My 22 year old honda(115K) often dies right after I start it. It will then start again no problem, but I have to give it some gas and it didn’t used to do this. Also when I am jetting out on to the Highway from a rural stop sign it seems to be bogged down a bit and not pick up quickly. I am thinking maybe the fuel filter. Any other ideas?
22 Years Old ? That’s Eighty-Eight In Car Years. Visit A Nursing Home And Notice How The Eighty-Eight Year-Olds Move Around. I Think It’s Time For An Upgrade To Maybe Something In The Current Decade.
CSA
Well it’s older than my previous car, has less miles, and runs way better. It is not really an option for me to upgrade, so I think, as this car generally runs very well, that it is something that can be fixed. I do appreciate your non-sarcastic and kind advice.
CSA is very insensitive. My car is also 22 years old. It has 215k on it. It still gets around pretty well. Your problem could be caused by a clogged fuel filter (as you suspected),a weak fuel pump or defective fuel pressure regulator. Take care.
You need to take care of all the basics. Plugs, wires, filters. Distributor cap/rotor if applicable. Get a fuel pressure gauge on it. Stuff like that.
Bah. My 20 year old Honda disagrees with you.
Elenator: Try removing the fuel cap, and see if this problem continues. Bad tank venting is a common cause of the symptoms you described.
Another possibility is a bad injector, especially if your Civic was one of the ones inflicted with DPFI, which means 1 injector failure impacts all 4 cylinders.
I had an old toyota that did the same…the vacuum advance hose was off
Actually Two Of My Cars Are Older Than 25 Years-Old, That’s Over 100 In Car Years !
However, I don’t depend on these cars to get to work. When cars are this old then there are too many things that can fail unexpectedly (rubber degrades, electronics corrode, wiring harness connectors stop conducting, grease hardens, coils go bad, waterproof things leak water, etcetera) and often it’s difficult to sort it out without spending lots of time and / or money. These are hobby cars with “classic” insurance.
You seem open to the fuel filter idea and therefore it sounds like maybe the car isn’t up to date on maintenance. Follow Cigroller’s advice and then you’ll probably need a good mechanic. The mechanic will charge to diagnose and repair the problem(s), but your throwing parts at it may be a case of being penny wise and pound foolish.
CSA
Thanks so much! I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Ok, thanks for your help.
That’s a new one. Thanks.
Nicely said, but penny wise is my option right now. I bought this car about 9 months ago and I think the owners took good care of it. I did just take my snow tires out of the trunk. They have been in there for about the same amount of time that I have noticed this problem, so I will see if it is just the extra weight. Thanks.
Fuel filter, fuel pump, something in that system is suspect. Check the fuel line pressure, test the regulator, change the fuel pump. It is, as Shadow suggested, throttle body injected, so the injector is a possibility. As a matter of fact if it isn’t closing fully it could be allowing fuel to seep back into the tank overnight and that could ba a factor in your starting problem. You can test this simply by putting the key in “ON” instead of “RUN” for a few seconds prior to starting in the morning. If the starting problem disappears it might be because the pump is refilling the line.
If the fuel system checks out, a compression test is a good idea. It is possible that the engine is tired. It might only have another 20 years of usable life left.
22 Years Old ? That’s Eighty-Eight In Car Years. Visit A Nursing Home And Notice How The Eighty-Eight Year-Olds Move Around. I Think It’s Time For An Upgrade To Maybe Something In The Current Decade. (bolding deleted But Nonsensical Use Of Title Case Was Too Much Work.)
Alternatively, you could take it to a mechanic and get it fixed.
Stop providing answers that are worthless.
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Any Honda Nuts Out There That Know How To Retrieve OBD 1 DTCs From A 22 Year-Old Honda ? I Can Pull Them From My 25 Year-Old + Pontiacs Just By Using A Paper Clip To Jump A Couple Terminals In The OBD 1 Outlet.
The codes are kind of crude and not always helpful, but I once instantly correctly diagnosed an 02 sensor using this method. I got a code for the sensor and while I was looking for its location, discovered the top of the sensor that has wire in it was broken right off the sensor.
A crude OBD 1 code could get one into the right system, if nothing else. You never know what you’ll find. I was totally surprised !
CSA
That Honda Must Be Older Than A 1990, Eh ?
Here’s what I’m talking about for a 90 - 95 Honda.
Click link:
What model-year is this car ?
CSA
It is a 1988 Civic sedan. Thanks.
There may be more than one issue here.
The dies after starting and fine on a restart could be due to a loss of fuel pressure. (generally a fuel pump check valve leaking off, leaking fuel injector, etc)
The hesitation could be due to a fuel filter but that’s only 1 possibility. Other possibilities could be a partially clogged catalytic converter, intake tract air leak, or retarded ignition timing.
The latter could be applicable if someone has dinked around with the distributor in the course of a tune-up (out of date word to use actually), any prior dist. repair, or in the course of a timing belt change.
If the timing belt/water pump/tensioner job has never been done then this is a must right now because that belt, along with the engine, is flirting with disaster.
Please stop posting, thanks.
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