Folks,

I own a 98 Civic LX. For the past 2 weeks, I have been noticing that the engine struggles a bit to start, but it does start after about 5 secs ( max). Yesterday, it just did not start. But after about 5 mins or so, when I attempted again, it started off with no problems. Thinking that it might be a battery issue, I called the AAA guy to get a spare battery. He came out, checked the battery and I could see that the amps were pretty good ( I replaced the battery about 6 months ago ). He seemed to think that it could be either a started plug issue or a distributor issue. I tried to drive the vehicle about an hour ago. I had to stop at a light and then the engine just shut off for no apparent reason. I started it again and it started just fine.

What do you guys think ? I usually post my civic problems before taking the car to the local auto shop. I will be taking the vehicle to the mechanic in about an hours time. It will be great if you guys can give me some suggestions on what might be going on.

Thanks in advance -

 

Is the CEL on at all?

 

No, it is not ON. The only lights that came on when the vehicle did not start was the check battery and the check engine oil light.

 

There is a recall on the ignition switch for this year car, if the wiring has not been tampered with, I would suggest looking at that as the culprit. Here is a link to the TSB:

http://www.hondacivicforum.com...l.htm

I've seen 5 of these come into the shop within the past few months.

 

That sounds good. I shall take it to the Honda dealer nearby. In the meanwhile, I went to the local mechanic here and he thinks that he cant really identify the problem because the engine seems to start fine and run. He did suggest that since I have close to 132,000 miles on the car, I should replace the timing belt and the water pump. I was thinking of doing it anyway. But he also suggests that I do a general tune-up of replacing the Plugs, Caps, Distributor rotor & cap, Fuel filter, air filter and coolant along with the valve cover gasket. He quotes a grand total of $700. I feel as if I am being taken for a ride here. I agree on the timing belt and water pump. The rest of the load, I am not so sure.

Would I be at greater risk if I don't replace the things he suggests? What do you guys think ? None of those things have been replaced before though.

 

He's not taking you for a ride on what should be done...if you haven't changed those items yourself or are unsure of their mileage. But he's def taking you for a ride at that cost.

$700 buys you all OEM parts and the needed tools to complete this at a reduced price.

Timing Belt = $34 No need to replace the tensioner set at this point - that comes at the next t-belt interval.
Valve Cover gasket = $7
Water Pump = $70
Thermostat = $14
Distributor Cap = $18
Distributor Rotor = $17
Rotor Screw (just in case) = $1
Plug Wires = $60
Plugs = $2.50/each x 4 = $10
Fuel Filter = $20
Air Filter = $16

You would probably also do well in replacing the alternator, P/S and A/C belts too and they're all about $15/each.

Get a gallon (or two) of OEM pre-mixxed blue coolant. I think it's about $15/each.

So right there is ~$350. Make sure your local mechanic was actually going to use OEM parts and not "OEM Spec" parts, because the latter costs less certainly.

Take the other $350 and buy tools. A jack + stands can be found for $50. The crank pulley tool (if you don't have an impact) is about $30. Breaker bar, various shallow/deep 6pt sockets, a couple wrenches, extensions, a feeler gauge to do the valve lash, Honda-Bond for the gasket and while I might be forgetting of an item or three, you can plainly see that doing it yourself leaves you with more (tools/money) than taking it in.

But that's just how I see things.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by makri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That sounds good. I shall take it to the Honda dealer nearby. In the meanwhile, I went to the local mechanic here and he thinks that he cant really identify the problem because the engine seems to start fine and run. He did suggest that since I have close to 132,000 miles on the car, I should replace the timing belt and the water pump. I was thinking of doing it anyway. But he also suggests that I do a general tune-up of replacing the Plugs, Caps, Distributor rotor & cap, Fuel filter, air filter and coolant along with the valve cover gasket. He quotes a grand total of $700. I feel as if I am being taken for a ride here. I agree on the timing belt and water pump. The rest of the load, I am not so sure.

Would I be at greater risk if I don't replace the things he suggests? What do you guys think ? None of those things have been replaced before though.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Before you go bonkers buying parts for maintainence, solve (or at LEAST find out) what your drivability issue is, if you start replacing things you may never find out what actually caused the problem, which could permit it to happen again. Something like that could be lethal, and I personally would not be willing to take the risk.

 

thats so smart, I never thought of doing that sort of thing lol. seriously awesome man.