Ive searched these forums and havent found a problem quite like mine. Im new here. Thank you for such a good forum.

Ever since ive had this car [Civic DX] Whenever I start it in the morning or when its damp it wont run properly until its warmed up for about 15 min.

Heres an example. I start car, It idles fine. When I pop it into R or 1st its OK until I begin to release the clutch. Its only for about half a second the electrical fails. Then everything is back up. I can also hear a pop sound when this happens. Its similar to if you open a bottle of fresh juice with a metal lid poping sound. The previous owner installed an audio system so im thinking he made mistakes in there and shorted it somewhere. But this doesnt explain it running perfectly when its warmed up.

I'll show you some pics of where I think the problem lays...

Here you can see there is obvious tampering. Although it looks like everything is somewhat in order I still found it to be clustery. I dunno tho. Is this normal for people to do? I think if I were to install an audio system/alarm I would hide the wires more out of the way and also make it easy to work on whatever one you needed to work on. Like either the car electrical system or the audio system.

Below I've got in my hand what looks to be a button wired into the system. I am unsure of its function and usability is only possible with the cover off the electrical area under the steering column.


And then this... A wire going down under the E-Brake compartment. Is there any reason to have a button in the wiring and a wire going down to this area. I have no idea.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank You

 

i heard 96-98 civic have alot of eletrical problems under the dash. i have one too

 

Looks like the car has an alarm.. that buttom your holding in your hand in that pic seems to be the ''valet button''

This ''pop'' your hearing.. like sparks?? or Does it feel like it's coming from the front of the car/suspension area? If so sounds more of like a axle/cv joint issue.

As far as the system being hooked up, etc.. If anything has shorted out hopefully it just blew a fuse.. This might not have anything to do with your problem..

If he installed a system.. I'm assuming you have an amp somewhere in the car.. pull the fuse out of the amp to disconnect it.. if you believe the wires are hot or shorted.. you def don't want it to have power.

You could also have a weak battery/dieing battery.. Your alternator could be going bad also.. I would check both and go from there.. If you don't know how to test.. Drive your car to the nearest autozone/advanced auto parts and they'll check it for free.

Welcome to honda-tech

 

i bet the button is from the alarm. you have one right??
its weird i have never heard anything like this before.
why he would run the amp cable there i dont know besides he got lazy.
could be a fuses or relay, like you said he fried something.
i would start by pulling and checking all fuses

 

where did you hear this?
i have only had to replace two fuses and some bulbs.

 

The only thing that is in use from the previous audio system is the CD/MP3 player. Today I will remove all the wires from the audio system that arent in use. Ill also get the battery and alternator checked. The reason I think its in that area is cause after 15 min it is warm under there and any moisture could have been evaporated limiting short paths. Thank you for your replys they are much appreciated.

The car did have an alarm but its been disabled. I have no idea where or what has disabled it. Im going to rip it out too i think. Im not a big stereo fan nor am I an alarm fan. I dont know of anyone that has has an alarm go off from a criminal. They always go of accidentally. So im saving myself the hassle in one way. But if its chewing my batt or electrical somehow its also shooting me. Ill investigate today.

 

Im wondering if it is perhaps the alternator. The electrical surges stop if i hold up RPM higher. When i first raise RPM it chokes for a second. But then its fine. Its almost like its not charging enough intil the a. Rpm is high b. The car is warm.