Civic - Honda :: 2002 - Cold Weather / No Start
Dec 1, 2012
I have a manual transmission 2002 Honda Civic. Recently when the nights started getting cooler 20's and 30's, my car will not start. The starter will not grind or even click like it's trying to start. All the other electronic devices seem to operate normally, dome lights, head lights, dash lights, radio. Replaced the battery thinking it was the problem. No difference. If I turn the headlights on for a few seconds, the car starts fine. If the temperature is in the 40's the car starts without any problems. The car can sit for days without activities, as long as the temperature seems to be above about 40 degrees there is no problem. As soon as the temperature goes down, the car doesn't want to start again. I was thinking it may be the alternator not recharging the battery enough to give me my cold cranking amps, but before I dig into that mess, Are there places I can take my alternator to and have it tested to see if it is the problem?
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My 2002 Honda Civic (160k+ miles, manual transmission) has twice failed to start this winter. This happened when the temperature is cold (<32 Deg. F). The car came with me from CA to the East coast (mid Atlantic) about 5 years ago. It occasionally has been difficult to start it in cold weather since moving East but otherwise it starts first attempt without issues.
This morning it barely started. This evening, it didn't start using the ignition. Turning the key, the engine attempted to turn over once perhaps twice. After several attempts the engine did not turn over at all - no detectable sound from the starter motor, instrument lights will flash and clicking noises come from the dash. Attempting to jump the battery with another vehicle had no effect - the engine would not turn over at all, the instrument lights flash, clicking from the dash. The battery health indicator is green.
I did get the car started by coasting down a grade, putting the car in gear to turn the engine over, and then using the ignition (I must depress the clutch to use the ignition but getting the engine turning worked first attempt without issue).
After arriving home and shutting off the engine, the car will start on the first attempt without issue (even after letting it sit at 25 Deg. F for 3+ hours). This seems like a mechanical issue and the starter motor is an obvious place to start. I can double check the battery connections and do some basic electrical testing, how to verify the electrical grounding (I'm handy with a multi meter).
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Title pretty much says it. When its COLD it surges while idling upon start up. It goes away once you start driving it and the engine warms up. Other than that it runs great. Its got about 235 K with a replacement motor that has about 100k. I've had it about a year. Great vehicle. Its a standard.
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My daughter owns a 1992 Honda Accord wagon, she cannot get it to start on colder days. Sometimes she goes out and runs a hair dryer over the engine, it works, but it is getting worse. Her husband says that is ridiculous to do.
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I have a 2002 Civic LX. A/C worked until a few months ago. It would stay on for about ten minutes and then stopping blowing cold air; it would come back on and then go off again at it's own whim. Bought it to local Goodyear - told them the problem - they charged me about $130 to evacuate and recharge, looked for leafs but told me they saw no problems with the A/C, the condenser was fine, etc. A few days later, same problems started. Runs great for about ten minutes and then does its own thing.
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My wife drives a 2002 civic (mostly around town). when the car is at running temp.with the heater on and she gets top a stop sign or red traffic light, the heater starts to blow out cold/colder air. We took the car to a dealer and asked them to flush/fill the radiator and fix the problem. Well they flushed/filled the radiator and said "Yup, it still does it. Would you like us to diagnose the problem more for a minimum of 1 hour labor cost?" What could be the problem with the reduction in heat?
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I have a 2003 civic (automatic) with 72000 miles on it. It recently began hesitating from a cold start. It will hesitate once or twice, I stop, and after that it is fine for the rest of the drive. Since it is sporadic, it's hard for the mechanics to see what is going on. I took it to one mechanic who cleaned the fuel injectors, cleaned the throttle plates, flushed the transmission fluid, and replaced the spark plugs. He also put a note on the bill that the transmission may need to be rebuilt soon, although he didn't mention that when he told us what he did. The car drove fine for about three weeks after that, and then it started hesitating daily.
I took it into another mechanic who was able to see the problem for himself when I left the car overnight. He scanned it for error codes, but didn't find anything. He said he checked all connections and wiring and cleaned the wiring but that was all he could do. He said he thought it was a bad O2 sensor, but because the check engine light isn't on, he can't do anything. Meanwhile, he said I should keep driving it in hopes that it will get worse so they can figure it out. I'm worried that I may be causing long term damage, and that I may get stuck in the middle of an intersection without power. Is there anything they didn't check that they should have? Should I take it to another mechanic?
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So for the last week my Civic has been making a low, rumbling sound (almost like an overly powerful bass system or a muffler) and vibrating whenever the car is idling from a cold start. The noise is most pronounced when the car is started but continues for a short time while I am driving, but only when I take my foot off of the gas in low RPM (below 1.0k). Whenever I accelerate, the noise stops, but when I go in reverse the noise is becomes louder. Also, the noise is very faint from outside of the car, but very pronounced from inside. After about 20-30 minutes of driving it usually goes away. What could be causing this?
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My 2007 Civic Hybrid is having trouble starting. This happens when it's cold out, it's been sitting outside overnight (I don't have a garage), and the IMA battery is low. I've taken it to the dealership but they were not surprisingly no luck. The car has about 65,000 miles and a new battery - the one in front - was put in not too long ago and tests fine.
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Honda Civic LX 1999 - Engine shuts down in hot weather when the sun has been beating down on it for a while>it can happen as I am backing out of the parkway or as I am driving in the first 1-10 minutes ?
I went to the dealer and the vin number of the car shows to recalls have not diagnosed it yet but thinking about it...
