omerfar23

I just recently bought a used 1999 Civic EX with 133K miles though that I needs a lot of work. There are two separate issues I think but maybe I am wrong and someone can correct me. First of all, the engine feels like in its limp mode because I can’t feel any power from it. Though the engine revs about 3500 it seems like there is no power.

1. There is a engine and tranny oil leaks, according to a tech there is CAM seal leak, Oil Pan leak and Tranny AXL Seal. I am not sure how could the leak fom so many places. when the car was lifted I did little bit of oil but not alot. Currently both of the oil are up to full level.
2. The check Engine light is on with P1337 and P1381
P1381 - CYP Sensor
P1337 – Crankshaft Speed Fluctuation Sensor No Signal
Both of the code seems to indicate issue with Crank Sensor does it mean I need to replace the sensor? Change the distributor? I researched online but I can’t find any one answer. Any opinion would be helpful.
3. The car vibrates at idle after running I think this is because of Tranny or engine mounts. I am not sure which one maybe someone can help me out with this.

So are any of these problems inter-related? Also since I am on a budget which once should be highest priority. Thanks for you time and advice. Any advice would be helpfu.

omerfar23

anyone??? bump...

rick_rabies

of course your on a budget you own a honda...me 2. having no money sux
anyways. those 2 check engine lights will make your car run like crap. k
the p1337 is on the oil pump. behind the crank pully. there shoudl be a sensor make sure its plugged in. if it is.......pull out the multimeter and check the pins at the ecu to find out if the signal is found there. your car is obd2b. i wouldnt worry too much about oil leaks, but address them and fix the 1 at a time. its super easy to fix. each oil leak fix costs about $10 (gasket or seal)

rick_rabies

http://www.ff-squad.com/technet/wiring.obd2b.htm

omerfar23

thanks for the info and time. I really appreciate. i will check the fuel sensor and can probe the pins. i am electrical engineer so i am handy with car i just don't know where to start. thanks. Do you what pins I am looking at in which connector A, B or C? also where can i find correct values for each pins? I would probably check the crank sensor at the same time. Once again thanks.

rick_rabies

when you multimeter stuffs have the koio...(key on..ignition off)
the values if you ronj@ht answers he has them (that dude is a genious)
you can also find them in a haynes or chiltons manual

the A plug is the big long lug. the small one is B. and the medium size plug is C

omerfar23

thanks for all the help man, so i checked out the fuel pump sensor this weekend and it seems fine. Though your help and other observation have really helped me.

I haven't taken it to the mechanic. I think my civic is really hurting though it is running it is truly hurting. I noticed that my civic blowing blue smoke from the exhaust. I researched that it seems that blue smoke is indicates there is oil leak inside the engine. I am wondering if the leaks that I have are causing the blue smoke and also causing the engine to misfire which in turn is also the cause of the CEL.

I spent a lot time searching the Honda tech older threads and found that people have had P1337 and P1381 together and most of the time new dizzy, new CYP sensor did not fix this issue. There some root issue of all this. I think the engine is running really poorly because of an oil leak. Now I had a mechanic spray brake oil all over under the car and clean all leaks. then couple of days later I went back and he told i have three leaks, Engine Oil CAM leak, Tranny oil at Axl seal, and engine at oil pan leak. Also I have noticed the last owner of the who did the last oil change put too much oil. I guess he tried to hide the oil leak.

Guys please help me... I need advice so i can get the proper service and not wast me my money things replacing I really don't need.

thanks in advance....

rick_rabies

if you do have real leaks..then go to autozone and buy an
oil pan gasket
axel seal and
cam seal
plus fresh oil for oil change
these are very very easy to replace. it take alittle grit and oil to do it.
total it would cost you $50 at the max

omerfar23

rick_rabies, thanks for the quick answer, but I am not sure I can handle all this work myself, I understand "little grit" but I think CAM seal is lot of work since it almost like doing timing belt. I don't have all the tools. So do u think the oil leaks are causing the CEL and blue smoke?? otherwise I was thinking I should get the engine overhauled and that way I will get the leaks fixed at that time. I don't want to try half-way solution especially every thing will be so costly. I am going to look through the DIY on the forum for help.

No offense guys but I am just looking for advice and what should be done next? Is the engine completely dead should I try to fix the seal hopefully the problem wil go away? I been reading and it seems the piston/piston rings usually cause blue smoke, where are these piston rings and can they be affected by these oil leaks? thanks guys I really appreciate everyone's time.

omerfar23

also should I bite the bullet and take it to Honda dealership since they will be able to give me the best answer??

rick_rabies

if you arent going to do the work yourself (either way it needs fixed)
then take it to a honda dealer. they will charge you so much its not funny.
its so simple to do your self if you have tools. it just takes time. youl learn alot and have pride knowing you can work on stuff yourself.
and it sounds like you have a bad head gasket...

omerfar23

i think are u right about bad head gasket... i am going to run a leak test and find out what happens.. this sh%T is going to cost me money.. also should i rebuilt this engine or just swap for similar engine for junkyard. .which is usually cheaper and how much am I looking at. thanks..

also i am surprised no one else any input about this..

omerfar23

can anyone else suggest anything.. thanks.

omerfar23

bump someone please give me a second opinion. thanks for your time.

Vindicator9000

The most difficult of the 3 seals is probably going to be the axle seal. It's easy to change, but hard to get to. If you're lucky, you might be able to do it by undoing the balljoint from the lower control arm, then swinging it out of the way to get the axle out. Not sure if you'll have enough clearance for that though. If you attempt that BE SURE to replace the cotter key at the bottom of the balljoint. Your front suspension has a very real risk of falling apart without it.

To get at the oil pan gasket, you'll need to remove the exhaust manifold, and possibly the lower flywheel cover. After that, it's not too hard, but make sure you get all of the old gasket material off before putting the new one on.

Never personally done a cam seal, but it's right on top. You have to remove the valve cover to do it I think. If you remove the valve cover, you're supposed to replace it.

I don't think those will fix your poor running problems. You're in limp mode because you have either one or two very important sensors out. That will cause your low rev limit and general crappy running. I've never changed either of those personally, but that should fix a great deal of your problem.

If you're burning oil / shooting dark smoke, I would start with EGR valve and a valve adjustment in that order. Either one can cause those symptoms, and they're both a lot cheaper to fix than valve replacement, piston rings, etc.

omerfar23

One or two important sensors? Which sensors are u referring to???

rev95k

Dude your not running in limp mode, you have a shot piston ring, or shot valve seal or shot head gasket. in any event your loss of performance plus blue smoke indicates oil is getting into combustion chamber and you are burning oil. i can just about gurantee you that your pcv valve is stuck or was stuck and never replaced cuz to have all these oils gaskets and seals blow means your pcv system is not venting blo-bi gas and the seals must go! external leaks are the least of your problem dude service the ineternal leak problem first. do a leak down compression test see what your results are. post results

rev95k

i have to disagree with you the key here is blue smoke. now my car is also running with code p1337 and car runs strong and hard no lack of performance. idles perfect. has to do with ecu wiring belive but in any event the key here is blue smoke. that means that oil is mixing with gas and being combusted causeing blue smoke and horrible performance not to be mistaken with running in limp mode. i have yet to see honda egr sytems go bad. problem is internal in the block with piston seals and rings or in the head gasket or valve seals until you find were the oil is leaking from you wont know how much you have to spend. hope your head gasket is no good it will be the cheapest of all the possibilities. if not your better off jsut swapping a new engine in if problem is pistons or valves seals or rings,. less time and headache and less expensive. hope this helps.