CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition -diagonosis needed
Hi Guys,
Happy thanksgiving to you all!! I was browsing through the net for my issue and found this group. So I thought I'll ask the group's advice before I go to the St(d)ealer!! I live in Chicago suburbs. I have a 2003 civic LX auto with 68000Miles. During these cold days (20 to 35 F), the car is sluggish in pick up when the engine is cold. It is as if I have a 500 Lb load on the car. The gears shift at higher rpms, but there are not issues with gear shift. Once the car is warmed up, the pickup is fine and acceleration is normal. But I notice the vibration level is little more. Milage dropped a little (from 32.5 to 31.5) after the service and I assume that is due the the lower temperatures. Now I'm about to fill the tank again and I'll probably get ~28mpg. (300miles for 11 gal of regular BP gas). History of the car: I Bought the car in Aug-08. The previous user is an ASME certified mechanic The car has a provision for a hitch to mount (This is to let you guys know that the car may be used for towing) Previous oil is 10W30 Valvoline durablend Driven about 1000 mi/ month so far I'm a very smooth driver; no rapid accelerations, no violent braking; no racing in the stop lights with other cars. Always driven by me only. No passengers in the car. I drive 28 miles per day in mostly city roads; no freeway drive. After 66000 Miles, "maintenance required" lamp is on and is still on. But the check engine light is off. About 1000 miles ago I changed oil at Walmart ( I supplied the 5W30 valvoline durablend oil and they did the change. however I did not supply the oil filter with the oil. I assumed that they replaced the filter and charged me. I do not have the service receipt with me now). However, Honda manual recommends 5W20 oil. I suspect that the oil filter has not been replaced and the oil bypasses the filter and eating the bearings and cylinders resulting in higher blow-by and loss of compression resulting in power loss. Can this be true? Is there any indication to the driver that oil constantly bypass the filter like check engine lamp? Or is it something to do with the tranny oil (I donno what oil is in there!) or the throttle position sensor malfunction or is it the O2 sensor? Am I supposed to get a "check engine" if O2 sensor is faulty? Is the "maintenance required " supposed to be gone after the oil change? Do you suggest oil change again with 5W20? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in Advance, Victor |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition - diagonosis needed
<victorcivic2003@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:93decb09-81f2-4c00-be68-f22a755a9cf5@w35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... > Hi Guys, > > Happy thanksgiving to you all!! I was browsing through the net for my > issue and found this group. So I thought I'll ask the group's advice > before I go to the St(d)ealer!! > > I live in Chicago suburbs. I have a 2003 civic LX auto with > 68000Miles. During these cold days (20 to 35 F), the car is sluggish > in pick up when the engine is cold. It is as if I have a 500 Lb load > on the car. The gears shift at higher rpms, but there are not issues > with gear shift. > > Once the car is warmed up, the pickup is fine and acceleration is > normal. > > But I notice the vibration level is little more. Milage dropped a > little (from 32.5 to 31.5) after the service and I assume that is due > the the lower temperatures. Now I'm about to fill the tank again and > I'll probably get ~28mpg. (300miles for 11 gal of regular BP gas). > > History of the car: > I Bought the car in Aug-08. > The previous user is an ASME certified mechanic > The car has a provision for a hitch to mount (This is to let you guys > know that the car may be used for towing) > Previous oil is 10W30 Valvoline durablend > Driven about 1000 mi/ month so far > I'm a very smooth driver; no rapid accelerations, no violent braking; > no racing in the stop lights with other cars. > Always driven by me only. No passengers in the car. > I drive 28 miles per day in mostly city roads; no freeway drive. > After 66000 Miles, "maintenance required" lamp is on and is still on. > But the check engine light is off. > > > About 1000 miles ago I changed oil at Walmart ( I supplied the 5W30 > valvoline durablend oil and they did the change. however I did not > supply the oil filter with the oil. I assumed that they replaced the > filter and charged me. I do not have the service receipt with me now). > However, Honda manual recommends 5W20 oil. > > I suspect that the oil filter has not been replaced and the oil > bypasses the filter and eating the bearings and cylinders resulting in > higher blow-by and loss of compression resulting in power loss. Can > this be true? Is there any indication to the driver that oil > constantly bypass the filter like check engine lamp? > > Or is it something to do with the tranny oil (I donno what oil is in > there!) or the throttle position sensor malfunction or is it the O2 > sensor? Am I supposed to get a "check engine" if O2 sensor is faulty? > > Is the "maintenance required " supposed to be gone after the oil > change? Do you suggest oil change again with 5W20? > > Please let me know your thoughts. > > Thanks in Advance, > Victor > > You definitely have something going on with the engine when cold. The high shift points are a consequence of having to depress the accelerator more than expected to get the power you need, and will undoubtedly go away when the engine is working up to snuff. The "maintenance required" light needs to be manually reset; the Civic experts here can help you with that. The two general areas