i tried searching for my problem and couldn't find it so sorry if this has already been asked.

i just got a 1994 civic dx 5spd. when i was driving it home it would drive perfectly fine when going downhill and on flat roads. but the second i would start going uphill it would suddenly lose all power and i would pretty much be instantly at 10-15mph no matter what gear i was in. also it would start backfiring. but the second i would get back on flat ground/downhill it would go drive perfectly fine again. the previous owner replaced the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and fuel filter. do you guys have any ideas as to what is/could be the problem?

thanks

 

Do you lose power on first gear?

Could be timing.

 

yes i do. i was thinking it could be the timing and was going to check it tomorrow.

 

I recently had a problem like this driving from Thunder Bay to Sault St Marie Ontario, Montreal River Harbor was hell. Didnt know I was having a problem till I hit the hills. Plugs were bad, after only 10,000 kms the plugs were shot, replaced em with Base NGK's not a problem since. I know he changed plugs like you said but maybe change them again, never know it could be it.

But check timing first for sure.

PS. The power loss was ONLY on hills. I could rip past transports no problem, soon as I got load from an incline, engine would barf.

 

Do not trust that the previous owner actually did a tune up.

Also check for a clogged cat.

 

Sounds like a fuel problem to me. Check your pump and fuel filter. Check your plugs to see if you are running lean RIGHT after you go up a hill.

 

is there a way to test spark plugs?

whats the best way to check and see if the cat is clogged?

how do i check to see if they are running lean?

thanks for the help so far guys! hopefully i can get the problem fixed.

 

For the spark and fuel suggestions, just start by doing a proper tune up. Then go from there.

 

Read your plugs! My teacher calls them "your window to the engine"

 

could a bad cat cause it to backfire out the air intake? thanks for the pictures! that should help a lot when i check it out tomorrow.

i'll do that tomorrow as well. thanks!

 

No. Sounds like a bad intake valve. Compression test your cylinders.

 

what should the compression be for each cylinder?

 

Maybe your MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is having a problem. I think your ECU depends on it (among other things) to calculate engine load and adjust accordingly.

No CEL?

Either that or its a clogged cat.

 

wheres the map sensor located at and how can i test it(if i can)? if it were a sensor wouldn't it turn the cel on? i got my tools home from work tonight so tomorrow i'm going to be checking out everything you guys have suggested.

 

Hello! Have you forgotten that the engine is backfiring out the intake manifold? Is there a reason that you choose to ignore this Grand Canyon-sized problem that almost surely is causing your problem? You have a bad intake valve or your mechanical timing is screwed up. Deal with the obvious before guessing about bad sensors that aren't throwing a CEL code.

 

sounds like somethin' to do with your plugs, wires, dizzy possibly. IMO

 

i haven't forgotten about that. thats the first thing im going to figure out/fix. i haven't driven the car since i got it because of the backfiring but i haven't had the time and tools to figure out whats wrong. so im going to be working on it all day today, since ive got my tools from work, to figure out whats wrong.

 

MAP sensor is on top of your throttle body.

 

It's on the firewall for the D15b7 engine.

 

Not on my D15B7.....

 

Yeah I believe the map is on the firewall for the CX models.

 

You probably have a D16Z6 throttle body.

 

honda's have trouble pulling fat chicks up hills, tell them to get out of the back. j/k listen to Ron, he is wise beyond his years

 

Welcome to the world of Honda. Where you never know what the hell the previous owner has done with your car...

 

Wow that would explain a few things... Should I do something about that?
Don't mean to threadjack.