I have a 92 civic lx 1.5 SOHC engine. The car starts up with a little white smoke from the exhaust, but I understand that's normal. After when it warms up, it will stumble and then stall. If i press the gas, it will keep it from stalling. I can drive fine as long as I dont let the rpm drop to zero when stopping at a light or turning. Sometimes it will stumble at high speeds and it has trouble accelerating uphill (i can floor it at 70 mph on the highway and the speed will only climb very slowly).
I did the ecu self-diagnostic and got a code 14( IACV valve), and a code 43.( fuel system).
I have changed the spark plugs, wires, dist cap and rotor, fuel filter, and airfilter.
I've noticed that it's starting to use a tremendous amount of gas also. It uses roughly a half tank to go 70 miles. It use to use less than a quarter tank to go the same distance.
Also, and probally totally unrelated, it has been increasingly using tons of oil. I have to add 3 quarts every 300 miles! There is NO smoke at all from the exhaust and no burning smell, and there is never any oil puddles or leaks. That is strange to me.
I have had this car for 6 years, and I have changed and fixed everything on a regular schedule EXCEPT the oxygen sensor. I cant tell you why i've neglected it, but I never have changed the oxygen sensor..the engine has 233000 miles on it but it has all new gaskets, seals, timing belt, waterpump. I also had the crankshaft, bearings, and rear main seal replaced.
It ran like a champ until 2 days ago when this problem started. The only problem it has was oil consumption but it was'nt as severe. It only used 3 quarts in about 2 weeks. Nows it's about every other (I drive 150 miles a day)
Could the o2 sensor be the cause of these symptoms? and what about the IAVC code?
And why is the gas consumption so high? and is any of this related to the oil consumption?
I searched the site and cant get definative answers. I plan to do some repairs in the morning but I dont want to waste money on parts that I dont need. Can anyone please help?
Thanks alot.

 

wow it sounds like you have quite a problem. you should not have to add that much oil every 3 days. I would open the radiator cap and check the coolant if it is milky you have a head gasket problem, if not you might be burning past the rings. also I would check the map sensor and the o2. usually both will make you run rich which will cause your fuel issue and maybe your spuddering issue. you are probably loading the engine with fuel causing a "bogging/shuddering" issue. also if your coolant is low it will cause an issue with fuel and your IAC valve. Hope that helps if not pm and i'll try to help more.

 

coolant is fine. it's not milky at all, and the level is ok. There is a very small leak on the radiator at the very top. I can see trickle of coolant on the fan housing. It's mostly dried up but a very small amount trickles out every now and then. It's so little that I dont really worry about it. I keep checking the level and the coolant is still very near the top of the radiator. Could this leak have an effect on the car running like it is?
Can you give me some suggestion as to what I should buy/replace 1st. I wanna correct the problem as cheaply as necessary, without wasted money, or effort.
The oil problem I can pretty much deal with until i get the seals replaced soon.
Thanks

 

"The oil problem I can pretty much deal with until i get the seals replaced soon."
I thought it wasn't leaking any oil?
Not trying to be a dick just trying to figure out whrer the oil is going.

 

no problem...
i'm just <U>assuming</U> the oil is burning...although there is no smoke. It's definately not leaking. I've never seen a puddle and there are no signs of a leak after many inspections. If I wasn't adding oil every day myself, I'd think I was lying. The only way I can tell that the oil is gone is when the oil light comes on and I check it and the dipstick is bone dry. Other than that, it shows no signs of leaks or burning oil. The spark plugs which i just changed are still new looking. The ones I took out had white ash on 2 of them, one was fine, and one (the 4th one), had a small amount of oil around the threads. I know it seems like oil is leaking somewhere but with the amounts of oil I've been using, you'd think there's be tons of black smoke or oil dripping from all over the engine. Even if it was all leaking into the transmission or something, i'm sure the transmission couldn't possibly hold THAT much oil .
Hope that helps..
Thanks

 

Since you have so many problems going on with your engine , and atleast one that seems to be an internal problem and 200k+ miles on it, I would suggest getting a new engine, you can jdm engines for $400-$500 and it would cost you way more than that to get new rings that you said you where going to get.

long story short....
cut and re-tie! LOL IMO

 

i'll probally do that... I am only looking to hang on to this car for 3 more months, which is why I dont want to put much into it. I plan on getting a new car. I just need it to get me to and from work in the meantime.
On another note: I changed the IAC valve and the oxygen sensor, to no avail . Frustrated, I took it to two repair shops and both said it was a timing issue. They both said the timing probally "jumped".
Does that sound about right? And if so, will reseting my timing cure the stalling problem? And why would timing throw a code 14 and a 43?
Thanks

 

I just did some research and i've learned that IAC code is most often caused by low coolant or air bubbles in the coolant. MY radiator does have a small leak at the top, as it leaks radiator coolant from under the top rim of the radiator. Could that be the cause of code 14 (faulty IACV valve), and if so, is there a way to test this without springing for a new radiator?

 

yea the leak could definatly let air into the sytem. you might want to try and patch it with radiator putty ot something like it. that would be a quick cheap fix. and worth a try.IMO

 

Ok..check this out..
I bled the air from the radiator and while doing so, i noticed that the coolant reservoir was bone dry. I consulted the manual and it said it coolant should be added to the reservoir between the min/max marks. I have never noticed coolant in there. I assumed it was just a holding tank for boil over. When i had my crankshaft replaced, the guy had me buy coolant. I'm guessing he added it directly to the radiator and none to the reservoir. Today, I filled the tank, and bled the air from the system and now the IACV is catching the idle before it drops to zero and stall..every time! That is great, no more stalling. I do have the rumbling, rough, hard idle though and gas consumption is high. Plus, my idle speed is a little high.
I messed with the throttle cable and distributor while trying to troubleshoot so i'm gonna get a timing light and set the timing Correctly. Hopefully, that'll smooth everything out.