I come to you in desperation. So I have a 1999 civic ex automatic coupe with the d16y8 engine. I recently had to have the engine replaced at my neighborhood mechanic coz the engine blew a week after I got it from a girl who apparently did not change the oil on the car.

I spent 1500 including labor at the garage getting a new d16y8 from the junkyard installed they said the motor had 70000 miles on it. I had to replace the head gasket since that had a leak. Ever since I had the motor replace I m having several issues with the car. the car over heated after the gasket was replaced and I had to get it checked out so they said the radiator fan wasn't turning on so the car would over heat when standing still. Currently he said has made a direct connection by which the radiator fan comes on and stays on as soon as the key is in on position he said the only way to fix that issue would be to get a new ecu. he said the fan wasn't getting power. Now the fan is the least of my concerns .

My major concern are the following.
At times when I start the car I have an extremely rough idle at under 500 rpm but the car will never stall- I got new spark plugs and the same issue.

when the car is in neutral the car will rev smoothly and quickly to 5500 rpm and hit the rev limiter. buy when I put it in drive the car will not rev quickly until 2000 rpm after which it will rev spiritedly to 4000 rpm in first gear and when it shifts to second gear I can feel the car unwilling to rev quickly and I feel a drop in power, it will rev to 5000-5500 though not as quickly as it did before I got the new motor.

Also before I got the new motor the car had no trouble going up slopes quickly reving to 4000 in 1st and shift to second and rev just as quickly.

Now on certain other day it still performs like it did before evertything went wrong and I had to get a new motor, but this is only few days rest of the days I start the car and it starts with a rough idle and I know its not gonna rev and its gonna strain going up slopes. the car had 133000 when I got it and I put on 2000 miles with the new motor. I have an ebay exhaust and an ebay intake and that's the only parts I have on it. I bought the car for 3500 spent 1700 on the new motor including the gasket. I don't have much to fix it please help im a student.

 

You can't expect much from an auto, but clean the iacv to start things off then check the TPS for any dead spots. is ignition timing on ?

 

okay sorry I need to know what I should ask the mechanic to check I cannot do this myself. he said is should get a new ecu and check it that's the issue could it be a transmission thing? there is no banging and the gear shifts are normal I hope its not the trans. Could you tell me what I I should ask him to check before he has me replace every little part ia trial and error? im in philly

 

he cant make you replace everything. all you have to do is say no

 

yes I can say no but I really need to have the car running I drive 20 miles each day 4 days on the highway to school and back I need to have it fixed and am looking for help to get it done right without spending too much. before the motor went everything was perfect

 

It this vehicle is going to be your sole form of transportation, I suggest you make yourself very familiar with the vehicle and how to diagnose problems. The mechanic should be your last resource. I have attached a link on where to get started with the self diagnosis.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/how-pull-cel-d4-srs-abs-codes-code-lists-1901557/
If you pull any codes we can better help you out, but you have to rule out as many scenarios as possible so we can be of better service to you.

 

Thanks I'll get familiar with it and yes its gonna be the sole mode of transportation. I can take the bus but the commute gets twice as long and I need to get to work after school as well. I don't have any code there is no check engine light. I had one for p1457 the evap and that went awar as soon as I replaced the gas cap and the head gasket.

 

off the top of your head does this even look like an ecu or a transmission problem?

 

Check your timing. This sounds like a classic timing or TPS problem.

 

Would the tps react differently when in neutral and in drive because it revs perfectly in neutral. as soon as I put it in drive I start thinking of having to sell the car

 

It wouldn't as far as I know, no, which is why I mentioned timing as well.

 

lemme check the timing , this week. Do u think the radiator fan not working will be an ecu issue?

 

No, that's either a problem in the fan, the wiring, or the thermo switch. Completely unrelated.

 

Thanks lemme check on the timing see if that helps .... I hope I can fix this

 

Timing is easy to fix yourself with some basic hand tools and a timing light, which you can rent from your local AutoZone/Advance. You should find a copy of your car's factory service manual, and follow the procedure as it's lined out there. The FSM has diagnostic and test procedures for basically any problem your car may have, and will save you a boatload of money in the long run of car ownership.

 

besides what is goin on with the car i think op needs to not take the car to whomever this person is who installed it...

and being the engine needed a head gasket before it was even installed sounds like problems were present before it was even installed.

OP try to find someone new that you trust to work on it.

 

Thanks for the help and suggesting I get my timing checked. I had my friends brother check it out he works at pepboys and said the timing was good. he did mention that it could possibly be a clogged cat since the car was loosing HP and had difficulty going up slopes. Also I must mention that since I got the engine replaced there is has been a ratteling noise coming from under the body its not the exhaust hitting the heat shield I had that sorted out. It sounds more like there are steel flakes or chipped rust inside the exhaust that rattles and its coming from right where the cat meets the exhaust. Do u think it could be the cat being clogged or u think I should check something else? and I wanted to mention again that when I push the car hard and rev it beyond 5000 rpm the gear will shift with a loud noise coming from underneath the car that sounds almost like a bov but not as pleasant

any thoughts?

 

Definitely sounds like a burnt up Cat. Had the same issue in my sisters accord. As for the "bov" I have no idea what that could be other than the exhaust.

 

Sounds so much to me like a TPS issue that I've had before.
Also, the radiator fan not coming on is probably just a temp switch that needs to get replaced.

If the cat is possibly clogged, try removing it and taking a short drive to see if there's a sizeable improvement. It's going to be loud so don't drive like a jackass but just give it a test run. You'll know for sure then if that's the problem.

Stop going to that mechanic, he sounds like he's just trying to leech money off of you and is a dick.

 

thanks Im gonna have the cat checked out by a person who comes to my store works at a different garage. I just wish its the cat and not a tranny thing.

@Joshka do u think the TPS would work differently when in neutral and when in drive? because in neutral its revs like a charm .

 

Thanks buddy!!! what other symptoms did the accord have ? did it rev easily in neutral and turn become very hesitant when you put in a gear to drive around?

 

Yeah thats exactly what it did

 

If you remove the catalytic converter and you get a face full of shiny metallic flakes, it's borked. Install a new one.

 

Easy and quick way to check if it's a restricted catalytic converter is to undo the 3 bolts from the downpipe coming from the header and separate the exhaust. It'll be loud, but it should tell you whether or not that's where your issue lies. You'll likely get a CEL at this point if you didn't already, It's just going to be an o2 code.

 

was a valve adjustment done recently to the engine? if it was have that checked out. if its too tight it will have no power . . .but will rev fine in the driveway in neutral....