of common trouble are fuel and ignition. Do the simple, inexpensive and obvious things first. If you haven't been using gasoline blended with alcohol (is there still such a place?) adding a bottle of "dri-gas" to the tank is good. If you haven't been using top tier gasoline brands regularly (http://autorepair.about.com/od/generalinfo/a/110305.htm) add a bottle of injector cleaner to the tank. If the ignition parts (distributor cap and rotor, spark plugs and wires) are original it's time to replace them. Use only OEM for all those parts except the plugs (OEM or NGK brand are okay) - you don't need to learn how important that is the hard way. DO NOT crank the engine without the spark from the coil having a place to go (like the plugs) - the coil may not survive. You mention vibration, which can be from a cylinder not firing well. That suggests a fuel injector, spark, or possibly a sticking valve (but those aren't common in Hondas.) I'm not too concerned about the oil filter. My top suspects are the distributor cap or the plugs, but that is mainly a guess. Mike |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition - diagonosis needed
Bottom line here is what I would do:
--Go to Autozone and have them read the engine computer for any stored codes. Report back. --Change out coolant using a reputable shop. Use Honda OEM coolant only. Make sure the coolant is topped off in the reservoir. --Change out auto tranny fluid using Honda OEM fluid only. Then I would be looking at checking the idle RPM, the EACV and the fast idle valve pictured at http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/...o=%7C013%7C017 More detailed responses to your other queries follow. <victorcivic2003@gmail.com> wrote > I live in Chicago suburbs. I have a 2003 civic LX auto > with > 68000Miles. During these cold days (20 to 35 F), the car > is sluggish > in pick up when the engine is cold. It is as if I have a > 500 Lb load > on the car. The gears shift at higher rpms, but there are > not issues > with gear shift. > > Once the car is warmed up, the pickup is fine and > acceleration is > normal. > > But I notice the vibration level is little more. Milage > dropped a > little (from 32.5 to 31.5) after the service and I assume > that is due > the the lower temperatures. Now I'm about to fill the tank > again and > I'll probably get ~28mpg. (300miles for 11 gal of regular > BP gas). > > History of the car: > I Bought the car in Aug-08. > The previous user is an ASME certified mechanic > The car has a provision for a hitch to mount (This is to > let you guys > know that the car may be used for towing) > Previous oil is 10W30 Valvoline durablend > Driven about 1000 mi/ month so far > I'm a very smooth driver; no rapid accelerations, no > violent braking; > no racing in the stop lights with other cars. > Always driven by me only. No passengers in the car. > I drive 28 miles per day in mostly city roads; no freeway > drive. > After 66000 Miles, "maintenance required" lamp is on and > is still on. > But the check engine light is off. > > > About 1000 miles ago I changed oil at Walmart ( I supplied > the 5W30 > valvoline durablend oil and they did the change. however I > did not > supply the oil filter with the oil. I assumed that they > replaced the > filter and charged me. I do not have the service receipt > with me now). > However, Honda manual recommends 5W20 oil. ... Do you > suggest oil change again with 5W20? True regarding what the owner's manual says. My understanding is Honda recommends 5W-20 oil to improve overall fuel mileage for its fleet, and so conform with federal fuel economy requirements. It is still okay to use 5W-30, and in fact Honda is not allowed to void any warranty on the car if a person does use the 30 weight, despite what the owner's manual says. See http://motoroilinfo.com/ford-honda-5w-20-oil.htm But 5W-30 is a heavier viscosity than the 20. For Chicago winters, I would have the 20 weight. On the third hand, could the 30 weight oil be contributing to this sluggishness? A tiny bit not likely to be noticeable around 25 degrees F. > I suspect that the oil filter has not been replaced and > the oil > bypasses the filter and eating the bearings and cylinders > resulting in > higher blow-by and loss of compression resulting in power > loss. Can > this be true? Is there any indication to the driver that > oil > constantly bypass the filter like check engine lamp? I do not know how much you work with cars, but the above sounds like overanalysis by a relative layperson. It's a nice layperson's theory but highly unlikely. And no, there is no such indication. > Or is it something to do with the tranny oil (I donno what > oil is in > there!) Honda automatic trannies circa 2003 are known to have problems unless one uses Honda's OEM tranny fluid. I would change this out, if only for peace of mind on such an expensive part (the tranny). > or the throttle position sensor malfunction or is it the > O2 > sensor? Am I supposed to get a "check engine" if O2 sensor > is faulty? On a 2003 Civic, yes, you should get a CEL if the O2 sensor is faulty. But unless this car has been abused, I do not expect its O2 sensor to fail at only 68k miles. Furthermore, the engine control computer ignores signals from the O2 sensor until after warmup. > Is the "maintenance required " supposed to be gone after > the oil > change? Do you have an owner's manual? If so, look up the maintenance required light in the index in the back. You will find instructions on how to reset it. Walmart did not do it because it is not their yob (sic). Walmart, Jiffy Lube et al. do not deal with this much specialization. If you do not have the owner's manual, then go to site https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/logon.asp. On the left, click on "Owner's Manuals." Follow the pointers. Once you arrive at the pdf file, it may appear that only one page has come up. In fact, page numbers that are highlighted within the pdf file are links on which you can click to take you to the page. Also, in the upper right hand corner of any white page look for an arrow. Click the right arrow to get to the next page. |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition- diagonosis needed
