Hello my name is dakota. I live in missouri . I have owned a 98 saturn sl2 forbthe past 1.5 years amd enjoyed it but with 214, 000 it has been given to my wife since she doesnt drive far. I boughtna 04 civic has 118, 000 miles timing belt was done at 110, 000 just bought tires just cheapys runway enduro but so far so good. The headlights are a little hazy so was wanting some advice on fixing that. Also would mobil 1 5w30 be an ok bet with a wix filter in these cars?

Also I noticed when I bought it that civics arent very good in snow. They have a tough time starting out. Why is this? My saturn does much better.

Also what are some common weak spots in these cars? And as far as atf fluid is any approved z1fluid ok to use. Thanks guys . Sorry for the long first post. Have a great one and I am thrilled to be here. Thank you all.

 

If the engine wasn't running on synthetic oil for at least 70% of the miles previously made on the vehicle, I would stick with a traditional oil. Changing this late in the game can actually introduce new problems.

You can polish your headlights to clear up the fogging on the outer lenses, if that is what seems to be the issue. There are several "DIY" kits out there for that, as well.

Your traction issues are solely because you have some cheap-o' tires. With proper snow tires, the car should have absolutely no issues when it comes to snow traction.

You'll want to use Honda ATF in the transmission, to prevent from any problems arising from using improper fluid. Using aftermarket ATF can introduce several new problems, when you're referring to the Honda AT's.

 

Where in Missouri are you from?

 

the owner's manual also suggests that you use 5W-20. 5W-30 is too thick. that may be why your car is finding it hard to start. i would use a mobil 1 filter(or a bosch, if you want to spend less $).

in my own opinion as far as what oil to use, i would say that as long as you dont have any present oil leaks in the motor bay, then you should be fine with using a synthetic blend of oil. you can even mix synthetic oil with regular oil for a while, if it makes you feel better. just so long as the oil is 5W20. i would even go so far as to say that you can use the 0W-20 from mobil 1 or castrol. this is because it has a lower viscosity(thickness) at standing temperature than 5W-20. but both have the same viscosity when the motor is at normal operating temperature.

also, with about 120,000 on the motor, i suggest you get your cooling system flushed and replenished with the honda brand of coolant/antifreeze. another thing you might want to do is take your car to the dealership and have them run maintenance on your transmission, and make sure they do it carefully so as not to ruin your transmission.

 

The car has had 5w30 Mobil 1 it's whole life. It's not hard to start its hard to take off in the snow is what I meant . It had firestones on it before that's when it did so awful with these new tires it does better but still not as good as my Saturn . It feels like its so light there's no weight holding the wheels down.

So using non honda fluid even though iteration honda spec isn't ok? I just want to make sure I understand

Also in regards to going. To the dealer I guess I should have mentioned that I do all my own work I am currently in school for auto tech. .

 

Franklin county.

 

When I had proper snow tires on my EM2 (the first year I had it), it was excellent in the snow. Tires make all the difference, when it comes to traction. They can make a car faster, slower, better in corners, scary to drive, etc.... So, yeah, its definitely a tire issue for your car since you've just got some economy tires.

The Honda factory transmission fluid is designed for Honda transmissions. Its also fairly cheap, so I wouldn't see the point in risking your transmission over some aftermarket fluid.

 

Ok how durable are these engines? I know honda builds good stuff but how does the 1.7 compare to others?

 

Engine is durable....the AT transmission is the Achilles heel of your car. The d17 is a very economical engine....it is not a race engine - and never will be - in either form (d17a1 or d17a2). It does not respond well to bolt ons, however, people have made respectable numbers with forced induction.

 

Well yeah I do agree that honda doesn't have the best transmissions but if taken care of properly and not ragged on can last long. My dad has an Odyssey that he never changed the atf for 200,000 and then it started slipping and had it rebuilt

 

Your anecdote, while no doubt interesting to Odyssey owners, is not relevant here. The Odyssey transmission =/= d17 transmission. The d17 transmisson has a well known issue with failure.

 

I thought most of the at failures were v6 powered Hondas? I thought the 4 cylinders were average to anything else.

 

http://www.civicforums.com/forums/18...ml#post4591932

Just don't click the "get trapped in the loop" link halfway down the page...it's a troll move to link back and forth between two thread.


