hello HT! whenever i'm driving around with constant throttle applied (keeping a steady speed) it starts to feel like the power is falling off or like its choking and when i give it more throttle it misses and then clears itself out...tends to happen at like 3000 to 3500 rpms. Ive already changed cap rotor plugs and wires...wondering if it is possibly the dizzy or maybe injectors..wondering if anyone has run into something like this. Thanks in advance!!!

 

Feels like the power is falling off?
What is this to you? Is it jerking? Making Noises? Revving down?
Little more info would help diagnose.
How did you diagnose that it is misfiring in third?
Did you check your fuel supply? Injectors, pump, lines, filter, gas.
Were your plugs fine?

 

the car feels like it wont accelerate when the throttle is constant....but when i get into it it clears itself out...i say third gear because thats usually what i'm in on a 45 mph road and that when it usually happens. i say its a mis fire cause when i get into it to clear it out it stumbles and then goes...it only happens when there is constant throttle at that rpm range (3000 to 3500)..im leaning towards fuel because the only thing left to replace on the spark side is the dizzy.

 

fuel filter clogged.

 

What brand of wires did you buy? I have bought wires, and had them come out of the box and arc to the head. Just a thought. Are there any oil leaks? Does it burn oil? Could be the distributor, filter, cat converter, wires, IACV, ect. Do some trouble shooting, and get beck with more info.

 

sorry I really left out a big part and that is it currently has no cat...that year had a maniverter (cat in the exhaust manifold) and the guy I bought it off of put headers and a straight through exhaust on it which really makes it sound suuuper ricey. And like i said its in that 3k to 4k range where it does it but then snaps out with throttle.

 

Well then it could be an exhaust pressure issue, might be getting gas backed up because of an incorrect swap.
Will that thing even smog without the cat on there?

 

no way it could

 

yea i had to pay to get a valid sticker put on

 

how much did that run ya

 

$250

 

Is this a new problem or been this way since you bought it?

 

the problem has always been there...was driving it on my lunch break today and had it happen so i'm getting a fuel filter and putting it in in a bit...will keep everyone posted...thanks for the info so far!

 

To be honest I feel like it has to do with the exhaust system. Hiccups like that could mean that exhaust gasses aren't pressurized right and you aren't getting a good flow which would explain why it "clears out" if you play with the revving on it.
If you've got the time, take off the headers and drive around a little bit with essentially no exhaust. It's going to be loud so drive normal around the block or something and see if you notice a difference.

 

well I installed the fuel filter and think that was the difference...it actually feels like its running better...I tried to make it hiccup on my way home from work and it never did! so I'll be driving the civ to work tomorrow so i'll see if it was all a fluke..Thanks for everyones input and advice!!

 

i called it awhile ago...

symptoms OP describes match description of a clogged/filthy fuel filter!


to me

 

I missed that, I thought he already did this and mentioned it in the first post.
I just realized he did 76% of a tune-up

 

lol yeah. I have seen this alot. simple things can make big problems. Fuel filters are overlooked by alot of people. Replacing the fuel filter in regular intervals is a good idea because most people don't realize that their fresg fuel they pay for daily travels right through all that trash and it really isn't great for the fuel injectors etc. Once it gets so built up with trash and sediment it just will not flow like it should which in turn starves the engine of fuel!

 

Yeah filter is super important. If you've never cut open an old fuel tank and looked inside i guess it would be hard to see just how much sh*t is in fuel. You could actually scoop the sediments with a spoon

 

Shout out to sleepyaccord on calling the fuel filter...the hiccup is barely there now with the new filter and it generally seems to run better. I can still get it to hiccup but i think if i address the exhaust issue i'll be ok...any ideas on exhaust systems or exhaust diameter that wont make it sound too ricey? Mind you it is a 1.6 non vtec and it has headers on it. Again guys thanks for the help!

 

2" or 2.25 is ok...

Use a nice resonator for inline use under the car and choose a nice muffler..

OR

Opt for the YONAKA cat back system..runs like 249 and sounds kick ***.

 

Sounds dope...my whole predicament i dont know how to tackle the header and cat issue...Do i order a cat back exhaust for a different model civic (since my factory cat is in the manifold and not underneath the car like every car)because i have the headers on it. And then what about a cat..if i get a hi flow cat and bolt it to the headers will make it almost the same length as factory? Just looked at the yonaka exhaust and its pretty sick looking, i had yonaka coils on my eg and they were stiff but it handled like god!

 

buy a header for a d16y8 (EX civic) This relocates the o2 sensor slightly no big deal.

get a catback for YOUR car 97 cx/dx.... hopefully they will meet up and bolt up if not have a exhaust shop fill the gap it may have..costs maybe 20-30 bucks.

 

I ordered my yonaka exhaust on saturday from tunersports.com and cant wait for it to get here to see how it fits!!

 

sweet! good choice... still waiting on myself to get straight with money and i will probably get one.

actually i may do a side exit pipe with it coming out right in front of the RR tire...hehe