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I have a 2002 Honda civic (manual). Lately, when I have pushed in the clutch to start it, the engine makes a bad sound. It sounds similar to the sound an automatic would make when you turn the key while it is already running.
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My 1996 honda civic cannot handle the heat. Every time the weather gets warm it freaks out when stuck in traffic for any extended period of time. It generally will start to rev while stopped, sometimes will jerk forward, and once continued to rev in park with my foot completely off the gas, checking the gas and the break pedals numerous times to make sure not stuck, etc., for about 2 minutes. Another time it locked the steering wheel and would not release. This really only happens when it's warm outside. The car does not have air conditioning, if that makes any difference. We've brought it to two mechanics and they both said car looks great. What could be going on?
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My 2011 Honda Civic makes a grinding / squeaking sort of noise when I start it after it has been sitting out in the rain - either for several hours or overnight. The noise seems a bit like the noise when you crank the car but the engine doesn't start. It happens after rain or a snow, so it would seem that moisture is getting into a place it shouldn't. The dealership checked it out and couldn't find anything wrong or anything that would prevent it from starting. They also told me that this noise might well go away after the first oil change - that the additives in the oil now are suppose to seal things.
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2002 Honda Civic LX
Around 1 or 2 years ago, cruise control has started acting strangely. If weather or the engine are cold, and the road is smooth, then it works fine. However, in hot weather, or if the engine is hot, cruise control disengages and the car just slows down as if someone turned CC off. Sometimes this happens randomly, other times by a nudge from a bump in the road.
If I try to re-engage CC, it doesn't work. I have to reach to the CC master switch, turn that off, then back on, and then CC starts working again for a while - until I hit the next bump or something.
The problem seems to be getting slowly worse as time goes by. At first I had this problem in the middle of summer. Now CC is affected even in winter (or what passes for winter in California).
What could possibly cause this? If it's something that could be fixed by just replacing some component, I'd rather do it myself. But I don't know what part might be the culprit.
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I have been having problems with a loud whining noise when I steer in cold weather (approx 35 degrees F) and only after the car has warmed up. Now, before everyone tells me about the Honda Service bulletin addressing this problem, I will tell you I had the Power Steering reservoir replaced at 65K miles, per the service bulletin. However, the problem came BACK after another 35K on the van. The dealership then replaced the inlet pipe O-ring on the power steering pump which ended up NOT fixing the problem. So I still have a fairly new power steering reservoir, a new O-ring AND the loud whine. Am I doomed to replace this every 35K miles or is there some other problem that is buried deeper than the PS reservoir? (And the loud whine you hear really is coming from the van....but soon I might be joining it.)
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For the last couple of summers my A/C has been very weak as the weather gets hotter (and trust me in Charleston, SC that's REALLY HOT!). I've had the pressure check on high and low side and it's good, checked that the compressor clutch stays engaged after the truck runs at idle for a few minutes (cycled on and off every 10-15 seconds for the first 2 minutes truck ran they stayed spinning). Seems to get pretty cold at night and cloudy days or colder days but when I really need it all I get is luke warm air at best. Check temps on lines coming in and out of the condenser. See attached picture.....
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I have a 2010 Honda Accord that is having issues with metal rattling when there is cold weather. I believe the rattling is coming from the heat plates where the exhaust pipe starts. However, I have taken it to the Honda Dealership in San Antonio. They cannot find where the noise is coming from the car. The issue has been occurring for the last 2 years. On top of that, my oil light is coming on. I am not sure if the oil light and the heavy metal rattling are linked (properly not). I would like to get this fixed.
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I have a 1998 Honda Accord 4 cylinder with roughly 150k miles. When the weather is cold outside the steering wheel will shake until the car warms up. I have taken the car into the shop and they checked the engine mounts, tie rods, etc and they told me that the car is fine. The tires are not unbalanced nor are they packed with dirt or debris. The vibration only occurs when the car is cold and it goes away once the car warms up. Also, the vibration will stop when I simply place a small amount of pressure on the steering wheel with my hand or knee. The vibration does not occur when I am driving at low or high speeds and it usually only occurs when I am stopped at stop signs or lights.
I have done the regular maintenance on the vehicle and I have replaced the timing belt, spark plugs/ wires, belt(s), etc, if that make a difference.
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My 2005 Accord V-6 makes a howling (actually a loud whine) when started in very cold weather (e.g., below 25 degrees). The sound goes a way after a few miles driving. It appears to come from a small "pump" looking thing at the top and on the left (facing the car) of the engine, which is attached to a pulley. My mechanic - although he did not actually hear it - says it's nothing to worry about; it's just the cold.
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I recently installed a cold sensor to my 2002 ford focus due to it trying to stall out in cold weather. It is still trying to stall out even with the cold sensor what else could be the problem?
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I have a 2002 VW Passat wagon. We have had an extremely cold winter here in New England (coldest January since 1898!). Anytime the temperature goes under 10 degrees overnight, my brakes do not work in the morning. When I put my foot on the brake pedal, it does not move and the car will not stop. It takes quite a while before I have full breaking capacity restored. Eventually, it gets back to normal (sometimes takes 45 minutes of driving). In addition, the last time this happened, before I got full braking back, my front brakes locked up and smoked like crazy. When I put my foot on the gas, they disengaged. I've taken the car in for service, left it with the dealer the night before so that it would be there, cold, in the morning, but the problem didn't occur because the temp didn't get cold enough. They couldn't find anything wrong. That's because the brakes work fine when the temp is above 10 degrees. Also, under the same temperature conditions, my automatic transmission will not shift beyond 2nd gear until the car is warmed up.
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