2003 Civic EX ... I read some of the past questions on this topic, but not sure where to start.
-AC blows warm air.
-AC light comes on as it should (green)
-Underhood Fuses are fine
-Refilled Antifreeze a few days ago, but still blows warm.
-Turned on the AC, lifted the hood and did not see the two large fans blowing. (Not sure if that has to do with AC or just cooling the engine).
The heater in my car only blows hot air when I'm driving fast. At stop signs it blows cold. You can imagine how this affects my driving strategy. What the problem might be?
View 5 Repliesi have a 2002 Honda Civic EX, 155,000 miles. I've been having this problem for quite some time and the mechanic has not been able to figure out what the problem is. He has changed the thermostat, pressure tested the coolant (or something along those lines) but the problem persists. The mechanic also pressure tested the radiator system and said there was no leak. He also told me the tank was overfilled with water, apparently I didn't need to be waiting for the car to cool down so I could add more water, so I've stopped doing that. I have NOT had the scheduled 150,000 maintenance done yet. The mechanic said it wasn't 'urgent' and if I wanted to wait I could. I was hoping to spend the money repairing this problem before doing that, which he said sounded OK to him. The timing belt was replaced in 2007 right before I moved across the country.
I'll try to be succinct, but the explanation is long. Overall: when driving the car to run errands around town the temp gauge used to quickly go all the way to HOT & the A/C starts blowing hot/humid air. When this happened I was pulling over, turning off A/C & radio & putting the car in neutral until the gauge goes back down, used to take only a few minutes but if driving in town (stop lights/traffic) i have to keep doing this b/c the needle returns to the top quickly. I also started trying putting the car in neutral while stopped at lights or in traffic & if i pushed on the gas pedal & kept the engine at 3K RPM the needle would go back down & A/C would start blowing cold when I started driving again.
The other part of this is if i change the A/C vent diverter from all vents blowing at upper body to vents blowing at face & feet or all vents blowing at feet the green 'recycled air' light goes out & the air starts blowing hot & humid, this persists even if I push the 'recycle' air button again.
Until yesterday this temp gauge & A/C issue has not been nearly as much of a problem when driving on the highway at a consistent speed, in other words when the car doesn't have to idle the problem didn't occur very often, the temp gauge may have moved towards 'HOT' but never got all the way up there. Until yesterday. I had to drive thru town with quite a bit of construction & resulting traffic as well as a few stop lights which sent the gauge go to HOT quickly. When I got on the highway I was expecting the gauge to go back down & the A/C to start blowing cold air.... alas, it did not. the gauge stayed very near HOT the whole time & the A/C never blew cold air. It was 106*F yesterday?
And yet another part of this problem, which the mechanics have told me is NOT related to this problem: in the winter time the heater took an extraordinarily long time to heat up and then would only blow warm air while the car was moving at a pretty high speed, under around 30 MPH and there was no heat, and definitely no heat when idling. I do not remember the temp gauge hanging out at HOT all the time but I do think it would go higher than the middle range.
The car has yet to actually overheat. Apparently the mechanic can't diagnose/repair the problem until the engine DOES overheat, at least this is what he has told me. I'm not feeling very confident in this mechanic, as clearly the problem is getting worse over time. And I don't believe it is OK to continue driving a car when the temp gauge is at HOT all the time, that doesn't seem smart at all. Sadly, the mechanic that used to work on my car & was able to diagnose & repair problems quickly & competently has gone to work somewhere else & is no longer working on cars. So, I have decided I cannot continue to use the current mechanic and am now faced with having to take it to the dealership, something I REALLY hate to do. I just don't know of any other reputable Honda repair folks in the area & am tired of being w/o my car for days at a time and still have to deal with the problem.
I have a 2003 Civic EX with 160K miles. The car runs great but it will sometimes over heat in traffic. It does not always overheat so it so the two mechanics I have taken it too have been unable to duplicate. I have had he thermostat changed and the relay to the cooling fan. I also changed the radiator cap. Other facts.
