice cold. Idle it blows warm. I will be able to test the coolant levels with a friends gauge tomorrow. What is causing this.
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I've got a 2004 Honda Civic with the 1.7L engine. I drive for about five miles and the engine stops suddenly but only for a half-second then runs again like normal. At the same time, there is a click - click behind my glove box. Relays I'm almost sure. And the way it happens is :click > engine stopsclick > engine continues running normally. Used to happen only on hot days, now it does when it's cool out once the engine is warmed up.
After it does this over and over about 6 times the Check Engine Light comes on and it doesn't jerk so hard, but stumbles kinda mildly, but all the time - though usually by this time I have gotten off the road and am swearing loudly.The Honda mechanics are running the clock RIGHT NOW and it may cost me a fortune - Also, there is no error code showing. Nothing. And I also replaced some relays, to no avail, because I read about cracked solder problems someplace...
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I just bought a 96 civic. The seller said he used the ac last year, after they charged it, with no problems. The ac was not cold now. I have the filling cable that only goes on the low pressure side. We turned the car and the ac on. I noticed that he had been driving the car with the ac turned on even though it was not cold. I connected the hose and it read 0 psi. It began to fill and you could tell it took some Freon nicely, maybe an ounce or 2, then, the compressor behaved like it was working real hard, the engine began working hard, the belt squealed for a minute, then stopped, the compressor began to smoke. The smoke was coming from between the compressor housing and the pulley. It smelled like the “I just burnt up my engine smell”, shortly after I began filling the low pressure read in the yellow range of the gauge. It did take some Freon in the normal range. I would like to mention that last summer I had used the pag 100 oil charge which some had been sitting in the fill hose all winter, don’t know if this makes a difference but I thought I should mention it
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My 96 civic stalls when i put in drive sometimes, problem comes go's, was told tps sensor or trans control solenoid ?
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Often, when starting it will run rough and throw different misfire codes. Most of the time it smooths out in short order (a minute or less). When it doesn't smooth out quickly, it smooths out when I clear the code. Also, rarely it will start very hard. I have to wimd out the starter pretty good to get it to start. All that I have done is cleaned the MAF sensor.
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I have a 96 honda civic that I can't seem to figure out why its overheating. I've changed the water pump, thermostat, radiator cap, and cleaned the system a number of times. It only seems to overheat when I'm on the free way and up to speed. When I get to my destination I see that the water overflow is full of water like to the top of the filler, so the water is being ejected out of the system. It also seems to have a lot of pressure in the system.
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I have a problem with my Durango whenever i drive my car it is fine and normal. When i get to where I am at and i try to start my car again it will just turn over like it wants to start but doesnt. I just recently started driving the car for about 4 days ago and it drove fine. Until yesterday i got to my shop and tried to start it.. it will just crank. I scanned it and it turned out i had a bad crankshaft sensor. I gone ahead and replace that and the car starts up fine. I drove it around town and then this morning drove it to work and when i tried to leave for lunch it did the same thing. It cranks but does not fire up. I scanned it.. and no codes. My dad was saying something like sometimes it has sparks going to the crank and sometimes it doesn't.
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