lurice01

my hayes repair manual said you gotta unhook the IACV's electrical connector. while the car is running. I don't know what happens when you unhook that while civic is running. Then you adjust the idle with the idle adjust screw. I can't get the screw to turn so I can't get any further. My idle at normal operating temperature is around 400rpm. My idle at normal operating temperature should be 670rpm + or - 50rpm. How do i turn that screw and what will happen when i unhook IACV electric connector while car is running? After i get my idle right i want to check the timing which has a certain specifications like so and so at 670rpm so i want my idle at 670 rpm when i check my timing. Other subsystems also depend on my civic having the right idle speed so I don't want my computer to have to compensate for stuff.


95 honda civic ex 1.6L vtec 2dr coupe 5spd.

My car started sputtering and losing power. It started kinda out of no where. It was after this brutal winter here in WV. Super cold winter and i drive mon thru fri morning in cold and one day i over exerted the motor a lil bit trying to get up the icy hill. Those two things may or may not have caused my problems. Sputter problem will come and go but car is usually ALWAYS sputtering & rumbling with low power and poor acceleration. Sometimes when i'm cruising with the sputter or accelerating with the sputter, the sputter will suddenly disappear for a second and gain all its power and normal sound, then it will start sputtering again. then normal then sputter then normal then all sputter... Rarely it will just run totally normal and nice for hours or like a whole day, then suddenly next day super crappy the whole day. Now its running crappy basically all the time, but getting great gas mileage.
IT IS THROWING NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODES. When I turn the key. I see the CEL come on for like three seconds then it goes out so I know the computer is working correct. WHen i jump the service connector and try to get codes any way, the ABS light flashes non stop like airbags need checked. and the CEL light stays on solid. So ECU and that is all good. Correct? OBD1 here.

Car is a 95 honda civic ex 1.6L VTEC SOHC. "D16A" 2 dr coupe. 5spd manual all stock. 300k miles. Switched motor and tranny many years ago. Had car since 2003. Has a 4 channel amp hooked up its like 600 amps. Bout to get thicker ground wire to match my thicker 4 gauge power wire. was running amp with a power wire that was too thin and i dont know what problems that would cause. probably not my problem.

Me trying to remedy the problem did:
Plugs (NGK same as what hayes repair manual recommends and checked gap.)
Wires were done but before this brutal winter, Since been tested with a
multimeter & all tested good that way. Then i replaced them anyway since i
had a receipt.
Fuel Filter
Air Filter
PVC Valve
Cleaned throttle body best i could
Cleaned the Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) best i could. Then swapped the
IACV with one from my D16z6 parts car after cleaning it. It idled real clean
at first but now it surges once it reaches normal temps but that didnt start
until after i swapped my throttle body from my D16z6 parts car.
Changed Manual Transmission Fluid
Changed the fuel pump filter sock thing (changed fuel pump years ago and
forgot to get sock)
Checked all my fuses.
Replaced Coolant, Bleeded all the air out.
Replaced negative battery wire holder terminal thing to a brass one, the old one was not tight and crumbling.
Upgraded coil to an Accel thing for no good reason, except i lost the little
spring terminal on my old one. Since switched back to old coil since Accel
doesnt test like a normal one and i wanted to test it. Just kinda pressed
spring terminal back on
Upgraded my amps power wire to 4 gauge because I was using to thin of a
gauge of wire for a while.
Still need to upgrade and tighten amps ground wire probably has nothing to
do with my problem i know.

Hooked up a Vacuum Gauge Diagnostic Test and all was good except slight vibration of the needle during idle. Which i heard is either worn valve guides, or piston rings? Anyway the oil stays clean and i never really need to add any oil. I determined from this test that the exhaust is not obstructed and the timing is ok? Cant really confirm that though because i'm not an expert.

