TheLegendRGS

K, im looking at buying a 2000 honda Civic si..

the guy says he has abunch of stuff done to his motor.. rods/pistons/bearing/new gaskets.. ect.. both bottom/top built.. (has receipts and proof from mechanic shop)

he first told me it was the timing, but i got there, and the car started... so i figured it wasnt the timing..

he says the problem with the car is that.. After 20-30 minutes of driving (when the car's warm pretty much)

the oil light flickers (like it is loosing oil pressure) when u let off the gas, and the RPM's Decline, and when you stop, he said the car usually dies.. but it can be started back up..

what is this problem? Oil Pump? Spun bearing?
something major? minor? what?

Pleaseee help fasttt

Pothole987

from the sounds of it could be alternator getting weak or the IVAC is dirty or needs to be tuned

TheLegendRGS

also, when i started the car... no nocks... or anything and it sat in 95 degree weather running for 10 minutes.. (so i know when bearing and **** go sometime they wont nock till they are warm, but it was def warm and still heard no nocking)

and the alternator getting weak? would cause the oil light to flicker?

(im not a mechanic so i honestly wouldnt know)

Pothole987

Some cars ( mostly POS jbodies) have that problem its wierd since there is a perfectly good battery light there.
Also, if the car idles really really low then the oil pressure is gonna bereally really low. hense the oil light...

cnydc2

That could be one of many things. Kind of sounds electrical to me, and the stalling could be a dirty IACV. Does the car run really rich? Did you check the oil level and quality? Normally a spun bearing or beat *** oil pump would give a light all the time and esp at higher RPM's

TheLegendRGS

hrm.. i just texted him and he said it hasnt been tuned yet.. since all the upgrades ..so idk

and i dont remember what it Idle'ed at when i was there and started it.. but it seemed to idle fine didnt hear any bogs.. or like it was putting, i wanna say (playing this by ear) 2kish? not 100% sure though

TheLegendRGS

well due to the problem i didnt Test drive.. but from his words, he says the oil lights not on when he drives it, ONLY when the RPM's are Dropping down... and then he pushes the clutch in... and it dies..

cnydc2

Clean the IACV and that should help the stalling, at least it did on my turbo GSR. The oil light could also be a pressure sensor going poopy.

TheLegendRGS

k..ORR worse case scenario.. spun bearing? and its not worth the money to go into?

cause to me it sounded like a oil pump issue.. but what i didnt get is after 20 minutes of driving when the car warms up.. is what that happens.. he says it doesnt do it right when u start it, only when its warm...
so it just made me nervous it was something major like a spun bearing or something stupid like that..

TheLegendRGS

and more info here, i just asked him haha

When you first start the car, like very first start it sits at about 1150, but after a second or to, its 1800ish Idle

tw1tch

Pay the 60 bucks to have someone at Honda check it out. If you are gonna spend the 6-8k on an si, it's worth 60 bucks to make sure it isn't about to break down on ya. I'd ask if the timing belt/water pump are original. If they have over 90k and are original, I would talk him down 500 bucks.

TheLegendRGS

he said its a new timing belt, and Water pump

uhm.. a friend of mine just told me, that maybe because it wasnt tuned.. because he doenst know what ecu is in the car..if its the P2 or a p73..
but if the car needs to be tuned? ... do i need to go out buy tuning software..ect..ect? .. or can i just take it to honda and be like here..Tune it.. and be done with it? (my frieend likes to say i need all this just to get to this when sometimes i dont need to)

so idk.. im not a mechanic.. ..

tw1tch

If the guy selling the car knew what was wrong with it he would fix it himself. You NEVER want to see the oil light for any reason. Most of the time if you see that light it means damage has already been done. It comes on when your oil pressure is dangerously low. Kinda pointless since by then it's usually too late. If it was a bad sensor causing it that's different. I would not spend money on the car without someone at Honda looking at it. I dunno how much it would be, but it can't be too much. Ask the seller if he'll pay 1/2 the cost with you. That way if you don't buy it, he'll know what's wrong with it himself. Win-win for both of you.

TheLegendRGS

GAW ive had so many different answers.. from here and friends.. lol.. but i dont wanna trailer this car to honda.. cause that would be to expensive, and i dont wanna drive it and make a problem worse..

idk.. its a big gamble, either something big.. and i lose money... or something small.. and i gain money..

and im not paying 6k-8k for it either.. im trading straight up 96' BMW for this..

but idk.. this oil issue just has me mind boggled.. cause if its a Spun bearing, ima cry..
If its something small like a tune... or oil pump.. then its no biggy

TheLegendRGS

OH i completely forgot to say this..
he says the Spark plugs foul easily, with this problem..
so idk if that maye indicate anything?
or rule out some stuff?

Pothole987

tune ... it needs one

TheLegendRGS

k last question and i think im good..

if it nneeds a tune wouldnt it run crappy all the time and die all the time even at idle?
and not just when it warmed up..? and was driving?
like i guess im just not comprehending here, cause ive never really dug that far into motor's..

but i understand the tuning process and what not but what im not understanding is how come only when you let off the gas, and the RPM's drop...and then you push the clutch in.. it acts funny..
and not when ur driving normally.. i guess idk

Pothole987

a tune will help the idle stay up when you let the foot off the gas. don't get discouraged about asking questions, its a forum and most people on here are glad to answer them from past experiences. anything else you can think of?

tw1tch

Make him drive it to Honda and get it checked out then. He needs to know either way. I wouldn't go off hearsay. Get proof first before you take the loss on a potential lemon.

TheLegendRGS

nah, just that he says the spark plugs foul really easily since the motor rebuild..
and that it idles at about 1800ish.. when started.. he has new rods..new bearings..new pistons in it.. has receipts of it all..
but just when its warm it doesnt stay running i guess when u let off the gas.. and my friend who is a die hard honda person..has 10 sec EG.. claims its a Spun bearing.. or if its a tune up, i need to spend 800 on tune up software, then pay somewere 400 to tune it..
so idk.. i always thought u just went in and said tune my car.. haha.. never actually done a tune up before..
didnt know i had to buy some tuneing software then get it tuned..

but im really just afraid, because i guess, im trading my Working 96 BMW.. for this not 100% fully working 00 SI.. but in a sence, i could either luck out or it could go horribly wrong.. he wants to do a Straight trade.. for my 96 BMW.. which is listed at 4750
has a few problems.. needs brakes..check engine lights on.. ect..

ALSO the check engine light is NOT on in this civic.. nor was the oil light when i started.. so i never saw either of those.. so im honestly just guessing it needs to be tuned? or an Oil Pump

TheLegendRGS

i think i will have him drive it to honda, or see if something like that can be worked out

tw1tch

Your friend sounds like he is not sure about what he's talking about. And that si is worth 7k-10k or so depending on mods and condition etc. So the fact he is willing to trade for your car worth less than 5k tells me something is ****ed up. I am very skeptical now.

TheLegendRGS

worth 7k even though it doesnt fully run? ... and keeps dieing?

tw1tch

Assuming it's in good shape it's worth 8k or so, give or take. If the problem was something minor, he would fix it and sell it for 8k. I think he knows it's messed up and is trying to push it off on you since he's hoping he can sucker you with it. I would be extremely careful with this car. It doesn't add up. One hour at a Honda dealer and they'll be able to tell you what's up. I would take it yourself, though. If he takes it and it's something minor, I doubt he would still trade you. If he trades an 8k car for one worth under 5k, he's an idiot

TheLegendRGS

ya.. ima talk to honda tomarrow..

i guess he's been having this problem ever since the heads been rebuilt and put back on.. so idk it could just be a simple tune up ... or something worse