Hi. I bought a 2000 honda Civic used in 2004. Since the day I bought it, it has had problems shifting. The acceleration is very slow and loud, and once it does shift gears it makes a knocking noise and then it losses a lot of power. I just replaced the spark plugs thinking that would help, but it really hasn't. Has anyone else had this problem?

Also, does anyone know a way I can tell if the previous owner took the vehicle in for recalls?

Thanks!

 

Sounds like a tranny problem to me. Sorry, I know that's a blatantly obvious answer but this kind of thing is really hard to diagnos in a forum like this. Unfortunately, spark plugs rarely do anything for the transmission but you didn't hurt anything by changing them out.

As for the recalls, if there were any, a dealer should be able to tell you whether or not the car has been serviced. All they should need from you is the VIN.

Good luck,
Steve R.

 

Thanks..

Also, my gas gauge like falls to empty when i go around cloverleafs and corners. Is this a bad sensor?

 

Mine will drop when going up hills & such, but never to e... that doesnt sound right.

 

It depends on the car. The Civic is my third Honda car and I've never noticed the gas gauge moving much with turns or hill and such but it is possible. I'm assuming you're pretty low on gas when you notice this? If so, it's just normal fuel sloshing. If it's doing it between half a tank and full I'd probably have to question it.

FWIW, gas gauges aren't necessarily that accurate. Some are but most are off somewhere along the way. To me, the important thing about them is that they be consistant in what they tell you. That way, you'll learn to judge what you've really got in the tank depending on what the gauge says. But I've never seen a car that with a 20 gallon tank that will take an even 10 gallons if you fill up at the half way point. It just never seems to work out that way.

Good luck,
Steve R.