Civic - Honda - Airconditioning :: 1997 - AC Malfunction / Blow Hot Air
Mar 23, 2012
I have a '97 Honda Civic w/ about 168k miles, am hoping to get at least another year or two out of it before I go looking for a used Honda Fit or something similarly budget-minded to replace it. I just ran the A/C on cold for the first time this season (I realize I was running it all winter when I defrosted the windows), and it was clearly not working, just blowing hot air. Now, the last time I had anything done with the A/C was in 2005, when I was in a minor accident and the very nice mechanic flushed it and replaced the freon (if I have that right) for no extra charge in the course of uncrumpling the front of the car for me.
Which brings up two issues:
1) I no longer have a trustworthy mechanic where I live, and have had much difficulty finding one, and
2) the car already has a salvage title so is worth about $500 max.
Now, obviously it is worth more than that to me, since it will still be cheaper to fix than get anything else, but I have the impression that A/C repair could get quite expensive, and it is enough to make me wonder if I could afford the monthly payment and insurance increase on that used Honda Fit..
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I just received this car as a freebie but it has come with an issue or two. The most pressing is a cooling issue. They gave it to me with the words, "The radiator leaks". Upon some testing this doesn't seem to be the whole picture.
1) If I fill the radiator up, leave the car parked over night, the next morning the radiator is still full. so I assume it is leaking from steam venting or from something else.
2) The car overheats very fast when the AC is on and the vehicle is stopped. Within about 10 minutes it went through every drop in the radiator.
3) When driving with the AC fan on medium speed, it can go a solid 30-45 minutes with no issue.
4) If I turn the AC fan on to high it takes a matter of minutes for it to begin to over heat.
A friend mentioned something about a weeper valve? I know very little about cars. So if there was any insight as to what it may be that would be excellent.
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Problem: About 10 minutes after driving, the heat starts to blow out of the upper vents when the a/c is on automatic. The heat comes out even if the outdoor temperature is mild (55 – 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and the cabin temperature is warm, which heats up the SUV quickly making it very uncomfortable. Turning the a/c off tends to somewhat solve the problem some of the time, however, occasionally hot air creeps through the vents even with the a/c off. The a/c often makes a gurgling sound whether it is on or off. I noticed today (2/3/12) that the back vents are not affected by the problem, so the very warm air is only coming from the front upper vents.
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My AC stops working intermittently - I got a whole new compressor about 2 years ago, then it stopped working altogether about a month ago, they said they couldn't find any leak but filled it up w/ added dye. Now it blows cold for awhile on the highway, but will randomly blow warm air, and also blow warm air when I'm stopped at a light (Which is no good in Phoenix, AZ) I took it back in and they said they couldn't find a leak or anything wrong with it, that some hose was probably just freezing and then I would have to wait for it to thaw... but that doesn't explain why it never happened before... and it's not normal (clearly)... I just want a car that I don't have to roast in this summer!
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CURRENT PROBLEM:The fans don't blow any air after about 30 minutes of driving/once the car has warmed up.Also, A/C seems to permanently be on even if I don't have the A/C button on, but the fan problem is the main issue(There has been a loud hum behind the dash (for over a year) that speeds up the faster I set the fan speed so the motor is going but no air comes out.)
What's happened in the past:
1. Last summer the A/C stopped working. Will have to look back at receipts more to see exactly what was done (not sure if it worked through winter).
2. Basically the heat only came out of the vent to the left of the steering wheel all winter (no air came out of other vents or it barely came out but was cold).
3. A/C wasn't blowing cold so they replaced thermo switch. When they did this, car wouldn't do anything so they replaced the computer (fortunately I didn't pay for that).
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I am having a very frustrating problem with my 2010 Honda Civic. I have had the anti-theft immobilizer unit activate on me 3 different times now, preventing me from starting the car. The electronics in the dash and the indoor lights turn on like normal, the engine will turn over fully as it tries to start (it will even start for a second before the immobilizer turns the ignition off if I put the key in and turn it fast enough). The first time it happened I did not realize it was the immobilizer and attempted to jump it, to no avail.
Had to go to the dealership to get a dummy key with no fob attached to it (there is a chip in the fob that communicates that the immobilizer unit recognizes (or doesn't recognize in this case) and a brake code to enter to get the thing started and back to the dealership. I left it there for them to service, only to have them call me a few hours later and say it started up just fine. The keys weren't the problem, the battery wasn't the problem, they couldn't tell me anything was wrong with it. They didn't charge me for it.
