Just got a 92 Civic! Who wants to help me figure a few things out? Help appreciated!

Dirty_Harry

New Member
Hello everyone! Frequently and thoroughly collecting the vast knowledge you can grab on this site. Never joined to post untiI just now! Recently purchased a "slightly" used 92 Civic.. I paid $500 for her. Friend deal. It has a few "slight" problems that I will be working out, but need a little help in the right direction. I'm trying to make it into a more reliable daily driver.

Here's what I need to know, and what I need to know.

It is a 92 Civic, 4dr sedan, the title says cxv? I don't know the model.. there's no badge on it except one that says civic. It has power everything, sunroof, a rear spoiler, and rear disc brakes(ABS not connected anymore though?). It also has a b18b swap(no ps/ac) /b16 tranny?? Don't know anything about this transmission yet.

I like the car but it is quirky. Whn I drive car ~55-60mph(3k on the tach) its fine but once I drive around 70mph(not sure maybe 3.5k) the oil gauge begins steadily climbing, I got it a little above half and just slowed down.. it dropped and didn't raise again at 55mph. any ideas??

also, while in the lower rpms(around 2100rpm?) there is a weird scrapey kind of noise. that will go away if you accelerate past a certain point, or shift so the rpms are lower. :/


Other than the problems listed I have put maybe 500 miles on it so far and for the most part it seems to be holding up alright, Oh! and the throttle will stick open a little, I just tap the gas pedal up and it idles correctly. If I have to, I will replace the engine / transmission, but I kind of like the combo, I may be interested in a rebuild(might be able to get another LS engine). Not sure how abused she was :( but will definitely be needing some work. I am not sure what my options are for a swap really.. hoping to find some good information from everyone here :mrgreen:

I haven't gotten a chance to look under the car because it's so low.. will need new struts ASAP, does anyone have good recommendations? I was thinking return to stock with Monroe quick struts for now just so bumps aren't so rough..

That pretty much wraps it up. I would like to thank you for reading my whole first thread! Sorry everyone for so many questions! I'll post some pictures up soon, its nothing fancy but for $500 I got a running ls swap with acura rims(lol), blizzak snow tires(lol), a spare blox Intake mani, and a spare starter.. feeling good about the civic and hope to bring her back to full life and get her on the road, thanks everyone once again!
 

SpeedTechnik

Nothing but Performance
Registered VIP
Since you will be doing your own work a service manual is needed! its your most important tool. As far as oil pressure, we need a bit more info to give you at least a spectrum...check the dip and try to record how much you have to fill up the coolant. check all your lines...
 


SpeedTechnik

Nothing but Performance
Registered VIP
And describe the grinding...the screechy sound sounds like it might be you timing belt tensioner

and with the right cash you can do any swap and any mod. so what are you plans and budget?
 

integraguy_3

New Member
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Hmm.. what kind of ecu? Also is the noise coming from the tranny/clutch area? Maybe throwout bearing?
 


integraguy_3

New Member
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Throttle sticking problem maybe just spraying some wd40 on throttle cable will lube it up.. happened to me once at a light
 

Dirty_Harry

New Member
And describe the grinding...the screechy sound sounds like it might be you timing belt tensioner

and with the right cash you can do any swap and any mod. so what are you plans and budget?
its almost like a rattle, scrapey metal on metal sound?? I've never heard anything like it. it only happens between a span of maybe 300 rpms somewhere around 2k (2k-2.3k maybe?)

not planning to go all out on this one, its a $500 car haha. it's from mn so rust tends to accumulate on our cars anyways, this one isn't too bad.. but for now I just want a reliable build, might replace trans for longer gears? I like the b18b but i'm not sure if I would actually do a vtec head.. will probably never turbo. just wanna get her running like a champ again. probably will stay b series.
 

Dirty_Harry

New Member
Hmm.. what kind of ecu? Also is the noise coming from the tranny/clutch area? Maybe throwout bearing?
that was my guess, it sound like it was below my ears, I thought it was trans but I haven't tried it out of gear.. not sure the ecu, I can take a look at it tomorrow! just got the car a few days ago, been too busy to dig in
 

Dirty_Harry

New Member
I don't know what manuals I need because this car seems like its 3 cars put together hah, my friend doesn't have a lot of useful info for me. I don't even know which model my civic even is, I will get you guys some pics tomorrow and let me know what you think!
 

SpeedTechnik

Nothing but Performance
Registered VIP
its almost like a rattle, scrapey metal on metal sound?? I've never heard anything like it. it only happens between a span of maybe 300 rpms somewhere around 2k (2k-2.3k maybe?)

not planning to go all out on this one, its a $500 car haha. it's from mn so rust tends to accumulate on our cars anyways, this one isn't too bad.. but for now I just want a reliable build, might replace trans for longer gears? I like the b18b but i'm not sure if I would actually do a vtec head.. will probably never turbo. just wanna get her running like a champ again. probably will stay b series.
well at this point it can really be anything, you wont know for sure until you locate it. and getting a car reliable can be a headache too if you don't have the right info so try to get a manual for your car and then download the pieces regarding the engine from the internet along with a wire diagram, or two, or three (just in case) upload some pics and do an update after you dig into the civic.
 

RonJ

Banned
Sounds like the car is a 92 Civic EX.

Remove the passenger kick panel and read the label on the ECU. Post a picture of the label.

Click the codes link in my signature to learn how to figure out whether the CEL works and, if so, how to pull CEL codes.

Clean the throttle body and adjust the throttle cable to have as much as 1/2" of slack.

Does the grinding noise go away if you press down the clutch pedal? Do you hear the grinding noise with the transmission in neutral, clutch pedal up, and idling or slightly revving the engine?
 

Dirty_Harry

New Member
From what I can tell, it DOES make the noise while in neutral.. but I may have been imagining it because the sound was so faint. I'll go mess with the throttle under the hood later to get a better idea of where it could be coming from

Can anybody tell me if the rear disc brakes are stock? they rattle in the back, I believe the pads need to be replaced.


here's pictures for everyone :D btw green valve cover and sprayed on AK's add like 5hp right?








 


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