My car has been running sluggish at low rpm. On hiwhay when rpm is above 2500 it runs good. Also when i start car in the morning when engine is cold car runs fine for 10 minutes but then it is sluggish. It seems like there is no torque and engine is reving hard. I also smell gas sometime when I start my car.
My car is 2000 civic EX all stock with 40000 miles.
So far I have change plugs, wires and I also swap ECU from my other car.
Do you guys know whats wrong with my car? Please help
thanks

 

no torque? its a honda. a sohc at that.

timing could be off.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by =GAMEOVER= &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no torque? its a honda. a sohc at that.

timing could be off.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I got 4dr civic too and that car runs good.
What I need to check for timing. How do I check timing?

 

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

I got 4dr civic too and that car runs good.
What I need to check for timing. How do I check timing?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Timing gun.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by =GAMEOVER= &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no torque? its a honda. a sohc at that.

timing could be off.</TD></TR></TABLE>

But then why car is running good at high RPM. Could you tell me what are the symptoms if car has timing problem?
thanks

 

if your timing is slightly off it will run worse under a load(acceleration) than at a crusing speed.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcdelsol93 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if your timing is slightly off it will run worse under a load(acceleration) than at a crusing speed. </TD></TR></TABLE>

But then in the morning when I drive car runs ok for first 10 minuets. Why is that?
Also When I check my timing belt when engine was cold one side was ok and other side was little loose. But when I checked when engin was hot both side were ok.

 

Is it throwing a cel. Could be an electronic problem.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jaydeep &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
My car is 2000 civic EX all stock with 40000 miles.
So far I have change plugs, wires and I also swap ECU from my other car.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Try putting the stock ECU back in...why would you swap it out in the first place on a completely stock car? It doesn't make any sense to me...maybe after some more explanation.

 

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

Try putting the stock ECU back in...why would you swap it out in the first place on a completely stock car? It doesn't make any sense to me...maybe after some more explanation.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just wanted to make sure that if there is something wrong with ECU. I swap it from my other 00 civic.

 

My be your alternator? Not enough amprage.

 

if it is your alt. the battery light will come on

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcdelsol93 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if it is your alt. the battery light will come on</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know its not alt. nor battery.

 

My Dx has a bad o2 sensor and it idles like ****, except when it's cold. Once it warms up it hovers around 400 rpm and tries to stall. It runs fine under accel. I'm getting a CEL though.

 

I NEED MORE COW BELL!!

 

I have the exact same problem with my 97 Civic ex. When its still cold (10-15 minutes after starting) it accelerates fine. After that, hella bog and loud below 3000 rpms. Tried cleaning my air filter and checked my spark plugs, wires and rotor. No problems there.

My next guess would be the fuel filter and I just picked up a Purolator fuel filter from advance auto parts for 20 bucks today, but I dont think its the fuel filter since there is no bog when the engine hasnt heated up all the way.

 

yea i was going to say.... lets not forget fuel too guys.. cause it could be filter time or injector but... with only 40k .... posibly but unlikly.... run stabil through the gas... stabil is amazing... and dont worry about amount... just stabil the **** outa the gas... but i've learned over the past few years that if its an acceleration bogging type thing... first bet is Fuel and Ignition.... (whether it be timing, plugs, wires, cap or rotor...) pretty much your maintinence type things...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcdelsol93 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I NEED MORE COW BELL!!</TD></TR></TABLE>
Amen to that. Do not fear the reaper. Man, my car did a very similar thing (minus the gas smell), but I changed the fuel filter, and the plugs. I also made sure the distributor cap was clean. It was running fine until it became warm. Then it was have a bad bog when I would accelerate. It wasn't unbearable until it became doing this at low rpms at low speeds, AND about 3500rpm and below at high speeds. It turned out that it was my plug wires. When I changed the plugs and stuff, it ran nice for a while. Then a plug fouled again, and i thought, "stupid wires." It fixed it. Those stupid wires. I'll stop jive talkin now.

 

naw i fouled like 3 sets of plugs in my 3gen prelude...

 

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

I just wanted to make sure that if there is something wrong with ECU. I swap it from my other 00 civic. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Okaaaay.

I'll put 10 bucks on the ECU being the problem. If you haven't done any modifications to the engine then there is no other explanation. A honda does not just start running bad with 40K miles unless someone f's with it.

If you want to keep the ECU you have then I'll put another 10 buck on the problem being the ignition timing. Get a timing light and adjust the timing back to factory spec.

Good luck.