G0tSchnitzel?

ok so i have 02 civic si...i just hit 93k on the odometer..all the regular mantaince on this car has been regularly done since ive owned the car (bought it w/60k)..just recently the car began to drive very sluggish and very slow (atleast to how it was running before). Automatically i figured it was the spark plugs..so i replaced them with the ngk iridiums...the car runs a tad bit better now but it still does not run clean and smoothly up to redline...at times under normal driving conditions it gives almost like a small hickup or a gentle quick bog while normally acclerating in 1st or 2nd gear..it just doesnt feel right...feels like the motor is working way too hard..and the car feels very sluggish..ive recently flushed the transmission..replaced the clutch..changed spark plugs and oil...so my question is..y is my car all of a sudden acting like this?...could it be a failing coil pack? if so how do i check..or maybe is my car just due for a tune up? I dont really feel like taking the car to the stealership so they can charge me crazy money for simple stuff..could it be that my car needs a valve adjustment? or the timing chain tightened?...has anybody had these kind of problems before..and for the people who have done the 100k tune up, what exactly did u do during the tune up?...(btw i dont have a service manual) i dunno...any help,inputs or suggestions will b greatly appreciated...thanks in advance guys

<StevieG>

and let me guess you havent gotten a CEL yet? Ive got similar problem... It feels like its flooding the engine when accelerating in 4th and 5th. Is yours hard to start?

<StevieG>

ive change the spark plugs, and the map sensor, we thought maybe its the bad gas? I think I may get my tank also flushed this week, along with my injectors checked, and the valves.. Im not sure whats goin on, but I finaly got a CEL so now we can start to diagnose the problem monday!

G0tSchnitzel?

yea i have no check engine light either...but yea it does feel hella flooded at times...its really random through all gears...sometimes its ok and then it goes crappy again..i don get it..but no its not hard to start...starts everytime

<StevieG>

im also getting the fuel filter checked, and I may just buy new injectors for the hell of it..

<StevieG>

im getting a system to lean cel? SO I havent a clue!

G0tSchnitzel?

im thinking one of my injectors is bad maybe?...hell i dunno gunna have em checked

turboteg2nv

Don't replace parts without knowing the root cause of the problem. You can check to see if your injectors are firing by holding your ear against the butt of a screwdriver while you hold the screwdriver to the injector - listen for it ticking or opening/closing.

OP - does your car have any mods? Is the air filter clean? What gas are you using?

G0tSchnitzel?

only mods on my car are short ram intake and exhaust..bone stock other than that...ive been using 92 octane since i bought it a couple years ago...i havent checked the air filter yet..

edit: air filter looks ok..

<StevieG>

All I have is the mugen air box.. Ive heard the gas is terrible in my area.. But we checked the gas to see if there was anywater in it.. there was non to be found?

my code is p0171

square_1

Valve adjustment! Hondas are VERY reliant on their valves being adjusted very well. Especially since most Hondas require that the level of vacuum they run at to be PERFECT for the MAP sensor. Most people don't realize that the most important sensor that Hondas use for fuel and stuff is the MAP sensor. If your valves needed to be adjusted your vacuum will be off. Hook up a vacuum gauge to it and see what it reads. I believe it needs to run at 21 hg? You can double check that in a Haynes manual!

mustclime

did you pull your ecu fuse after the plugs?....if not , do it( with the car off) leave it out for a couple minutes and then put it back in...then start the car and let the ecu relearn the motor....you do anything to the ep3 motor, pull the ecu fuse and let the ecu start from new data....the ecu uses old data to make the motor run nice, when you change something, it gets confused.

G0tSchnitzel?

thanks for the response guys...so yesterday i tested the injectors..and 2 of the 4 injectors werent quite running right..when i would take one of them out the car almost would die as in the other 2 it wouldnt..so i took out the injectors and had them cleaned...then changed up the order when putting them back in just to make sure that it was the injectors not something bigger like the piston rings or something...the injectors sounded a lot better after i was done cleaning em..then i did what musty said and unplugged the ecu for a couple mins..and then changed my oil...and finally the car has been running like normal for the past 2 days...today on my way to work it did feel a tad bit sluggish again but its still a lot smoother than before..i hope it continues to run fine though...from the research i have done a valve adjustment does seem pretty important so i may take it in to get that done...im also gunna replace the fuel filter and the serpentine belt just to complete the tune up...hopefully the car runs right though...im skeptical though because it ran ok after the plugs where changed too but well see

G0tSchnitzel?

car is running a little smoother but still feels sluggish..especially in the upper powerbands..i dunno wut it could b at this point other than a valve adjustment..anybody feel any significant improvements after a valve adjustment?

Earthworm Jim

The tune up at 75,000 should have checked your compression and blah blah blah...I take it you didn't have one of those huh?

Earthworm Jim

Read your owners manual, you're not supposed to use anything over 83

Earthworm Jim

Seriously dude? 92 octane on a stock car? Seriously? I can't believe I'm reading this hahahaha. I just don't get it. I'm not making fun of you but doing that is pretty stupid.

G0tSchnitzel?

thats what the premium gas is in washington...i know u can use regular in the eps...ive done my research on it 3 years ago when i bought the car..one of my friends who is a honda ceertified technician even recommended using premium in the ep...and as far as ive read there is no side effect to using it...and yes i know there are no performance gains or any real gains to using premium gas on a stock ep3 engine without reflash or kpro.. but i may be wrong about this....should i use regular gas instead...

nd no i havent gone to a dealership for the tune up..ive had bad experiences at the local honda dealerships and honestly prefer to do things myself..

RickBobby1

Just throwing out there, I have seen this with clogged catalytic converter and\or partial failing (bad wire) O2 sensor....for what it worth