Hello everyone,

I'm no mechanic at all. I've done the most basic parts replacements, the latest was spark plugs. Having a few issues that I need help on please.
My car is a 1999 Honda Civic LX/DX-V (I think it's DX-V because there is no tachometer) d16y7 engine

First problem - Car fluctuates in idle, only in park.

Second - Car starts first thing after a break period of a few hours. If I'm doing a lot of errands, it will not start for a few minutes, goes from 1-4+ times to turn the engine over and start it, and I'll have to give it some gas. Smells like gas the more times it takes to start.

Third - I need to get a scan tomorrow for which catalytic converter I need to replace, I didn't save the code last time. Starting to smell like exhaust sometimes in my car. My friend said it could be the one attached with the exhaust manifold. It's been awhile, I believe he said there's a leak in my exhaust. Is this the cat converter or another part?

Fourth - I think there is an oil leak in the engine bay? Could this be a gasket?

Things that have been replaced in the last year:
Rotor and distributor (by me)
All 4 spark plugs and wiring harness (by me)
Starter (by my friend)
Water pump and belts (by my friend)

Thanks for any help

 

Get the codes first! Any auto parts store can scan them for free.

There’s only one catalytic converter and it’s part of the exhaust manifold. Most likely it’s cracked. Remove the heat shield and take a look. If it is, you’ll need to replace it. Do both O2 sensors as well.

There are plenty of price ranges for aftermarket cats, I would recommend spending more money for a higher quality, but you can find them as cheap as $100 on eBay.

For the O2 sensors, go to Denso’s webpage and buy the OEM replacements. Should cost you less than $100 for both and Denso is the OEM supplier for Honda for the Y7 engine.


As far as the oil leak, clean the engine well. Then find out where it’s coming from. There are a few gaskets (cylinder, distributor (o-ring), oil pan) that can leak and there’s no way anyone here can tell you where is leaking from without good pictures of a clean engine.

Your idle issue can stem from a few different things, start by taking a look at you cat. Beyond that, cleaning the throttle body might help. It could be a faulty IACV, a vaccum leak, etc. You’ll have to spend some time narrowing down the list. Start with the free area like a vaccum leak. Replacing an IACV gets expensive.





eH.

 

Did you replace the distributor or the distributor cap?





eH.

 

Thanks for that reply. I'll report back when I'm able to thoroughly clean my engine bay which is filthy. I watched a detailed video on how to do this yesterday.
I'll get the codes tomorrow as well, and start looking at a video to check the exhaust manifold and cat asap.

 

I believe the distributor was replaced at the same time as the starter. It looks new still compared to the rest of my engine.
I only remember replacing the cap and rotor.

 

If you just did the cap then I wouldn’t be concerned about the timing. Hopefully whoever did the distributor adjusted the timing properly.





eH.

 

I pulled 2 codes today:

P0420: Catalyst system efficiency below threshold B1

P0116: ECT Sensor 1 circuit range/performance problem

From what I read, the ECT sensor could be causing issues to start after start/stopping frequently during errands.
I saw a trick in another thread somewhere, it said to turn the ignition to let the fuel pump turn on for a few seconds, then shut off and repeat several times. This actually has helped a bit.

Any thoughts?

 

Clear CEL codes from the ECU, and then drive the car until the CEL turns on and stays on. Pull the codes again to see whether either of the two codes repeats.

 

Fluctuating idle: Remove and clean the IACV screen and valve with brake cleaner. Clean the throttle body with throttle body spray and a toothbrush..or remove and clean the TB. Set the throttle body cable to correct tension and make sure the the TB cable from the firewall to the throttle body tensioner mounts is routed correctly. Also, bleed air out coolant system which can cause erratic idle.

Multiple start at operating temp: Always allow a few seconds for the yellow CEL light to stop blinking before starting the engine as this allows time for the fuel pump to prime. Next time the delayed starting happens at operating temp pull the spark plugs and inspect them for wetness (gas). You can try starting the engine at WOT (wide open throttle) to disable the fuel injectors and allow as much as air in as possible to help with a flooding condition..if that's the issue?
Fuel, air, spark..if not starting properly one or more of those three things are deficient. Timing may have jumped a tooth so inspect mechanical timing (crank, cam, timing belt). Also inspect ignition timing (distributor) with a timing light. A weak failing o2 sensor can have an effect on operating temp starts. ECT sensor can have an effect on operating temp starts..clean the ECT sensor tip with a brass brush, 320 grit metal sandpaper and check the harness connection that attaches to it for tightness.

You have to be more specific where the oil leak is. If it's under the engine and sprayed around it could be from a torn CV axle boot. Clean the engine off with Gunk engine degreaser (or other brand) and use a lot of disposable rags to clean as much oil, grease, dirt off the engine and transmission as possible. Always inspect from the top of the engine down to find oil leaks. Place a large piece of cardboard under the engine/transmission and run engine for 15 to 20 minutes at idle (rev occasionally) too isolate the drips. Usual suspects are distributor O-ring, valve cover, Vtec solenoid (if EX or SI), oil pan, rear main seal, crank seal, cam seal.
If it's the o-ring seal or valve cover and oil is leaking under the distributor make sure to inspect the heater hose for tears/bubbling directly under the distributor as hot oil dripping on will degrade the heater hose which could be a potential for leaking that could cause a blown head gasket.