Hello Honda Gurus!

I've scratched nearly all the hair off my head trying to diagnose the problems with my grandmother's 2002 Honda Civic EX, so here I am asking you all if you've had similar issues, and hopefully how to repair them. First of all, she's 79 and doesn't drive much anymore (hadn't driven the car in a few months) so I figured the battery was dead...this brings me to the first symptom; the key immobilizer symbol (green key on the panel) flashes incessantly. I was able to start it despite the owners manual stating that it won't start if it flashes continuously. (Keep in mind the key I used is the original.) So I drove it around for about 45 minutes to charge the battery--everything was working fine until I stopped at a long red light. All of a sudden it started overheating and wouldn't shift out of 1st gear. I barely made it back to her house. Has anyone else had this slew of issues? Is it even worth fixing with what I'm assuming is transmission failure? Any advice helps, thanks!

 

Sounds like the ECU failed, to be honest. Have you had it scanned for any codes?

 

 

Whenever the car overheats, its going to throw a CEL.

 

I agree with toyo as far as ECU. That or the imobilizer, either way a dealership should be able to sort it out and at least diagnose it. The cooling system doesn't have any ECU-controlled aspects, not critical at least. Mechanical thermostat, engine-driven water pump, the fan switch goes from the rad to the fuse box and back to the fans... Sounds like you have an ECU issue as well as a cooling system problem. As far as going in to gear, I assume it's manual? Does the clutch travel seem excessive? If it's automatic... I don't have much experience with auto 7th gens, but IIRC it has a coolant line from the trans to the radiator, that could be a common factor in the heating/shifting issue. Could be completely wrong though, I've never touched an automatic lol.

 

It happened to me. I took it to honda. They replace the ECU and programmed it. The second time it happened I got a used ECU online with key and changed it. If you go to the dealership it's going to be expensive