Hey all, been reading for a few weeks and decided to join. I am only beginning to venture into some DIY, pretty good at figuring things out, interested in learning more.

I was wondering if anyone had a few seconds to give a top-of-head thought on this - only read on if you enjoy this kind of thing, I like giving lots of details!

I have a 2000 Civic LX, about 164K, still with original engine. I started seeing CEL a few months ago, have had it examined a few times at Honda dealership and at an AutoZone, learned that there are several misfire codes, and all cylinders were found. The CEL flashes almost at every idle and every so often when driving.

I have noticed vibration - it is heavy in idle and when driving at low speed in a gear. I have found when I accelerate or drive high speed in a gear it does not vibrate much at all.

Recently consulting with a friend who has some mechanical experience I have changed my spark plug wires and just had a dealership change my plugs today (I don't want to mess around too much until I have more time to really learn without missing work days). I also had opened the distributor cap and found one very light grayish streak inside. I've never seen a good picture of a carbon track so I don't know if it is one or not. I didn't try wiping it off before putting it back on (should have). I also am now two days into a fresh tank of gas with a full can of Sea Foam applied.

Anyhow, the dealership decided to give me a little free dignostic work with my plug replacements and said they find about no compression on cylinder 4. Here's where I got a little fuzzy due to my inexperience but let me try: they said they could open up, diagnose and fix that but believe that the engine would burn oil badly and recommend putting in a 91K refurb engine for about $2,700.

I'm inclined to invest in keeping my car on the road for a while and try to learn more about maintaining myself, but of course am far from an irrational person. Just wonder what thoughts this story jogs for any of you.

Happy New Year.

 

Are CEL codes other than misfire codes also thrown?

Are the misfire CEL codes only indicating misfire on cylinder 4? If multiple cylinders indicate misfire, try replacing the distributor cap and rotor.

I also recommend that you verify the dealer diagnosis of low cylinder 4 compression. See forum DIY at link in my signature.

Don't drive the car when the CEL blinks. This could permanently damage the catalytic converter.

 

Good advice Ron... been driving it on and off for a week or two with the light blinking. I'll stop before I make things worse.

No, the misfire CELs indicated misfires on all four according to the AutoZone guy that I had check it. I may invest in my own reader now so I can answer this question. I want to say yes but the details elude me.

I'll also try the diagnostic you are referencing and post what I find.

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EDIT: one other note, I did attempt disassembly of the distributor system in an amateur attempt to examine the coil. I found myself stopped when I couldn't figure out how to get the retaining screw from the underside of the rotor. It's a TEC-type distributor on a D16Y7 engine.

 

Pull the CEL codes at home using a jumper wire on the service connector (see link in my signature). If all four cylinders are misfiring, then you will pull codes 71, 72, 73, and 74. In this case, you might have a faulty coil or ICM in the distributor, though there are multiple other possible causes as well.

You may need to flick the ignition key to properly position the rotor screw so that it can be removed.

Resistance tests can be performed with a multimeter to test the coil.

 

Awesome sir. Unfortunately I think professional duties are going to keep me from doing this until Friday evening, Saturday. Sucks not having a garage and doing this work in cold weather which I'm sure screws up tests. I appreciate your time - I'll keep checking in for more comments from folks and will also post what came of the suggestions you are giving me.

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EDIT: One more question since you're suggesting I explore the distributor. When having my first look in there yesterday, one of the three fastening bolts on the distributor cap (the one low and facing the chassis) was so corroded it broke when I went to loosen it. Any suggestions on how I might go about getting the stuck piece out? My observation of it is that it hasn't really affected anything, with the engine running it does not appear to rattle so long as the other two bolts are fastened well.

 

You'll need to drill the broken bolt out. Remove the entire distributor to do this work. You need to repair the bolt to prevent moisture and dust from entering into the distributor.

 

Thankfully, we've got a tropical 25-30 (F) degree day here so I'm starting on this.

I was able to read the CEL codes just now. I believe I was told by the AutoZone employee he saw all cylinders but maybe that was a lazy answer. I drove it for a little while after the last time I reset them. Right now I see 72 and 74 and that's it.

Gonna go work at getting the distributor out and the broken screw. Will update. Thank you again.

 

Those codes indicate misfire of specifically cylinders 2 and 4. Many possible causes. Start by replacing the distributor cap and rotor. It could also be due to clogged fuel injectors 2 and 4, so do a Seafoam treatment (see forum DIY section). The low compression mentioned by the dealer is another possibility. You can also test compression (see DIY section).

 

Had to sit inside for a while, so I decided to take a multimeter to my distributor cap and it looks like it's giving a resistance reading of 10 ohms. First time using a multimeter (and it's not a digital one) so perhaps I'm reading incorrectly, had a hard time finding a specification for the cap. Gonna head back outside and break down the distributor completely so I can remove the broken screw and test the ignition coil. Will be doing the compression test tomorrow most likely.

 

Seafoam treatment has been done also by the way. That was one of the first things I did at the advice of a friend.