Hey guys, I have looked through these posts and can't come up with an answer to this.

I have a 1997 civic ex that sat for about a month, then was hard to start, then wouldn't start.I replaced the cap, rotor, plugs and wires first, the plugs were gapped wayyyyyy too much and the capand rotor were corroded. Still no start, so iI researched it last night and came up with a coil. i put the coil on today (side note, the plastic cover over the electronics in the distributor didn't make it back on) and the car started just fine.I ran it around the block, and pulled it into the driveway to let it warm up and it starts idling at @ 2000 rom, then drops to @ 600, then back up to 2000. back and forth, back and forth.I put it in drive and drove it around the block again, it idled a little high (@ 1500 rom) in drive at idle, then back to the house and its surging again. Is it possible the wires are bad, or is there something else that controls that?

Edit: Ijust went out and started it back up, it idled @ 1300 rpm, I let it run for a few, the ndrove it aroudn the block. When I got it back home, it was warmed up, and started surging again.

 

Is your Check Engine Light ON?

If not, your Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) may be dirty. Clean and reinstall it as described here:

http://www.superhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144463

If cleaning the IACV doesn't help, you should next look for an air intake leak.

 

No check engine light. I have been researching for the past hour or so, and am now looking for a procedure to bleed the coolant, i.e. may have air in the coolant system. Where is that litle jewel.

Edit: Found it. i am going to try bleeding the system in a few.

 

Ok, update 3. I tried to bleed the cooling system, no bleeder where the top hose goes into the head. I pulled the air intake tube off, started it and blocked the lower hole in the throttle body and the engine almost dies. I partially blocked it and the engine idled down where it should. The issue now is, if that is the IAC, how doI stop the coolant from going into it to pull it off. This is on the bottom of the TB, with 2 coolant hoses going inot it. Also, can i spray some carb cleaner into it and get it freed up? Thanks

Update 4: I disconnected the FITV (i guess, I can't find a ****ing picture of what valve is where) and it idled better, still a little jumpy, but only a few rpms, not the 1400 it was before.(sidenote: anybody know how to reset the CEL on these cars?) I don't have a bleeder for the coolant system. I plugged the FITV back in, and it started surging again. I covered the hole a little with my finger, adn it straightened out. Can you clean the FITV without removing it? If not, do you have to remove the coolant lines to remove it, or is there enough slack to get it up so that it cna be fixed? Thsi is really turning in a major PITA. i was gonna keep the car and mod it, but this is turning int too much BS, I may just sell the damn thing.

 

You can reset the CEL by taking the 7.5a fuse out of the under hood fuse panel labeled Back up. If it's like my 98, it would be one fuse right of the top left corner fuse as looking from the front bumper. Take it out for at least 10 seconds before reinserting.

 

Here is the latest, and problem solved. I got some carb and TB cleaner on my way home from work, cranked the car up nad let it run and sprayed the TB with carb and TB cleaner, also down in the FITV hole (I think). I left it running, till it got warm, the disconnected the neg cable for a few minutes, pulled the back up fuse and put it all back together. Runs like a champ.