Elle wrote:
> Bottom line here is what I would do: > > --Go to Autozone and have them read the engine computer for > any stored codes. Report back. > --Change out coolant using a reputable shop. Use Honda OEM > coolant only. Make sure the coolant is topped off in the > reservoir. > --Change out auto tranny fluid using Honda OEM fluid only. > > Then I would be looking at checking the idle RPM, the EACV > and the fast idle valve pictured at > http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/...o=%7C013%7C017 > > More detailed responses to your other queries follow. > While a coolant and transmission fluid change are rarely a bad idea, I really doubt either of those have anything to do with the problem here. I've seen issues like this caused by a bad fuel pressure regulator, a bad coolant temperature sensor can cause similar effects as well. As others have suggested, distributor cap, rotor, wires, and plugs are also worth looking into, but my first thought is that it's running a bit lean when cold, causing a lack of power, which as someone else said, will also increase the shift points. |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition - diagonosis needed
"James Sweet" <jamessweet1@trashmail.net> wrote
> Elle wrote: >> Bottom line here is what I would do: >> >> --Go to Autozone and have them read the engine computer >> for any stored codes. Report back. >> --Change out coolant using a reputable shop. Use Honda >> OEM coolant only. Make sure the coolant is topped off in >> the reservoir. >> --Change out auto tranny fluid using Honda OEM fluid >> only. >> >> Then I would be looking at checking the idle RPM, the >> EACV and the fast idle valve pictured at >> http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/...o=%7C013%7C017 >> >> More detailed responses to your other queries follow. >> > > > > While a coolant and transmission fluid change are rarely a > bad idea, I really doubt either of those have anything to > do with the problem here. I had in mind in particular the fact that so many engine sensors depend on proper coolant cover. There are too many reports of tranny problems in newer Hondas for me to say put off getting OEM tranny fluid. Plus it may be a factor in this case. > I've seen issues like this caused by a bad fuel pressure > regulator, Many causes are possible. The question is what is most likely based on this model's record. A bad fuel pressure regulator is rare on an Accord so young in miles and years. > a bad coolant temperature sensor can cause similar effects > as well. As others have suggested, distributor cap, rotor, > wires, and plugs are also worth looking into, Since the car is running fine once it is warmed up, these ignition parts would not be my first candidates for the cause. OTOH, if the OP has no idea how old these parts are, or if they are not OEM, he should change them out anyway. OEM ignition parts pay for themselves in longevity and minimizing wear and tear on other parts and will improve mpg in general. > but my first thought is that it's running a bit lean when > cold, causing a lack of power, which as someone else said, > will also increase the shift points. |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition - diagonosis needed
"Elle" <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote
> A bad fuel pressure regulator is rare on an Accord so > young in miles and years. Post-o. I meant any Honda so young. |
Re: CivicLX -2003 auto 68K - Sluggish pickup in cold start condition- diagonosis needed
On Nov 30, 4:16 pm, James Sweet <jamesswe...@trashmail.net> wrote:
> Elle wrote: > > Bottom line here is what I would do: > > > --Go to Autozone and have them read the engine computer for > > any stored codes. Report back. > > --Change out coolant using a reputable shop. Use Honda OEM > > coolant only. Make sure the coolant is topped off in the > > reservoir. > > --Change out auto tranny fluid using Honda OEM fluid only. > > > Then I would be looking at checking the idle RPM, the EACV > > and the fast idle valve pictured at > >http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/...catcgry1=CIVIC.... > > > More detailed responses to your other queries follow. > > While a coolant and transmission fluid change are rarely a bad idea, I > really doubt either of those have anything to do with the problem here. > > I've seen issues like this caused by a bad fuel pressure regulator, a > bad coolant temperature sensor can cause similar effects as well. As > others have suggested, distributor cap, rotor, wires, and plugs are also > worth looking into, but my first thought is that it's running a bit lean > when cold, causing a lack of power, which as someone else said, will > also increase the shift points. Does an '03 Civic even have a distributor cap, rotor and wires? I would have thought that it would be individual coils by this point. My '00 TL was. At 68k miles, the plugs are just slightly past half their prescribed life. Since it only misbehaves when cold, I would be looking at the set up that operates before the ECM takes over once the engine is warm. I'll bet you find something has been "tuned" that should not have been touched. |
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