Just bought a 2000 civic EX. When I bought it, it was cranking slowly and sometimes it wouldn't want to idle once I started it. Turned out that the battery needed replacement. After replacing it, I thought my startup problems would be gone, but they are not!

When I crank the car over, I get ignition, but the engine idles at around 300rpm, very rough. If I just leave it, the engine RPM gradually climbs to around 1500rpm, and after this it runs and drives perfectly. Sometimes, it doesn't want to start at all until I blip the throttle a tiny bit, and hold it around 1000-1500rpm for 5 seconds or so.

Battery and plugs are brand new.

This only happens when the car has sat for at least several hours, or overnight. It has nothing to do with outside temp, has happened to me at 75deg and at 35deg.

I'm thinking it is some kind of cold start sensor or something in the intake, but I'm not sure where to start. From searching I came up with the FITV, but my idle does not hunt or fluctuate. Any ideas?

 

Help me! is there a valve or something I need to clean off?

 

anybody had this problem?

 

How many miles are on it? What other maintenance has been done besides the battery and spark plugs?

 

165k, i dont know about maintenance as I just got the car. It runs beautifully other than this startup problem. What should I start looking at?

 

bump. :-(

 

it sounds like a weak fuel pump or cloged fuel filter blocking, or slowly letting fuel into ur engine. thats my wild guess

 

Fuel filter is a good guess, and it could always stand to be replaced. Thanks for the idea!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maireeka &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Fuel filter is a good guess, and it could always stand to be replaced. Thanks for the idea!</TD></TR></TABLE>

clean your IAC with sensor safe TB cleaner. LOL this seems to be my solution to all the world's problems.

 

replaced fuel filter, no changes. i am going to clean the iac next.

this sucks, I get rid of my perfectly reliable v6 mustang for this ek and it won't even idle at startup unless i crack the throttle open.

honda reliability my ***.

 

They are reliable...when maintained properly.

At 165k, a lot needs attention especially if you don't know the status of any of it.

Cap, rotor, plugs and wires
Clean your grounds
Set valve lash
O2 sensor is probably on its last leg
Air filter, fuel filter and PCV valve
Check the ignition timing
Clean throttle body/IACV

And stick with OEM parts. A Denso Direc-Fit is acceptable for the O2 sensor, but don't compound problems by going with Autozone crap for the ignition components.

 

i'm taking care of most of that maintenance, and will start checking things off that list you gave me. cleaning the iacv and tb will be tomorrow, i'm really hoping that will fix it. cap, plugs, fuel filter, air filter, and battery have been replaced so far.

 

have you done a compression check?

 

no, but the motor runs strong as ****, and most of the time it starts up fine. this is a cold (after at least an hour) start problem and a slight opening of the throttle for ~15 sec cures it. It is an annoyance, nothing more. I want it fixed because I do not like having to sit there on the gas pedal to start my car.

 

cleaned IACV/TB, replaced cap and rotor, and bled coolant today. Seems to be little, if any change.

Now the cap, rotor, plugs, battery, oil, fuel filter have been replaced to no avail.

The idle is now very low (a little over 500rpm). This is very disheartening, I wish I had my mustang back. My girlfriend says I should take the car back to the dealer, but I know that they won't be able to fix anything that I can't figure out myself. I don't know what to do.

 

please tell me how you expect to get help on a 'honda' forum when youre bashing them .. do you know if there are any codes being thrown, just next time respect us all by not bashing them .. good luck

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maireeka &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This is very disheartening, I wish I had my mustang back. My girlfriend says I should take the car back to the dealer, but I know that they won't be able to fix anything that I can't figure out myself. I don't know what to do.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You whine too much. And your logic sucks. Because YOU can't fix it, you doubt anyone else would?? Maybe when you actually put some more diagnostic time into it, that'd be a fair statement. You haven't replaced the O2 sensor (they're only good for 75-90k miles), you haven't set the valve lash nor cleaned the grounds - ALL of which can have a marked impact on idle quality.

You should probably just go get your Mustang back.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EE_Chris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You should probably just go get your Mustang back.</TD></TR></TABLE> Chris, yeah get your week *** rustang back, hopefully you get beat by a single cam, which I'm sure you will.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civic98KH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">please tell me how you expect to get help on a 'honda' forum when you're bashing them .. do you know if there are any codes being thrown, just next time respect us all by not bashing them .. good luck</TD></TR></TABLE> X2 These two guys have a point. Don't knock Hondas just because you aren't able to diagnose some st00pid problem.

 

at least i got some replies. ;-) I can only do so many things at once, valve lash etc will be done today before work. o2 sensors have to wait until I get paid on friday, I'm not made of money. Do I replace all 3 or what?

 

thanks for the back up bro

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maireeka &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I can only do so many things at once, valve lash etc will be done today before work. o2 sensors have to wait until I get paid on friday, I'm not made of money. Do I replace all 3 or what?</TD></TR></TABLE>

And yet, you found time to whine. See the problem? The solution to this one is free, so you don't have to wait till Friday to start practicing it - just don't do it. And you'd free up the time to do something else by not whining - another plus. If ever there were a case for not whining and killing two birds with one stone, I don't know what is.

But all 3 of what? We've only got two O2 sensors. And you'd replace the primary. If you don't have a Helms for setting the valve lash, get one (or download one). And make sure to clean up your grounds.

 

Hondas are the most reliable. I have a 98 ex with 192k and it starts right up, runs like a champ, and never gave me a problem i couldn't fix. Of course i've done most of the maintenance myself and know how to work on the car. You need to have someone with some honda knowledge, and quit your whining. Sounds like a problem that can easily be fixed with the right diagnosis.

 

I am a honda fan just as much as you are, h2392si, this is the first hard to locate problem I've had on a honda. I've owned a couple CRXes and an eg before this car.

Since I cleaned the IACV and throttle body, I have not had the startup problem. The idle is kinda low ~500, but it does not die. I may just play with the screw to bring it up closer to 750 so it doesn't shake.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maireeka &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since I cleaned the IACV and throttle body, I have not had the startup problem. The idle is kinda low ~500, but it does not die. I may just play with the screw to bring it up closer to 750 so it doesn't shake.</TD></TR></TABLE>

NOOO!

Your Honda idled fine from the factory. There are MANY Honda's that have many more miles than yours and idle just fine without touching that screw. Unless you have something mechanically wrong, do the routine maintenance and see where that gets you.

You're asking for so much more trouble than you know by messing with that screw when you really have no probable reason to do so.

 

ok. what do I have left? timing, plug wires, valve lash is about all the maintenance I can think of (that I haven't done) that could affect this. I gotta pull the valve cover to check lash and go buy a light to check the timing.

About the o2 sensors, I saw one before and after the cat, and thought I saw one under the heat shield on the top section of the exhaust manifold. Guess I am wrong, this is the newest honda I've owned. My crxes only had 1 o2 sensor, and I didn't mess with the eg much at all.