I also changed the CAP and IGNITION ROTOR like first thing. (thats when i lost my coils spring terminal. If the spring falls off, it is ok. just press the spring back in. it will stay. no need to buy a new coil.) Then when i still had the problem. I look at Cap and Ignition Rotor again and they looked funky to me. especially the rotor button thing. the metal had black on it again. I returned the cap and rotor and got new ones but the employee didnt really argue with me so i dont know if the return was really necessary. So then i replaced my coil too with the accel upgrade. I still have my old coil which tested good but the spring terminal doesnt stay on it. (i ended up putting back in my original coil after i fixed the spring. i was having a hard time testing the accel coil so i took it out. Now today i look at my rotor and inside my distributor cap and it they look funky Again so i'm thinking of trying to take them back AGAin. I just today (3/11/14) did a power balance test by removing spark plug wire ends one at a time and noting decrease in idle. All seemed to decrease the idle when i removed them so all cylinders are good? I noticed one of the plug wires wasnt sparking or clicking when i put it on metal, so i replaced them for free for the second time in like 3 months, although they tested good with a multimeter back when problem started. I also replaced cap and rotor again since they were looking funky again i replaced them again for 3rd time. It didn't help any. All my NGK Spark plugs are still in great shape. one might have had a lil drop of oil on it but it was nothing and its not burning oil and i never have to add oil. SO I decided that because the rotor button seems to keep going bad, I would check my ignition timing for the heck of it since i have a timing light. I then learned that my idle speed should be at 670rpm + or - 50rpm and i was idling at around 400rpm when at normal operating temperature. SO I learn i need to turn my idle adjustment screw counter clockwise to raise my idle, but it is so stuck that it will not turn. It takes a flathead screwdriver. How do i loosen this thing to raise my idle speed to the proper level? I started drilling it thinking i could make a slot to fit my flathead in there and i put it on my air torque wrench and it wouldnt turn out so i tried to tighten it then loosen it and it did go forward for a sec and almost burst out of the throttle body. So i gave up on it and replaced the throttle body with one from a D16Z6 parts civic. First i cleaned it and made sure it's idle adjustment screw was not jammed. I got a new gasket for the throttle body. I tightened throttle body screws according to torque specs. Now my idle is at the correct speed (670rpm). So i proceeded to check my timing even though i never moved or replaced my distributor. It was working at first and I could see the marks but unsure if they were correct, then my wires fell on my header and they melted without me knowing and light stopped working so i gave up on timing check for a bit. After putting on that throttle body, I have surging idle when car reaches normal temperature. Coolant is bled.

Meanwhile, I have been putting stuff in my tank for the sputtering. 1st tank I used Lucas. 2nd tank I used Iso Heet. 3rd tank I used Seafoam. 4th tank I used Iso Heet again. 5th tank I'm on Seafaom again. and was always using Martins Food Stores gas. Now on 5th tank I switched to Sunoco at Optima of Wal Mart. BP EXXON MOBIL SHELL are all nowhere near me. Ethanol Free is no where near me either.

I can usually always get it to run good when it is very cold out, but as soon as it warms up, the problem returns. And one day it was warm and pleasant outside and the problem disappeared for couple hours then came back. Seemed to help bleeding the coolant, replacing neg battery terminal, running gas real low, replacing plugs, rotor and cap, getting idle to 670, all seemed to help reduce the but the sputter is so random it could all be coincidental.

that_boy_sammy

Clean IAC(look up a d.i.y on here). Then relearn idle accordingly to Haynes manual IF NECESSARY.

TomCat39

The other thing that will benefit you is to google helms manual or FSM for 95 civic, it's actually 92-95 and put out by Ab0ve. You might find a torrent with it.

It will be your best friend for your civic.

lurice01

i unhooked the iac electrical connector and the idle dropped and cel came on. i adjusted my idle with the screw then reconnected and turned car off. reset cel by pulling the fuse under the hood called BACK UP for 10 seconds. my car now idles at 670 which is what is says it should be on sticker under my hood. but car still idles and sputters which is my real problem. I WILL NOW MAKE A NEW POST DETAILING WHAT IVE DONE TO TRY AND REMEDY MY PROBLEM.

thanks for the tip tomcat, downloading helms manual now. How is it different from my hayes manual?

'that boy sammy' i already did clean IAC. Please see my new post I was talking about. Thanks man.

Former User

Don't create a new thread - just post in this thread.

Too vague - provide details.

TomCat39

Haynes manuals have been known to have inaccurate information in them quite often.

When you say sputtering, when is it sputtering?

How does it act when you give it a little gas, how about when you give it a lot of gas (Wide Open Throttle)?

Need more information please.

ballistic1350

iTrader: (7)

recommend posting this in your associated tech forum, vice the appearance forum. You'll get much better help there

Axix24

Get rid of the d series. Problem solved!!

