idle problem? timing problem?

[CivicEx Girl82]

Hi I am new on here and have a question. i have a 1998 honda civic ex sedan automatic that has been acting weird lately. first off when i start it up the needle is at 1.5 on the rpm gauge then after a couple minutes it drops down to 1 then it continues to drop and my car starts to shake like it wants to stall i gently hit the gas to prevent it from stalling. Secondly sometimes while driving maybe 20 miles an hour my car feels like it has gotten stuck in gear our like its in neutral and does not wanna go any faster when pushing on the gas but then it seems to unstuck itself and is fine after that. Any thoughts about what this could be would be greatly appreciated. I just had a new distributor put in about 3 weeks ago and have been noticing these problems for alittle over a week now. thanks

 

[RonJ]

Idle issue - clean the IACV and check for CEL codes.

Transmission - have you drained the ATF and added fresh Honda ATF?

Distributor - did you adjust the ignition timing after installing the new distributor?

 

[CivicEx Girl82]

Hi and thank you for replying. i have not changed the transmission fluid yet i checked it earlier its not low and is a light red color. I will definately clean the IACV up did not think of that thank you. My cousin is a mechanic and changed the distributor for me he did the timing but said it was idling lower then where it should be and was not able to adjust it again to make it higher.

 

[RonJ]

i have not changed the transmission fluid yet i checked it earlier its not low and is a light red color.

This^ tells you nothing about the age of the ATF. It's best to do 3 ATF drain and refill cycles. Then go from there. Use only Honda or Honda-recommended ATF.

he did the timing but said it was idling lower then where it should be and was not able to adjust it again to make it higher.

You cannot properly adjust the ignition timing unless the engine is idling to spec and the service connector is jumped. Hold the throttle pedal to maintain proper idle speed when the timing is adjusted. Of course you need an external tachometer connected as the cluster tach is inaccurate, especially at low rpm.

check for CEL codes

Have you done this^?

 

[CivicEx Girl82]

Hi I have not checked for CEL codes will have to get my cousin to do that for me. When he was setting the timing he did not do it through the OBD2 port so you saying that the timing cannot be properly set without doing so makes sense I will have him set the timing the correct way. I will be getting transmisson fluid asap since I have no idea how old the fluid is thats in there right now is I've owned this car for a year and doesn't look like it was well taken care of by the previous owners. thank you again for your help Ron J.

 

[RonJ]

You can pull CEL codes by either jumping the service connector or using a code reader. Click the codes link in my signature.

The service connector (not OBD2 port) MUST be jumped when adjusting the base ignition timing so that the ECU cannot electronically alter the timing. But you still must use a timing gun to adjust the base ignition timing.

 

[CivicEx Girl82]

Hi and thanks I forgot to mention that I do not have a check engine light on not sure if I would get any CEL codes with the light being off

 

[RonJ]

Does the CEL work?

 

[CivicEx Girl82]

Hi and yeah I believe the CEL does work I see it on the dash when I turn the key to start my car then it goes off I have never had it come on while driving the car as of yet.