98 Civic is acting up. Need some direction to make it behave.
- Thread starter Blake.
- Start date
For his vehicle to react the way it does means he has to conduct extremely thorough tests, that of which will cost him money. SInce he is unwilling to spend i doubt he would be willing to make this investment. He will need to monitor and diagnose all 3 components/systems required for proper combustion. ie vacuum, fuel, and ignition as stated before. Apart from this he will have to do these tests numerously and under different circumstances and varying strains in order to see and record system reactions and performances. To do this correctly he would have to input lots of time, and dont forget money. Either way it will cost him, there isnt a simple diagnoses. He can have guesses, and should they fix his problem then he can be considered lucky. In the end he would not have learned to troubleshoot, diagnose, or analyze meaning that he wont really understand what is going on and that he will just repeat the same long process and guessing whenever the next problem he creates arises. Until he can distinguish the differences, he will not learn a valuable skill/lesson. One of which that is needed, especially when owning older cars.
x2
: Glad to see you are on board.No, I am not. I can understand where you would derrive this from but this is not a thread where this should be explained. I apologize for the blunt reply but this is Ops thread and i prefer to stay on topic when it comes to any thread in the Tech or other sections.
On board with understanding RonJ's Perrspective. I agree my posts are more like rants considering that any advice we may offer to Op will be dismissed unless it is cheap, effective, and in the category of "End All, Be All" solutions. I also place the "x2" to show i agree because most of what RonJ has posted is something I would have been on the verge of posting had he not done so before me. This is more for Op so that he can see it isn't just one person giving this advise/recomendation; Meaning he might be more willing to try it. Which in turn might help him understand the diferences or at least learn about how the sections that he is testing work and why they are an option to why his civic may be performing the way it does.
Also, I wouldn't take what you said into offense. It is completely understandable why you would say/ask what you did. Superficially, that is entirely what it apppears to be.
Blake.
New Member
ok, i posted this at almost midnight last sunday, The car is at my dad's house bc we have little parking and no where to work on it at our apartment. we've been working 12 hour days all week. Friday, i got home from work, stepped out of my truck and into my wife's car. then drove 5 hours to visit and stay with family for the holiday weekend bc they havent seen our 5 month old baby since she was 3 weeks old. We came home yesterday in time to unload the car eat and go to bed. and we are on 12 hours again this week.
now, you tell me when i was suppose to look inside the dang cap?
where's my troubleshooting of plug wires and the ICM and coil? simple answer, i haven't. and i dunno what an ICM is.
but i DID ask what other components can i check and how. all i got told was to replace everything.
i realize you deal with idiots on here all the time wanting $10 miracle juice for their car to fix it or make it go fast. i know it takes more than that.
Don't assume everyone posting is like that. yes, i said i dont have a lot of money to replace a bunch of parts. but i will replace what is needed. i just want to know the part is bad before i buy a new one and stick it in.that is why i want to know how to check. if i spend $150 in parts, put them on the car and it still doesnt run right bc the parts i took off were still good, what have i accomplished?
i know there are thing that need to be replaced overtime. i'm aware that s**t wears out and falls apart. I'm (in the process of) rebuilding a 69 mustang (for the last 6 years). I've also got 2 old trucks. i know maintenance is the lively hood of a vehicle. of any machine. hell i use to work as an industrial maintenance mechanic. and that is something my dad has taught me. he's had the same cheap-o lawn mower for going on 14 years now.
you jumped before you knew where i come from. not saying i know everything bc i dont.
but that is why i'm here.
that's all i'm trying to do.
that is what i'm asking.
what could be causing the problem?
and how do i check to see if it's bad?
What's an ICM?
now i know i need to check the rotor cap, the fuel pressure, plug wires, the ICM,... what else? and how?
I apologize for any misunderstanding and/or jackassedness on my part,
thanks
Blake.
RonJ
Banned
Not trying to be rude, but welcome to adult life.
This^ is entirely up to you. There's no time limit. You're on your own schedule. You continue to receive replies and comments because you continue to post, most of which makes it clear that well intentioned advice is not registering with you.
The original advice, which fell on deaf ears, still holds ---> Do an ignition system tune up (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, ignition timing) and then go from there.
The distributor has two additional critical components that are not generally part of a tune up -- the coil and ignition control module (ICM). The coil makes hot spark for the cylinders and the ICM tells the coil when to spark. After you do the tune up, then you can Ohm test the coil and have Auto Zone test the ICM for you (free). BUT DO THE TUNE UP FIRST.
I never go into a thread with this assumption. I judge members by there responses, comments, and receptiveness to learn. Your posts give a strong impression of where you fall among the types of members.
I would feel like a broken record responding to this^. I've addressed it with unambiguous prose in earlier posts. If you fail to grasp it, then it's on you and this thread has been a waste of time and you've learned nothing. You'll find that the ability to be open minded to new concepts and to learn quickly is part of becoming a successful mature adult.
Then what the heck are you waiting for? Get on it. Still falling on deaf ears?
This is an intriguing thread to say the least. I hope you understand you come off as asking for guidance yet refuting the answers you receive. I can safely summize everyones useful comments as follow: catching up on the neglected basic maintenance is a MUST before further diagnosis can occur. Plain & simple. For the record, changing the cap, rotor, plugs & wires can be done in less than one hour even by a non-handy person. The distributor has three 8mm philips head screws and comes off in 3 minutes. theres no excuse for lack of time on that.
Secondly, please take no offense but if youre a hard working new father I hope youve considered your priorities and the potential of selling one or two of your 4 total vehicles to have the funds to repair & properly maintain one reliable daily driver, being your civic.
I agree with RonJ and HeX^^^ 'Nuff Said
I'm not going to rant on about what has already been repeated for you Op. Update the thread once you have done proper maintenance and the tools necessary to do a complete and thorough diagnoses should you choose to do so. From there we can help with whatever technical questions you might have.
I'm not going to rant on about what has already been repeated for you Op. Update the thread once you have done proper maintenance and the tools necessary to do a complete and thorough diagnoses should you choose to do so. From there we can help with whatever technical questions you might have.