Hi Folks!

I have a 1991 Honda Civic Wagon ALL-Wheel-Drive.

I am a total novice with these cars. Someone gave me this car a couple of years ago. Although It started up every time I put the key in it, I did not drive it much until lately. It also had sat for a while before I got it.

So far, I have had the cap and rotor changed out. i have had the oil changed with new filter and air filter as well. New front brakes. I thought I had had a guy who worked on it previously change out the spark plugs, but a new guy (these are not real mechanics as I cannot afford one, but guys who claim to know about Hondas), but the guy I have now says "no way'"cause they are all carboned up and he says i was lied to about the spark plug change.

Another guy who works on Hondas checked it out and noticed it did not get up very high rpm wise when he tried to take it up past 50/60 miles per hour. He said it did not seem to get enough rpms, whatever that means? I would think it has something to do with engine compression, no?

It runs and will always usually start at first turn of key, although sometimes the idle is real low and other times it is high. I know nothing about these cars, but I do know how much fuel I am using and have no doubts about how extremely low the MPG is with this car. i know it is AWD and the specs on the new ones for the year it came out said it got 24 to 26 mpg and that was 21 years ago so the car is old, but 71/4 mpg just seems so so low for such a small car; even an older one ...when I load it up with my pets and a few bags for a trip (i only took one) it seems to get maybe 5 or 6 mpg.

I like the car, but with such low mpg I cannot afford to drive it.

And NO, it does not seem to be leaking any fuel ...at least none that i can detect when it is sitting still .....I smell no gasoline when driving it either ....so I do not think it is a simple fuel leak.

The new guys wants to put in new sparks plugs and says that 'will fix it' but I find it hard to believe that new spark plugs will increase the mpg significantly ...he thinks i should be getting at least 20 mpg in it; he has a Honda hatchback with same engine, but not AWD and he says he get 40 mpg, but different body than mine (same year but his was made in Canada and mine in Japan if that makes any difference?


If I cannot figure what is wrong with car or correct problem I am afraid I cannot keep it and I think I would like to if I could get it to run without eating up all my money with such low mpg.


Can anybody suggest what might be the problem?

Would new spark plugs make a big difference in mpg ...???


I appreciate any suggestions. Please be descriptive and patient in explaining, as I am not familiar with these cars and not any kind of mechanical oriented person.



Thank you.


California_Gurl

 

Spark timing, or you could have a fuel injector stuck open. Does smoke come out the tailpipe? If so, what color is the smoke?

Check for codes in the computer. Is the yellow "engine check" light on? On these models you look at an LED right on the computer, it is under the carpet where the passenger's feet would be. Once you find the LED, turn the key on but don't start. It should flash once then stay off.

 

1. What does spark timing mean (need new spark plugs)???

2. Used to have blue smoke coming out but that stopped and it looks grey (like regular exhaust) now.

3. How do you check for codes in the computer and what codes?

4. What does the LED check mean/accomplish?

5. How/where do you check to see if the fuel injector valve is open? Is it easily fixed or replaced?

6. Yes, engine light is on all on the time.

Thanks!

 

For spark timing you need a tool called a timing light. It finds exactly when the spark fires relative to the rotation of the engine. If the spark fires too late, the pistons will already be partway down when the gas ignites, which causes major loss of gas mileage.

ECU codes: Pull down the carpet where the passenger's feet would be. There's a little plastic window there with a red light behind it. Turn the key on and count the blinks of the light. It will blink a number of times, pause, then blink again. In the sticky at the top of the forum here is an explanation of what the numbers mean.

 

Just curious - do the brakes work REALLY well? Or does one wheel tend to lock up when you hit the brakes?

I ask because you said it's been sitting for a while until recently, and I can't help but wonder if a brake caliper/drum is stuck on (like the rear pads operated by the parking brake) and causing drag. If it was parked with the parking brake engaged, it seems entirely possible that the brake is frozen in that "set" position.

Otherwise, you mentioned it's AWD, which makes me also wonder if the transfer case could use some attention. If it's gunked up (or bad), it would cause unnecessary drag that the engine would have to overcome, much like a stuck brake.

Just think of it as your car trying to tow something really heavy, and you can probably get where I'm coming from.

 

The fact that none of the people who you have had look at it has mentioned the check engine light being on would tell me not to use any of them. You need to check the code as stated above to know where to start the repairs.
And yes, you do need to change the spark plugs no matter what else you find. There are many things, including the ones mentioned above, that could cause the issues you are having and finding out the trouble codes will be the best place to start.
You will also want to look at having the transfer case fluid replaced and possibly the transmission fluid as well (special procedure for an auto)

You will want to get a compression test done. See if you can find someone you know that has a tester. It's a matter of removing one spark plug at a time and screwing in the compression gauge.

 

Ditto on finding new mechanical help for your car. If you had the shop manuals,you could go to the troubleshooting flow charts but it sounds like you haven't worked on cars before. You might try asking at some local shops;sometimes you can get some good (free) advice. Tell them you're running low on money,lol. Good luck.

 

If this car sat for sometime the gas could be varnished. That could be part of the problem. Have you tried running an injector cleaner through it? Try cleaning the throttle body also. There were good points made above. Find a good mechanic. Use your charm if needed.

 

Thanks, I will try it.

 

There's a metallic sound in one of the back wheels when I move in reverse; other than that, i don't feel like I am pulling any significant weight. As for the rest, I would not even know how or where to start in terms of replacing the fluid in the transfer case. i grew up with the old American cars ....my dad always had automatics.

I asked several of the people who worked on the car about the metallic sound when backing up and they said i probably needed a back brake, but said that was more 'complicated' than replacing the front brakes and did not think it was causing the problem. I had one guy insist that if I changed the cap and rotor it would solve the problem but it did not. I thought I had the spark plugs were changed because I gave some other guy who said he went to mechanic school twenty dollars and he said he changed them, but the person who just looked at them says I was lied to ...now he says all i have to do is change the spark plugs and all will be well ...but I doubt it.


I still think the idea about the fuel injected valve getting intermittently stuck makes sense ...however i have a hard time imaging that the lights under the floor boards ...the computer codes is all I need to fix it ....so I would assume that somehow the computer got screwed up and if i change the code than this sticky valve may self repair? That is like Star Trek or something ...I did not realize how sophisticated these computers were; I just assumed I would have to somehow manually get in there and locate it and fix it by hand or replace it. I guess I am just a dinosaur when it comes to any car made after the 70's ....lol.


I will check out what the proper computer code is and try to re-program it.


Thanks for your suggestions.