About a year passes and happens to me again last week, stranded in between Austin and San Antonio at a gas station. Tow home, get brake code from dealer, drop off at dealer for service, dealer calls back hours later and can't find anything wrong. Says they scanned the immobilizer unit but came up with nothing. Now it has happened again this morning, this time I got it towed straight there so they can see that the immobilizer has it locked down and maybe they can see something that wasn't apparent last time. I will find out tomorrow what they find.
Faulty Honda immobilizer unit?The battery in the key fobs shouldn't be the issue, as they unlock the car and function properly when the immobilizer unit hasn't thrown a fit. The battery may be the culprit, as I had to get a jump for leaving my hazards on for an afternoon, but I am doubting that since there is no dimming or other noticeable differences with the dash. The tech liaison theorized it might be an A/C relay but I don't have too much faith in his theories since they didn't get it right the first two times.
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I have a 1997 Honda Civic with 275,000 miles on it. After driving for an hour or so, it starts getting hot when stopped or nearly stopped. It goes back to normal temperature when I start driving. It does cool down if I turn on the heater. I just changed the timing belt/water pump and put it a new radiator and changed the thermostat hoping it would solve the problem, but it hasn't. I checked and the fan does come on when stopped. Could it be a cooling system clog that a flush might be able to solve or might it be the head gasket?
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I recently had some work done on my 97 Honda Civic (manual), and asked them to adjust the parking brake while they were at it. They tightened it up as they usually do when they work on the car (the other work was not brake-related, although they DID replace my master cylinder just back in February). Two days later, my brakes began to fail (much like they had when I needed the master cylinder replaced). Turns out, something happened with the parking brake such that the cables seized or something and caused the regular brakes to overheat. Once they cooled down, the regular brakes were fine again, so they disconnected one of the cables for the parking brake and ordered replacement cables to be installed next week, for a not inconsequential sum. My question is: did they screw up when they adjusted the parking brake, such that I shouldn't really have to pay the full amount for this subsequent repair? Or was this likely inevitable?
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In recent months there is a new noise in my 97 Civic (75,000 miles). In any hard turn and particularly on U-turns there is a grumbling sound which seems to come from the front end. The noise doesn't happen on gentle turns. It grumbles a bit on 90 degree turns and wholeheartedly grumbles on U-turns. I checked the power steering resevoir and it is full so it is between the lines.
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I have a 97 Honda Civic Manual transmission and my Check Engine Light Came On. The error code is P0135 which shows up as needing a O2 sensor. My question is:
1. Do I need to replace it?
2. How long do I have to replace it?
3. Will driving with it as it hurt my car?
The weather is getting colder and I read that could be the cause. I really don't have much extra money but I don't want to kill the car. I have kept up on Oil Changes with MaxLife Full Synthetic, Radiator Flush, etc if that matters. I also went into Valoviline Instant Oil Change and they double checked all of the fluid levels and that was OK.
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Tried to start my car this morning and nothing .(headlight switch was off),checked the battery and it read less than 1 volt (did return to 5 volts after being disconnected for a while). Drove the day before with no apparent problems or lights. Battery is a die hard gold about a year and a half old. checked pos battery cable to ground read 1.8 ohms went up into the high k ohms when I removed the horn/stop fuse(which was good) .Also after market alarm installed. Am I chasing gremlins or did the battery just suddenly die.
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Car is a 97 civic. I had a input shaft bearing replaced since i had the tranny off. I decided to change the flywheel clutch and bearings. After install I have cold not shift into gears with engine running. I fixed the problem by removing almost all of the free play in the pedal. Should i replace the master to get some of the free play back in the pedal?
Second and main problem, when i release the clutch pedal there is a ratchet/grinding noise. It changes with engine revving and the further out the pedal the louder the noise. I think i attached a noise clip. I have dropped my transmission to ensure everything is installed correctly. reinstalled the tranny with the same noise. Bleeding the clutch did not work either. Pedal does seems soft but not getting stuck.
New parts:
Flywheel
Pilot bearing
Clutch disc
Pressure plate throwout bearing
Transmission Synchs
Bearing kit
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I have a 1997 Honda Civic w/ about 150k miles on it. The belt was changed a little under 2 yrs ago. Just started making a high-pitched sound when backing up. Sounds like a note on a flute, and doesn't sound like grinding. It only happens when backing up. As soon as I stop, shift and go forward the sound goes away. Began 2-days ago. I try to find parking spaces where I don't have to back up.
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Recently had a new water pump and radiator put in my car. Not so sure if they are "new" but anyway.
The car does not seem to use coolant it has only slowly flowed back into the reserve tank over time spilling over a little.
