some general help

Hey guys,

I just got all my "funds" together and bought my first car,
a 98 civic Cx (hatchback).... So far I'm not having too many problems,
(except that my clutch pedal has varied characteristics..... sometimes its
stiff, sometimes less so... weird). But anyways, I was trying to find some
information for the beginner mechanic on the web, and aside from basic stuff
I couldnt find much. I'm getting my electrical engineering b.eng in a year
so I am looking for some documentation where they assume the reader is not a
complete newbie.
Can someone recommend a good site/book? If possibly, I'm looking for
information on the actual repair of the car as well as the more detailed
theory.

Thx for the time,

Yuri.

 

http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/workshopmanuals2.html has an online 1995-1997 Civic
manual that might be helpful.

The car's owner's manual has a lot of the basic maintenance instructions as well
as the maintenance manual.

If you do not have the owner's manual (which normally comes with a car bought
new), you can go to

http://www.hondacars.com/info/customer_relations.asp?bhcp=1&BrowserDetected=True

and click on the link to order an owner's manual. Or call the 800 number given
there, and they should be able to tell you how to get one.

I have a vague recollection that someone here recently said one could put in
one's car's VIN and get the owner's manual online at the Honda site?? Not sure
but it's worth a search or asking the 800 number people.

Alternatively, most of the public libraries I've used have a Chilton's manual
for the exact Honda model and year. Or you can go to a place like Autozone and
buy a manual for under $20. I think people favor Haynes manuals.

 

Yuri,
I hope that you are able to get that degree--you must be very smart.
You can get a Haynes Automotive Repair Manual for your specific car at
almost any auto parts store or by calling 1-805-498-6703. They also sell
them at Barnes and Nobel. If they don't have the one for your car--you can
order it.
Make sure you get the one made for your specific vehicle.

 

My brother just got a Haynes manual for his CRX, it has a lot of
explanations for the how as well as why. For my car (83 civic) I got a
Honda service manual with the car and the only problem I have with it
is that it assumes that you know what everythink looks like beforehand
(ie. it will tell you that you need to remve something but will not
tell you how or where it is) however they may have changed that aspect
in the 10 years following.
Andrew

 

thx a lot for all the answers, i think i'll go with the hayne's
i didnt think some ppl would take me putting my field down as showing-off...
i apologize to those, not my intention in the first place

i'm glad i found this forum (or newsgroup.. whatever it's called), lots of
usefull stuff

 

To get an Owner's Manual for your Honda on line go to:

https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?page=/prod_home.asp

and register using your car's VIN number, that is on the dash.

When I regestered, I found that my Tranny has a seven year/100,000
mile warrantee, not the three year/ 30,000 miles listed in the book.

PS to an Electrical Engineering student(Power):
Pass your EIT in your last year at School, then get your PE as soon as
you are able. EEs with a PE will tell you to get a PE, EE without a PE
will tell you not to bother.

 

i understand this is a hydralic system and i'm pretty sure i need a master
cylinder/ i guess i'm just looking for basic certification of what i
believe to be the problem. could someone give me insight.

Thanks

 

I'm not familiar with the 2001, but I think you're right - hydraulic (it
would be a weird symptom for a cable anyway).

Assuming the reservoir isn't empty and the clutch pedal hasn't been pushed
at any time when the reservoir was empty, the answer is yes... you need a
clutch cylinder. It's pretty much a toss-up whether the master or slave is
at fault right now, but in my experience when one goes out the other is soon
to follow. I recommend replacing the pair. If you are a little short of cash
now (and doing it yourself so the overlapping labor isn't an issue) you can
identify the failed cylinder and hold off a bit on the other. The slave is
easiest to check: if there is fluid leakage it is bad. Leakage from the
master usually isn't obvious until the cylinder is unmounted.

BTW - as you might suspect, the DIY job is roughly the same as brake
cylinders with less to bleed. The slave cylinder is easier than the master
except the hardware is often amazingly tight.

Mike

 

master is more likely if the pedal's not returning. probably the
internal spring. but you're right, check both. check the clutch pedal
mechanism too - could be an old quarter pounder with cheese stuck in there.

 

Eeww!

Mike