The heater has been very slow to heat up even when letting the car run for 15 minutes in the winter. It will heat up only once on the highway. This started at about the same time as the overheating.
It has never overheated on the highway even with 100 degree weather and the AC blasting.
Turning on the air will most of the time lower the temp.
Today after traveling 30 minutes I came to a stop and it overheated(temp gage on H). I tried to turn on the heater to attempt to cool it down and it blew cold air for about 3 minutes and never warmed. I then pulled into a lot andneither cooling fan was running. I did not have the ac on as I am thinking the fact that the heater is so slow might be a clue to the problem.
It would appear it could be something with the cooling fan but neither mechanic thought it was that as they couldn't duplicate the problem.
Found out today that my third ignition coil is bad, it's a Honda civic 03' my question is, do I have to buy a new ignition coil. I had a clerk tell me I could switch the coils and it would run fine? Is this right? could I just switch the ignition coil with another ignition coil? This doesn't sound right. Well If I do buy new one which would be the third ignition coil? is it counted from left to right or right to left? Are there any telltale signs of a bad ignition coil on sight?
View 16 RepliesI have an 03 civic which has recently exhibiting rather inconvenient power loss during warm up.
It seems to be worse when it's below 35 F out... The car starts just fine and I can generally drive several blocks just fine as well. Then for no apparent reason, the engine loses basically all power. It doesn't stall, but there is basically no power. When I pull over, the idle falls to ~400-500 RPM. Pumping the gas increases the RPM slightly, but again, there is no power.
Then as quickly as it began, the problem disappears; the engine returns to normal idle/power. This never reoccurs if the engine is kept warm. However, if the car sits for a few hours, the problem happens again. I would estimate the power loss occurs for ~30 seconds. The check engine light does not turn on before, during or after these episodes. It's almost like the choke is sticking.
My 03 civic will drive fine when the engine is cool. But after getting off the highway, or running it at higher speeds, when I put it in gear, any gear, it will start choking and bucking like its running out of gas. Once I get it above about 2000 rpms, the choking stops. The read out said it was the egr valve at first, we had it cleaned, but it didn't fix it. The readout now says recirculation insufficient or something like that. I'm wondering how serious this is, and if I should be driving it.
View 5 RepliesAbout 3 weeks ago, I purchased a 2003 Honda Civic EX Coupe, automatic transmission with 131,000 on it. I took it to my mechanic before purchasing it and he said it looked good. The test drive didn't reveal any problems. A few days into owning it, however, I noticed this screeching noise but it didn't happen all the time. When it happened, I was always taking off from an intersection or pulling out of a parking lot - never when I was just driving down the road or on startup. The mechanic couldn't get the noise to happen but inspected the belts and said they looked new and were tight enough. This continued happening intermittently and sometimes I would even notice a slight hesitation in the car on takeoff. I went back to my regular mechanic with no success and also took it to another mechanic who tightened up the power steering belt a bit - still does it. None of the mechanics hear the noise when they drive it because it is so intermittent. I will add that the noise only happens with the AC on - a further inspection revealed the pulleys to be ok. What in the world is this noise and is it something that could leave me stranded? Everything I read about screeching is belt and pulley related but that doesn't seem to be my problem.
View 6 RepliesThe malfunction indicator lamp has been on in my '03 Honda Civic LX for some time now. The car shakes and has trouble accelerating, but not all the time. This usually occurs when the car is stopped, perhaps at a stoplight, in drive. The malfunction indicator lamp blinks when this happens. I brought it to have the codes read, and these came up; P0303 (this happened twice in one reading), P0420, and P0135.
View 3 RepliesI 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?
This has been happening intermittently for a little over a year now. When sitting in traffic, my car begins to overheat. I've had two different mechanics look at it - the first swapped out the radiator cap.
The second said my coolant levels were low, but he pressure tested the system and found no leaks. He recommended I check my levels before taking long trips - so this weekend, before driving 380 miles to Phoenix, I checked my levels. They were a bit low, so I topped everything off with coolant and everything was fine on the drive out.
