Well, I finally went through the trouble to get my car inspected (fixed the problems holding it up like tint, intake, etc.). Well, right before i got to the inspection place, i filled it up with Mid Grade gasoline (just like the previous owner), and even before i got it to the shop, it started hesitating, and mostly sputtering. Funny thing is, if i give it gas, after it passes about 4000 rpm, it goes back to normal. When i sit there, idling, it will constantly drop down to 3-400 rpm and hesitate, then it will idle fine, then hesitate again... wtf??! Would this be a bad vacuum line??? All help would be great. This is the same problem i had in my Z32 300ZX right before i sold it..f#cking **** cars...

 

I had a problem like that... i'll tell you about mine, and the solution for it... then you can make your own judgments..

when i would start my car after it had been sitting long enough for the engine to cool.. my idle would jump 500 rpm's upwards (from 800/100 to 1400/1500) and back down again. It would also make a sort of "bogging noise & feeling"
i have a custon aftermarket intake pipe. There is a sensor on the back of the intake manifold monitering the air flow. With an aftermarket intake, the engine is taking in more air then the sensor was originally setup to read. Basically what was happening is the introduction of more air messes up the sensor, and the engine is trying to find it's idle point. So it jumps around sorta "confused" untill it finds its idle point. (3-5 mins for me) i would always would just start driving, and after 5 mins i'd get to a light, and it wouldn't jump anymore. Replacing that sensor will make it go away for awhile, but it will continue to go bad again after time.

 

Thanks! I figure it has to be something in the vacuum line, fuel system, or intake...but that'st still a huge number of possibilities. My dad put some slick 50 fuel treatment..he thinks that it might be the fact that it has sat in front of my house for nearly a month (only been ran a few times), and sat in front of previous owner's for about a month. It's kind of odd that it happened RIGHT after i put some gas in..maybe the gas tank is dirty?? the car has 150,000 miles on it...
I hate cars.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EGtoDC2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I hate cars.</TD></TR></TABLE>



HOW DARE YOU!

 

hehe. someone can't take a joke. they are a more of a convenience than an inconvenience, but I'm sick of chasing gremlins on used cars. things going to **** so quickly worries me.

if the problem persists, i'll just pull it all apart and reinstall/check everything. It would be nice to get a good paintjob (especially under the hood). It may sit for a few more months, but i'm not really concerned at this point. I've got a new, daily driver so i don't have to rely on the civic.

 

After a few drinks last night, my buddy with the same 94teg as me, mentioned something about this thread i had to add.. that sensor is an air/fuel sensor and in addition to the aftermarket intake theory i mentioned.. that sensor also goes bad from not changing the air filter enough or not at all. could have been from the cars previous owner. Particles from the intake get stuck on the sensor causing it to go bad eventually. Note: the sensor could be contributing to lowered gas mileage because it's getting false readings.

 

would that show up on a CEL check? i have yet to run an engine diagnostic.
I'll check all the sensors..heck, i'm going to pull the intake tube and pressure wash it out, then check/replace all sensors and reinstall. I'll use my K&N recharge kit to hit up the filter, while i'm there

again, I don't think my engine is bad, i'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the air/fuel delivery..
ignition looks good, though i'll check the plugs tomorrow, and if they aren't NGK, i'll go to advanced auto parts and pick up a set..

 

just thought i would update..this turned out to be a loose fuel injector wire..it was fixed a few days after i posted this..but i never updated. I hope this may help someone in the future...