So, I have a 2000 Honda Civic VP with an Automatic Transmission that I have been trying to diagnose for a bit here, and before I start pulling it apart, want to get some advice. This was my wifes daily until it broke down halfway to work, and we had to tow it back to the house. Here is the issue-

She was driving down the highway at appx. 65 mph, she lost nearly all of the power, and was barely able to get to the light on the off ramp. When she stopped at the light, the engine died. It wouldnt start back up again until appx. 10 minutes later, and then it only started because the off-duty officer that stopped to help put the gas pedal to the floor when he was starting it. They got it off the road and we got a tow truck to hook it up. Now, when I get in it, it will start but has a VERY loud ticking noise, hardly any power, and shifts extremely slowly (3-4 seconds to shift when accelerating). When I checked the ATF, it was not even showing on the dip stick, but we just flushed the transmission when we rebuild the top end of the engine less then 1,000 miles ago.

I am thinking that it is the transmission, but I want to know for sure before I pull the transmission and replace it. Any ideas? Thanks, and any help would be much appreciated.

 

Edited because I re-read the issues.
The ticking might be a broken valve, whiuch would explain loss of power.

 

Just went outside and started it up again. The ticking is quiet, and not terribly noticeable when idling, but when pushing the gas, it gets louder with the higher RPM. when under acceleration, it isnt terribly loud, but if I stop accelerating, and manually hold the gas in one spot, the ticking is louder. Also, if I put my head right over the engine while running, the noise sounds like it is coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment, which is where the transmission is.

 

Do you have oil?

 

The oil shows low on the dipstick, so it isn't dry, but definitely not where it should be. Here is a video of the engine running, and under acceleration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOcp2...layer_embedded

 

You may have 2 seperate issues. First, it's not recomended to flush the transmission. If the 3x3 fluid change was performed thats fine. If you drove with no fluid showing on the dipstick you may have caused internal trans damage.

Ticking is normal to an extent as the injectors are naturally loud. The valves even when adjusted are a lil ticky as well. I'd bring it back to the engine re-buileder and have him re-check his work. Sounds like the valves may all be tight.

 

Just heard the vid, thats a rod knock.

 

What was the deal with re-building the top end of the engine? What was initially wrong with the car? Id def bring it back to the engine shop.

 

def a spun bearing or rod knock for sure. id say spun bearing. its not the transmission at all.

 

Original rebuild was because of this same problem. A local guy said that it was because a gasket had failed, and all oil had been lost from the engine. He has been working on Hondas for a long time, and seemed to be trustworthy. He wanted to do some trade work, so I figured it couldn't hurt to have him fix it... I was very wrong. The mechanic is now MIA, his shop is gone, and cant get a hold of him to save my life. Now, I am stuck here, with the same issue that we had a year and a half ago. I am going to chalk this one up to my own stupidity for not just having a reputable shop do it in the first place.

As far as a rod knock, what would it take for me to diagnose that 100%, and if that is the case, what does it take to fix?

 

It's def a rod knock or a spun bearing. You have to replace the motor. Id suggest finding a used motor online instead of having this one re-built. It's cheaper to just find the same engine and drop it in there.

Sorry to hear you got scammed.

 

The engine has to be torn down to confirm, but a sound like that is a sign of failure. Here is a link to an engine on ebay, you can browse around for pricing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/96-00-Honda-...sories&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks for the help! What price point should I be expecting for a quality, working engine?

 

Anywhere from $500-$800 depending on mileage.

 

Awesome, that is not too terrible. Thanks!

 

another way to confirm that it is the bottom end disable the cylinders and re-enable them one at a time and you should hear the sound change and you will be able to tell what cylinder died

 

OP, does this mean you'll be having an extra block/head on your hands?
*shot*
J/K but I'll bet you could probably sell it here on HT Marketplace for those guys that'd wanna rebuild/tinker with it
Help take the edge off the price in any case
^^

 

That`s definitely rod knock. You say it lost all oil before and you rebuilt the top end, but you never took the bottom end apart to check for a spun bearing? In any case the engine either needs to be rebuilt or replaced, the second being a much better choice IMO. A low mileage JDM OBD2 SOHC ZC would be a near identical replacement, simply reuse your old intake and exhaust manifolds and perform the CKF trick shown here: http://www.technet.ff-squad.com/ckftrick.htm

How did you check it? It has to be checked warm with the engine off. Also DO NOT powerflush a Honda transmission.