On the drive home, however, stuck in traffic, the car began to overheat. I pulled over and checked the reservoir and it was mostly full of coolant, but I added a little more, let it sit for a while, and then made my way through the traffic and home.
Also, I tested the fan, and it comes on.
Why, after so many repairs and $$$$ with a AAA Certified Repair shop, the temp gauge that sooner or later shows the needle HOT? Everything accounted for - thermostat 5x, radiator 3x, computer, maintenance, etc etc etc. " It's fixed !!" and then it's starts all over again. It's got 186,000 on it, couple of minor wrecks, all maintenance kept up, still driving it but the needle goes back up again and again. Funny thing, water levels remain the same, no smoke, no red engine light, slight smell of a hot engine but nothing else so far. Still, that needle!! This has been going on a couple of years. Want to figure it out before I get rid of the car. 2003 Civic Coupe DX ....
View 3 RepliesMy cruise control does not work and the mechanic has diganosed the cruise control servo as the problem. The shop gave me an estimate of $700 (parts & labor) to replace it. Given the age of the car and the cost of repair, I am leaning towards doing it myself. I am handy with tools but have not done this type of repair before.
My question: Is there a downside to doing this repair myself. If I elect to do it myself, what do I need to watch for?
So I have no clue where and how this leak started. My 2003 Honda Civic Ex has 133000 miles well earned. This leak has to be stopped. The carpet has been ripped out to dry, but I will probably replace it anyways. Some Ideas have already been given to me. First one, my car does have a system in it(meaning sub and amp cords running through firewall), so water could possibly pass through that hole. Second is checking the windows, door seals and if any welds or cracks have not been filled by the auto body shop. This would be from the one known accident from previous owner. Damage was done to the rear left drivers side panels, behind the door. The problem was looked over but nothing was found. Third would be to check, again the windows and doors rubber insulation strips. Also the fourth and most interesting idea, was that the vents or drains that are responsible for the water that flows down the front window and into those vents, I obviously have no real idea of what these things are called, might be clogged, as well as the channels that the vents are connected too.
View 2 RepliesAs a precautionary measure, I recently had the timing belt replaced on my 2003 Honda Civic. The mechanic noticed that the clutch master cylinder was leaking and I also had that replaced. After the repair, I noticed that my cruise control does not work (turns-on on the dashboard but does not work). I am taking the car back to have it fixed.
My question is where/what areas should I ask the mechanic to check to fix? I am thinking it could be as simple as a disconnected connection but I am not entirely sure.
I have a Civic that is overheating after even short drives (ca. 30 mins). Today the heat gauge went up to 3/4 after 20 minutes, and was still rising when I stopped. The radiator fluid is topped up, oil was just changed and is full and not cloudy. No white smoke has been seen out of the tailpipe. The following repairs have already been attempted. New thermostat (replaced 2X), new radiator, timing kit, coolant temp sensors (both), water pump, AC condenser, AC refrigerant. It is still overheating after all that. Why?
View 7 RepliesI have 2003 Civic, 125K. I am having an issue that the hose that connects radiator and coolant reservoir keeps disconnected at the top of radiator. I am sure this is due to pressure build up in radiator, and radiator cap functions. I also have seen lower level of coolant in my radiator but reservoir is full (of course the hose I mentioned above is connected!). I took my Civic to a shop and they bled radiator but didn't fix the problem. I am certain there is a blockage somewhere in between reservoir and radiator. Would flushing the cooling system fix the problem? I just want to give bit more specific information to my shop.
