99 Civic DX acting WONKY!

Hi all,

I've had great help from the Volvo newsgroup but my colleague has a
Honda problem so I've come to you. I'm hoping you can suggest what
might be the root of these otherwise bizarre sounding symptoms. Please
send any suggestions or ideas to . I will try
to check this group as well if you respond here.

He prepared a short description of the three main problems:

1) a) 90% of the time I get a grinding sound when I am down shifting
from 5th to 4th gear;
b) 10% of the time when I am downshifting from 4th to 3rd gear.
c) only when going extremely fast around a corner or on-ramp, the
shifter will sometimes slip out of 3rd gear.

2) Occasionally the idle will suddenly drop all the way down (just
above 0) where the car feels like it is going to stall. If I turn off
the car and restart it, it usually goes back to normal levels.

3) Sometimes when accelerating the car will seemingly cut out (as if
pressing down on the accelerator isn't doing anything) and then will
kick in, causing the car to jolt.
b) I also get the same effect when I am driving, take my foot off the
accelerator and then depress the accelerator. It is like the motor
doesn't know I am pressing on the gas until 5 seconds later and when
it kicks in, the car jolts forward.

Thanks in advance!
Blurp

 

Any info re hybrids would be appreciated. I'm especially looking for
information about acceleration from start, acceleration at speed, and
safety. TIA

Bob in Newport

 

I have an '03 Civic Hybrid.

As near as I can tell, this car handles and accelerates pretty much like any
other small economy sedan. If I floor it from a standing start, it will
sometimes chirp the front tires. I believe the top speed is about 112 MPH,
and I have had it up near 100. With the ignition, fuel injection, cam
timing, etc., all being under computer control, I am not reluctant to just
floor it, quite often, when driving. Passing performance is adequate. It
seems like a reasonably fast car to me.

As to safety, I was disappointed with those Dunlop tires that came with the
car. It seemed squirrelly to me with those tires, and I soon changed to
Bridgestone's. Since then, it seems to be very good handling.

As to economy, I get 38.6 around town consistently, and on the road I get
48.5, driving 80 MPH all day, with A/C on full. Of course, you have to know
this economy is not going to offset the higher cost of a Hybrid car. I just
like the environmental impact improvement.

 

They are very safe, as long as you're a good driver. Acceleration
depends on what base you start from, i.e. hatchback, del sol, 4-door,
or coupe. Also, the 92-95's are lighter than the 96-00's. B18C's seem
to be the best price/performance, but the best straight line would be
an H22A swap. B16's are a common swap too, but they are only 160/170
HP. Still, a well built Civic hybrid is a lot better than having what
the current generation likes to call a "hybrid". It's just a bunch of
new fangled technology that gets worse mileage than my 94 Civic DX
does stock at 154k miles.

Nate

 

Sounds like the clutch is going...or gone.

 

They cleaned the throttle body and suspected and cleaned the throttle
position sensor and the problem went away. They suspected a whole new
computer would be needed but the problem has not returned so
everyone's happy (except the dealership).

Thanks all for your input.

blurp