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I have a 1997 Honda Civic that I was given by an elderly neighbor's daughter after the elderly lady went to the grocery and ended up 100 miles away when she could not figure out how to get home. The car was smogged at the beginning of the year but when I got it ran very rough and the temp went nearly to overheating on the drive home when I was stuck in stop and go traffic.I found the radiator fluid level low and an oily residue inside the radiator water bottle. I took it to a mechanic to check it out and was told it had a blown head gasket and maybe worse.
I am thinking of buying a rebuilt cylinder head and replacing it myself but I am not sure how to diagnose if any other damage could have been caused to the engine. It's hard to know but I am guessing that the engine was damaged during the 100 mile road trip due to low coolant level. It turns out short term memory loss was the diagnosis for my elderly neighbor. I filled the coolant level and ran the engine for a bit and the temp stayed normal but the rough running remains. The oil dip stick shows no signs of coolant in the oil and the coolant looks bright green when I looked in the radiator after topping it up with some water.
Any way to detect if I could be facing bigger issues like failed bearings? I am OK to do the head replacement but an engine replacement starts to get into the realm of what it would cost to get another car of the same age.
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I have a 1997 Honda Civic 5-speed with about 200,000 miles. It is making a low-pitched whining noise when I let the clutch out in neutral. I took it to a mechanic who immediately diagnosed it as the throw out bearing. Being mechanically inclined, I dropped the tranny and changed the clutch and bearing, but started it back up, and the noise is still there - as if I did nothing at all. It is not constant volume - sometimes it is louder than others. It is usually loudest first start of the day. I live in Houston, so its not like it is "cold", just not hot. To be fair to the mechanic, the bearing was quite corroded, but everything else seemed to be working properly.
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I own a 1997 Honda Civic EX. Automatic. 160,000 miles. I have had the front disk rotors and pads replaced five (5) times within the past two years due to "warped" rotor issue. I recently changed the two front calipers as well to rule out caliper issues. Yet I continually end up with a warped right front rotor weeks after putting on new rotors. Here is what happens. Car brakes fine for a week or two with the new rotors. Then shortly afterwards, the right front rotor (passenger side) quickly develops a rubbing -like noise (not a grinding noise) when braking at a low speed. It's not a constant rubbing noise but a rhythmic swoosh swoosh swoosh noise as the tire rotates and the brake is softly applied. You can feel it in the brake pedal. This noise eventually gets louder and louder the more I use the brakes (or, the hotter they get?). It can also cause the steering wheel to vibrate at certain speeds when braking.
I have had it into four different mechanics.
Mechanic 1: Your rotor is warped.
Mechanic 2: You are too hard on your brakes causing the rotor to warp.
Mechanic 3: Did you go through a puddle of water lately?
Mechanic 4: You need new brakes. Period.
This is getting ridiculous. In all my years of driving, I have never encountered this problem. I am not hard on my brakes. I do not believe the "water puddle" theory at all. I should mention, although these are not oem rotors. they are not some cheap Chinese ones either. Something must be causing this rotor to "warp" if it's really warping at all. I have had the tires rotated to rule out a bent rim. It happens no matter what tire is on the right front car. What could be causing this? A bad front end alignment... bad wheel bearing... (although no mechanic ever indicated that as a problem)... bent splash guard... bad master cylinder? Air in the brake lines... old brake fluid???
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My 97 Civic DX Coupe has 74,400 miles. In recent months it has started making a grumbling kind of muted creaking sound when I make any hard turn, does so on any 90 degree turn unless I take it slow and gradual. It has never made this sound before so I wondering what is up.
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My '97 Honda Civic overheats when driven at high speed on the highway for more than an hour. I've changed the thermostat and the radiator fan, but it still does it.
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Front wheel looks pushed back and not aligned correctly. I figured I hit a nasty pothole.
Mechanic #1 says the control arm needs to be replaced.
Mechanic #2 says the strut needs to be replaced. No comment on control arm.
Could it be both? Or neither?
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The car I drive is a 1997 Civic EX, and if I drive it for about five minutes, the temperature gauge starts creeping up real fast. It'll go to the red if I let it, and the only thing that brings it down is turning on the heater and fan, at full blast. which is pretty miserable in summer.
I looked under the hood and found the radiator fan isn't starting up, no matter how hot it gets. So I checked the fuse - it looked good. Replaced it anyway just to be sure. No change. Then I replaced the relay switch. that didn't change anything. And I also replaced the fan motor. Still nothing.
I have read elsewhere that I should check my thermostat, but I can't see what it has to do with the fan motor not starting? also that the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor might be faulty but it is my understanding that that controls fuel-air mixtures and I just don't know.
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