.joeham

iTrader: (3)

get an S2000

lurice01

i don't really like how the s2000 looks .joeham. Shout Outs to MF DOOM

axix24 whats wrong with a d series? i like how light this lil car is and its fun to tinker with and inexpensive parts

ballistic' i see what u mean

SO anyway, today i remembered, that one of the first things i did to remedy the sputter was to check the exhaust because i do have some rust between the back of the cat and that back pipe leading to my muffler. and it developed a hole. and i used gasket maker on it... and it held up alright for a while then i wanted to get it checked and took it to the muffler shop and we looked at it and he convinced me it was alright... So after taking apart and cleaning my fast idle thermal valve, i suddenly remember the exhaust and i look under car at the spot and its sputtering and i can see that spot poofing out exhaust and i got a lil pissed at the muffler shop then i put more gasket maker on it to dry till morning i guess i'll go back to muffler shop there asap. Still not sure if this is problem. maybe cat is screwed too. Not sure if this is gonna fix the idle problem ANd sputter with low power problem anyway but I've learned a lot about my car and set the idle at its proper rpm except its surging but ill update tomorrow.

TomCat39

Merged your threads. One thread per issue and I believe the issues to be related.

lurice01

ok thanks tomcat. tomcat when i gave it a lil gas it would sputter and accelerate but with less power as normal and its a manual so when i was pulling out on hill i really had to gun it to pull out on a hill with a stop sign. cruising down road it would sputter and feel weak and if i gun it, i can still accelerate but its just a loud machine gun like sputter as i put petal all the way down.

Thursday i got gas from Sunoco becuase remember from this i learned i will only get gas from BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil or Sunoco and nowhere else. This time i decided to get straight up 87 and i put in no additives like Iso Heet or Lucas Injector Cleaner. I drove it around it didnt seem to help. Yesterday (friday) i was driving it and it sputtered and surged idle to work. i got off work and it was still doing it. i went home. i went to auto parts store to see if they had left handed drill bits for the idle screw i destroyed on my old throttle body. didnt buy. came back out of auto parts store. MY CAR WAS MAGICALLY CURED OF THE SPUTTERING. full power was miraculously restored. Except the idle still surges very badly so i'm not convinced the problems are gone at all.

The idle is like this. when i stop from cruising it will go up down up down super fast like it does when i have low coolant sometimes but the coolant is totally bleeded out and i keep it bled and full and i never have overheating issues or anything like that-(I have one of those cheap 20$ ebay double size aluminum radiators that i dont even need-its dumb but if i ever get paid i wanna pay to have a premade custom turbo motor or whatever in here for fun but i shoulda just left that big radiator in the attic until it was turbo or high compression idk) then the fast up down idle will chill out and it will just idle normal but every minute or so the idle will creep up for no reason then settle slowly back where it belongs. The idle was never this bad until i switch out the throttle body of my civic (D16A vtec) with the throttle body from my parts civic which is a D16Z6... thats why i was trying to get the busted idle adjust screw out of my original throttle body... the D16Z6 throttle body seems to be much cleaner than my original and i still get no cel codes and i bought a new gasket when i replaced it and sprayed a lil carb cleaner (very little) to see if it was leaking around its gasket after i installed. they are compatible right? maybe i need to test the TPS?
If i turn my steering wheel the idle drops. if i use electronics the idle drops. if i hold up both power window buttons at same time it seems to help it idle normal. all accessories/electronics work fine except i think rear defrost has always been broken from day one of car. had car since 2003. if i unhook iacv it idles normal. Bout to go drive it and see if sputter problem is still gone and find a left handed drill bit.

lurice01

the sputter is back and power is gone again like i knew it would be. idle is super crazy and random still too. like i turned my headlights off and it did the super fast up and down idle. i turn headlights on and it goes super slow up and down idle. and stuff like that. like it idle changes depending on how many things i have turned on. i have an appointment at muffler shop to get exhaust fixed and i have 4 gauge amp ground wire and 4 gauge connectors on the way. if problem still exists after that i will take car to my mechanic who always fixes my car for cheap but id rather fix it so help please. i will report back after thursday when exhaust is fixed. or after i install wire in 3-4 days

JUICE66

Have your cat converter checked.

lurice01

thanks for reply JUICE66. i got the exhaust leak i spoke of earlier fixed, and the cat looked clean inside because thats near where the leak was and the mechanic was able to look inside and he also said my problem isnt really indicative of a bad cat... I still have my problem and my stereo is properly grounded and correct gauge wires and all. I'm taking it to my mechanic and leaving it there i guess but i will still let you all know what happens and still need help because maybe mechanic will tell me a list of possibilities of the problem. idk. I do have a d16z6 parts car and im bout to see if i can get the computer out of it and put it in mine and see what happens. i'll compare them first. cant get the o2 sensor out of my parts car to try that. help

Apple395

Take a good lol at injectors...

