Hi, I have a 1997 civic lx, and about 2 months ago it started having a problem where occasionally when I accelerate from a stop, the car will hesitate before it starts to go. When I am sitting idle sometimes I can also feel the engine "stop" briefly and continue. I brought it to a mechanic about 6 weeks ago and they said the fuel system needed to be flushed, so they did that and gave it back. I drove it around and sure enough, that did nothing. I decided to change my spark plugs and wires out. The problem stopped until a few days ago. It is slowly starting to happen again, but not nearly as bad as it was before where I would literally have to hit the gas pretty hard for it to move. A few times it even died while at a stop light, so I had to start it again. Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

Is the CEL ON?

Did the mechanic replace the fuel filter? Has the ignition timing been checked?

Do you have a steady idle of about 700 rpm without any load and 800 rpm with the A/C on full blast?

 

The CEL is not on. I replaced the fuel filter about 2k miles ago, so it should be fine. I haven't noticed any problems with that either as far as leaks go. I haven't tested the ignition timing, so I'll try doing that tomorrow. Do I need a more accurate tachometer to test the rpms to read those numbers?

 

Yes, you need a better tach, like one available with a good OBDII scan tool.

 

Oh, and by the way, I also replaced the primary O2 sensor a few months ago with a Bosch universal one. This was done because the CEL went off while driving.

 

Well, I have not heard much good about Bosch O2 sensors on this forum; however, I would focus elsewhere if a CEL code isn't thrown.

 

Thanks RonJ, I appreciate your help. I'll let you know how it goes. I have to go buy a timing gun

 

Quick question: do I have to check the idle speed before the ignition timing? Both my chilton's and service manual say to do this, but I've seen website that do not mention checking the idle speed before doing this. I have not bought a tach yet, but I did buy a timing light, so I'll need to wait before doing the idle speed if this is the case.

 

Ok, I adjusted the ignition timing. Before I adjusted it the white line on the belt was lined up perfectly, so I adjusted it as much as I could until the red line was lined up. However, even after adjusting as much as possible, the red line is still a few mm off during each cycle. Is this normal?

 

I imagine the engine is running better now, but the way it is currently set, the timing is retarded a bit. The failure to set the timing to the red mark possibly indicates that the timing belt slipped a tooth. How many miles and years do you have on your timing belt?