I have a 1998 automatic honda civic ex. i bought the car the day i bought it the headgasket blew car overheated..ect. had the headgsket replaced, water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, spark plug wires, and thermostat replaced. drove fine for a few weeks, transmission started to slip and eventually almost all gears slipped everytime. i recently had the transmission replaced. after he replaced it and i picked it up he told me that a sensor was bad on the new transmission and that the speedometer did not work any more and i cant tell how fast im going. on my way home the temp gauge was all the way up on H and the car overheated. i found out that he did not replace any coolant back into the car when i was done putting in the transmission. after that the cars exhaust would sputter when i started it and revved it a little and the check engine light would flash. i put in new spark plug wires they are all in the right order. i put in new coolant and got all the air out of the hoses. my radiator fan turns on when supposed too. took the car to autozone got codes ran and 3 came up. P501, P301, and P1399. and when he printed out the receipt for the codes only P1399 came up and it says random cylinder missfire detected: Probable cause Blocked EGR passage, and valve clearance out of range. idk what to do anymore. im thinking when he replaced the transmission something went wrong with the electrical system.

 

The Civic EX has no EGR system.

There's also no P501 and P301.

Compression test the cylinders. Cyl 1 may have low compression.

 

if the cylinder 1 does have low compression how would i fix that? & what do you mean by no egr system? could it just be clogged and need cleaning?

 

No, it isn't clogged, because it doesn't exist. Your car does not have an EGR system.

P0301 is a cylinder 1 misfire.

P0501 is a malfunctioning VSS.

If the cylinder has low compression, either your head gasket is fried, your rings are fried, or your valves are fried. Considering how hard it is to read that massive wall of text you posted, I have a feeling we don't have the full story here. After your car overheated the second time (after the transmission swap and failure to refill the radiator), did you do any diagnostics? Did you check the compression?

Pegging the temp needle is EXTREMELY unhealthy for any engine. Doing it for an extended period of time, as you did, is deadly.

There are two things you need to do at this moment. First, stop driving the car! Every time you start that car, you're risking grenading it even more than you possibly already have. My step sister followed a similar line of poor car care, and her engine literally caught on fire driving down the highway. Don't risk yourself, your car, or the lives and cars of anyone else on the road with you. Park the car until it is 100% fixed.

Second, do a compression test. You can buy the tool for next to nothing, or you can rent it from most chain parts stores. There are dozens of DIY's and how-to's all over the internet.

 

i really hope the head gasket isnt fried... after the overheat the second time the only thing i did was get the codes ran, new spark plug wires, and new thermostat. tomorrow i will see if i can buy a compression tool.

 

Your head gasket is the least of your worries. You drove the car with the temp sensor pegged. Your head is warped - I promise you that. Your block might even be warped.

If you're planning on having a mechanic do this, just sell the car for a shell and buy something else. If you're willing to do the work yourself...well, be prepared to get your hands dirty as hell.

 

this car has just been a headache after headache. i fix one thing and something else comes up. i agree.. as annoying as it is, its time to cut my loses and move on..