I had similar problems, you gotta take em out and manually clean them (gas tank cleaner won't work)

Or just buy new ones ( used off eBay)

Good luck.

lurice01

i fixed the idling problem by tightening my idle adjustment screw until the idle settled but i did it with the iac plugged in because i was just desperate and frustrated... its not idling right where i want it which is 670rpm but then i was thinking, you know how between 0 and 1000 rpm it has one line just like between 1000 and 2000 rpm and between 2000 and 3000 rpm and so on??? is that line the 500 rpm line even though it is very close to 0 and not directly in the middle like the other lines??? exactly where is 500 rpm on my tachometer???

lurice01

Thanks 'Apple395' maybe i will try cleaning the injectors before i take it to mechanic. i have listened to them with a screwdriver and all of them are clicking but i will read up and look at a video on how to take them out and clean them

TomCat39

Yes the very first line after 0 is 500 rpm on the Tach from what I've seen others say and coincides with my experience of my civic.

lurice01

THanks TomCat39 thats valuable information because i just figured halfway between 0 and 1000 was 500 but now that i know that its not-- i should have never even messed with my idle screw to begin with... but at same time i'm glad i have an idle screw i that is turnable n0w and so i can set it how i want. now back to the sputter problem,,, could it be a timing issue?? i feel like taking the injectors out and cleaning them is not gonna help me. i feel like 'Apple 395' was trying to help my idle problem with the cleaning the injectors suggestion more than he was trying to help my sputter and low power problem that occasionaly disappears.

lurice01

BUMP
took car to unofficial mechanic that i always go to

TomCat39

I think you may have fiddled with too many systems at once instead of working each aspect fully to rule it out.

The very first step I'm learning and never really considered is to check your mechanical timing, then work up from there. Makes total sense but easily overlooked. Unless of course you have CEL information that says otherwise.

JoeBlue

I have a B-series, but I have had the same issue before. Here are the steps I took to solve this issue. Not sure which one gave the best, because with each thing I did the car ran better until it no longer surges. My idle is rock solid, except I have developed the dreaded brake booster vacuum leak so when I am hitting the brakes now the idle goes over 1500 That is obviously next on my list of things to do now

In actual order I did them:

Replaced my TPS that had been out of spec before throwing a CEL, but had dead spots on it even after I adjusted it into spec.

Did the FITV delete, as that thing was so worn out that the plunger would back itself out within 20-30 minutes of driving it. It was that bad I also routed the coolant to bypass the IACV.

I replaced all of my grounds with new wiring.

Did a complete coolant flush and checked my cam timing, I was off like a half over one tooth on the intake.

Purged the coolant, obviously.

Changed the oil after running an oil flush. Not sure the PO knew that the oil has to be changed once in a while.

Cleaned all electrical connections that relate to the running of the engine, as well as the fuses. If you do this grease your fuses to prevent corrosion in the future.


Those are all of the things I did until my idle was steady, except for the brake issue that I have now. I knew the brakes were bad already, and I have to remove the ABS pump that is just sitting there not doing anything anyways. So I will just redo my brakes all at once when I pull the engine again.

The FITV delete and cam timing were the two biggest ones that had the most effect though.

lurice01

TomCat i had NO CEL Codes. i kept noticing my cap and rotor kept getting a lil black stuff on them so i kept replacing them (it was free) and then i realized too that i should check my timing. thats when i realized my car was idling high so i wanted to fix that before i checked the timing and thats when i messed with my idle. then i realized where 500 rpm wasnt where i thought it was and my idle was fine all along. anyway when i was trying to check my timing the timing wires fell on my header pipes and melted them and i didnt realize that until i got pissed and gave up trying to use the light... never got wires replaced. eventually took car to mechanic. MY MECHANIC SAID THE 3RD CYLINDER IS MISSING. AND IT IS BECAUSE THE FUEL INJECTOR ISNT DOING ITS J0B RIGHT. so i took injectors off my parts car and brought them to him and he is fixing it and hopefully that will be that. Now when i was tinkering, i did a what i think was called a power cycle test where i pulled each spark wire while civic was running and listened and all sounded fine so i dont know how he figured this out. i will have to ask him. Apple 395 Called it (reply #16) I shoulda listened.

lurice01

Yes it was the fuel injector problem solved