Not sure why you would have a fuel richness issue. There is quite possibly a sensor problem. IAT tables are in place to correct for temps so even in a colder climate, the tables compensate for the decreased temp. I'd check into sensors. o and d series always tick. You can adjust the valves but in a few short weeks theyll start again.

 

cel went off on its own and has been off for 2 start ups now. Car feels like its running nice. havnt noticed mpg as being any worse either. Nothing makes me happier than when a problem fixes itself without any effort.

 

Hey I am experiencing the same problem. What was the fix for the ticking/clicking in cold weather?

 

It was valve tick, which is common to most hondas on cold starts. if it gets bad enough to hear inside the car or you lose power, you should adjust your valve lash. Not very hard to do, just be real gentle w/ valve cover bolts cause they break like butter.

 

I adjusted my valves about 2000 miles ago..it was very quiet at first..then as time went on it(the ticking) started getting louder & louder, this is on cold starts & after driving 10 miles on the highway. I know I tighten everything real good.

I'm thinking it ticks maybe because oil degrades as oil gets used. But for me I used 10-20w when I adjusted the valves..now I use 5-20w & it ticks pretty loud when I'm in the car.

 

Adjusting the valves is likely to make it quieter but it will never completely go away when the engine is real cold. Be sure to follow the adjustment instructions exactly. Overtightening the valves will cause serious problems.

 

I had the exact same problem on my 2002 Civic Lx, ticked real bad, started in the winter, on startup when the engine was cold it was far worse than at operating temp. At some point down the line i started hearing a puttering and realised my exhaust might be leaking. Turns out i had a crack in the manifold, very very common with these older models. I took of the shield and there it was, i huge C shaped crack on my left-most primary exaust pipe. Half a tube of J-B weld high heat putty later and lots of elbow grease cleaning it up, the crack was sealed. I was shocked to find out that what i thought was my lifters ticking was just normal engine noise seeping out from the crack. Yikes. Just realised i wrote you a novel

 

Yikes... you posted in an 8.5 year old thread with a different problem.