stevanrk

Thanks in advance to whoever can help. 95 civic dx sedan all stock. I searched for similar problems and they all have something that sounds similar but only when the car warms up. Mine is reverse. It starts out with loss of power, stuttering in every gear. Come to a stop and the rpms drop to around 500 and it feels like it wants to stall. Step on gas and it climbs but sluggish and sounds like a wrx with rhythmic jerking of the whole car, faster and faster. Plugs, wires, and rotor cap were all replaced about two years ago. NO cel. Problem goes away in about 4 miles of driving. Ask away and suggest something please. I want it to die so I have an excuse for an engine swap, but without a garage to do it for at least 6 months, I would be stuck paying labor which I don't want to do. I also have to move back to St. Louis from Cali in 4 months and don't want to get stuck on the highway. Thanks again people.
Steve

rick_rabies

iv heard of old Dseries trannies when cold are like the old army duce n a half deisel trucks. they are sluggish and jerk around till tranny is warm
but it could also be coolant maybe. bleed the coolant good and clean your iacv.
process of elimantion. after those things.
try dif plugs or ecu (basic solutions ro common problems)

stevanrk

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought of the tranny but that didn't make sense to me since thre are problems just sitting at a light while in neutral. The IACV I pulled off about a year or two ago and expected it to be full of crap but the fine mesh was spotless. Maybe it still could be the actual device itself or something else? Don't know. Anything else someone can think of? Thanks again.
Steve

rick_rabies

if i was you i would find another iacv and try that if that doesnt do it try dif spark plugs...pull them anyways and check to see if they black or crusty white

b00stin93

my GSR used to do that when it was turboed, only when it was really cold out. never really bothered me though, ran fine after a minute or so.

96hb

My car does this too. I just figured it was because it's old. Like others have said, the problem goes away in a couple of minutes.

Schister66

It could have something to do with the coolant lines running to the IACV. Until it is warm enough to function properly, your car is getting too much fuel and not enough air for the conditions. This would make it run like crap until the IACV got warm enough to register and meter air properly. I doubt in the 4 miles of driving you're getting into closed loop...or are you? Is your temp registering normal before it drives nice again or does this problem quit before it gets to that point?

I ask because i'm running my car without the aid of an IACV and have almost this same problem for the first few minutes after startup.

Str8EJ

the lopey sound and tendency to stall out due to low rpms sounds like an ignition problem. when was the last time you replaced your ignition cap/rotor, wires?

Schister66

A year ago...it says in the original post

Str8EJ

doh!
(g/l)

importdreamer

My car did that last year. Eventually it died like that at an intersection and wouldn't start. Replaced the ground battery cable and it fixed it. It might not be that but it's only six bucks to find out.

red Teggie

Not sure if this is related, but I had a problem with the engine trying to stall when cold. I had to give it some gas to keep it running for a min or so until it was warm enough to run without giving gas. cleaned iacv, didn't help. then I came across the fitv thread and tried that. it worked. When you're engine is acting funny when cold, you might wanna look into fitv. It's free anyways.. here's the thread. Try it and report back if it helped.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-crx-ef-civic-1988-1991-3/how-fix-your-idleing-woes-fitv-iacv-2153910/

stevanrk

Wow, thanks for the million responses. HT rocks! I will look into the fitv as soon as I can. If others are not caring with a similar problem then I won't I guess. It didn't do it today on the way home after sitting outside all day while I was at work. We'll see about the morning though. My grounding wires and contact points were all upgraded/cleaned as well when I installed a stereo system so it's better than stock. I will come back to confirm or deny the fitv thing as soon as I get a chance to mess with it. Thanks again guys.
Steve

stevanrk

OK it died tonight. On the golden gate bridge goin sothwound. I got out and looked under the hood because just before it died it was running fine, then loud popping then all the lights come on and it would only crank over but not ignite. I pop the hood and notice the spark plug wire to cylinder one is detached. I look down and the metal piece that is supposed to be a part of the wire is detached from the wire and stuck on the spark plug. I manage to piece it back together eventually (after getting pushed off the bridge by some nice cops) then tried to start it again and see the whole spark plug wire pop right off. I was like how the hell did that happen? I go back and the whole plug is attached to the wire and dangling! The plug unscrewed itself. A tow truck driver came and tried to screw it in, got it in a bit, put the wire back on but it wouldn't start. Got towed home. I obviously need new plugs and wires. I had Bosch premium wires that only lasted for ~2years before they totally shredded. POS. Is there any chance that I may have screwed something else like the dizzy? I will go to the nearest parts store (I think it's Kragen) and just get whatever they have for the plugs and wires and hope that it works and update you guys tomorrow. Wish me luck. I never expected my intermittent problems to be a failed wire and a plug that was working it's way out!
Steve

stevanrk

Changed plugs and plug wires. Nothing. Changed the dizzy rotor and cap. nothing. Changed the ignition coil. Done. Case closed. Thanks again peeps.
Steve