View 12 RepliesI have a 2003 Honda Civic EX that is choking and/or almost stalling out when I shift usually from 1st to 2nd gear, but also sometimes from 2nd to 3rd. It usually happens after I've driven it for about 20 minutes upon coming to a stop (intersection/stop sign). When I finally go, I push on the accelerator but it feels like no gas is being pumped through with a loss of power. I repeatedly push on the accelerator until it finally kicks over and power is restored. My check engine light is on and I've had the diagnostics read from local parts stores and mechanics and no one can narrow it down. My mechanic said that it sounds like the valves were sticking but can't narrow it down to one thing without ripping apart the engine and going in deep, which would be expensive, but also not as expensive as a dealership.
View 4 RepliesMy wife was driving our 2003 Honda Civic hybrid (125,000 miles) and the electronic power steering went out. She managed to get it parked, called me, and when I arrived everything seemed to work fine. (She said the yellow EPS light came on, but she didn't know what that meant.) I drove it for a while and had no problems. A few days later my daughter was driving and the entire car shut down. I jump started it and everything worked OK, but I took it to the dealer for a diagnosis. They could find nothing wrong (no codes). However, the next day the car once again would not start I replaced the 'starter' battery (the lithium-ion man battery pack had actually been replaced at around 79,000 miles--right before the expiration of the warranty!).
Now it seems fine, but my wife and daughter refuse to drive it, and I'm not sure if the problem is fixed. Here are my questions:1. Since this is a hybrid, once the car is running a failure of the 'starter' batter should have no effect on the EPS, or anything else, right? It all runs off the main lithium-ion battery pack. However, replacing the 'starter' battery seems to have solved the problem--or at least a dead 'starter' batter is temporally (if not causally?) connected with the other failures. This might be just a coincidence, since seems odd to have the 'starter' battery part of the larger electrical set-up. The dealership had no clue and I can't figure it out.2.
The first time just the EPS went out, but the second time the entire car shut down. This doesn't make much sense--especially since the dealer couldn't pull any codes. The car's auto-stop shuts the engine off all the time at speeds below 10 mph (this is a semi-hybrid), so why the total shut down?3. Why didn't the dealership tell me the 'starter' battery needed replacement? I've checked my records, and it seems to be the one that came with the car in 2003 (actually fall 2002). Should I give up?
We have a 2003 Honda Civic EX with a manual transmission (5spd). Two of my daughters are close to getting their drivers license, however, they don't drive stick and are hesitant to learn how. My wife is asking me how difficult or expensive it would be to have an automatic transmission placed in the car so they can use it. The car is in excellent shape. It only has 67,000 miles. Is this feasible? Why or why not? If it is feasible who could do it?
View 19 RepliesI brought my car to one of those "quick change" places to get the oil and transmission fluid changed (the CVT is notorious for needing regular transmission fluid changes). Less than 2 weeks later, after several hundred miles of driving, the car was barely drivable. I brought it back. When they checked on their computer, it turned out they had put in regular transmission fluid instead of CVT fluid. They flushed and refilled transmission a bunch of times. I was there, watching, so I know the work was done - and the car worked fine for about 2 weeks. Then it started to act up again. I brought it back again, and they flushed it twice more, but now it's acting up again after only 2 days.
By "acting up," I mean shifting out of or into park, reverse, or drive is really, really stiff, and the car "lurches" at certain points when driving, both at low speed and at highway speeds. It's worst in stop & go traffic - attempting to stall when we come to a stop. If you try to manually shift into "L," it doesn't go, or rather it will go into low most of the way, but not quite far enough for the little light that says it's actually in low to light up. If the last two instances since the wrong fluid change are any indication, it won't be long before it fails to go into "L" no matter how hard I pull on the shifter, which also means it's going to start stalling again when I come to a stop.
They've been really, really nice about all this, and I've wanted to try to save the transmission - if for no other reason than to prevent the kid who made the mistake from being fired in this awful economy. It's a big name company, and I have a feeling they're not going to be very understanding of an honest mistake up at "corporate HQ." At the same time, however, I need my car to work.
Is there something else to try that could save the transmission? I know it can't be taken apart and rebuilt, because on this model car, the transmission core is completely sealed and is not serviceable. Or is it too far gone - should I ask for a new transmission?