I guess that depends on what your definition of average is. Pre-2001, I think most of us would have said a Honda transmission that fails at 100,000 miles is definitely well below average. But now that it's 2013 and we have all gotten used to the "new" Honda, then a transmission that fails at 100,000 miles might not be too abnormal.

 

Would it be wrong to assume the 04 is much better than the 01-03 according to what I just read the 03-04 are better.

 

If you and I read the same thread...then I think you're being overly optimistic to expect the 03-05 to be radically different transmissions than the 01-02. The 04-05 generally have fewer miles on them...I think that was the prevailing theme from that thread?

 

The thread was made in 2012 so I wouldn't think age matters a whole lot. I'm sure there are plenty of 03-04 with a good amount of miles on them. We are talking a couple year difference I doubt the couple years will make a huge difference sure it will some bit if the majority that failed are 01-02 I'm inclined to believe those were probably worse. Can't be sure though. Idk what they would have changed in the trans

 

i had an 03 last year with over 150k on it and i literally ran the hell out of the motor. as long as you keep up on your maintenance and check all signs of wear and tear and upkeep, then the motor will last a long time. as far as maintenance on the tranny, i say take it to the dealership because, being that its AT, they must hook it up to a transmission flushing machine. doing it yourself can lead to only a partial flush/replenish. do as you will, but in my eyes, it is best to have them service it. if you had a MT then thats a different story. the service is as simple as an oil change, obviously..

 

I disagree. Honda Corp. would not have offered to pay 50% of repair costs if the transmission woes were because civic owners weren't "keeping up with their maintenance".

Honestly, I think it's hilarious when someone's argument is their anecdotal n=1 or n=2 experience. While your personal experience is appreciated, there are literally thousands of civic owners who have logged their complaints (including a class action lawsuit) and Honda semi-acknowledged the issue (50% repair coverage).

I don't believe Honda flushes transmissions anymore....?

 

Gotta tell you there isn't a whole bunch of trans failures on identifix. Don't know how much that means but not a bad sign

 

The issue may be overblown...I don't think anybody outside of Honda Corp. knows the true scale of the problem.

615 complaints for the 2001 model alone. Obviously this represents only a percentage of actual civic owners...
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/C..._failure.shtml

 

what are you getting at exactly? im stating that if you keep u pwith routine maintenance and fix problems with the car before they get any bigger, then more than likely, the motor will last a long time. (for the most part) i do agree that there are a few times when a honda owner will come across a vehicle with a few problems.... and want a different car. but i dont exaxtly understand where you're coming from. honda's are reliable. and you are disagreeing? thousands of people can log their complaints(versus hundreds of thousands who dont) and more than enough of those complaints may be user error.

thank you for your input but i dont see where it helps out.

 

OP asked about "weak spots" with these cars and I mentioned the Achilles heel of the 7th gen. My point is clear and I provided links. This issue has also been discussed on civicforums as well as 7thgenhonda.


Lol...you haven't added anything to this discussion except your n=1 experience and some bad advice to get the transmission flushed.

 

auto trans and uca bushings suck. engines pretty reliable and the car is solid. plus rusted out em2s and es1s are a pretty rare sight. i have such off-brand tires on my winter rims that i have never seen another tire from that brand and my car still is great in the snow(they are called solars). Hey we're all goin slow but when our odometer hits 200k we know that we're doing something right

 

I switched to a set of yokohamas avid touring does decent in the snow now. I am afraid of the transmission now. Even though I don't hear a lot about trans failures except online.

 

The Odyssey's arguably had a much more well known issue with failure. A lot of those second gen Odysseys are on their second or third transmission at this point.

Uh no. You do not flush a Honda automatic. Honda used to send out TSBs to that effect. They came with the heading "DO NOT powerflush a Honda AT" or something similar. Those transmissions (along with all Honda automatics) don't have a pan or user servicable filter. Just an internal filter you have to split the trans to get at. If you powerflush it you can blow all the dirt that's in the filter back through the trans where it gets into the valvebody creating all kinds of problems. Honda has for years recommended a simple drain and fill three times to get most of the old fluid out.

As far as the taking off in snow goes good winter tires and a manual transmission make all the difference.