First of all, let me say that I am a mechanical degenerate so please do not laugh at my explainations. Secondly, i have a '97 civic ex and it runs like doo doo. I have no idea why. There does not seem to be any major problems, IE, it goes down the road.

One thing that is super annoying to me is that it is very very very sluggish. I had an old 88 prelude before this and it was awesome. The problem occurs when i accelerate. I reach about 2700-3000 RPMs and my car seems to lose some power. It hesitates or becomes less energetic. Thinking rationally i would think that the higher the RPM's the more get up and go the car should have. am i right??

So, anyone out there that has any guess as to what could be my problem please let me know. A coupld freinds told me, it might be something simple like a fuel filter or an O2 sensor.

Ithink they are right the car is in need of a tune up.... save the money about 250 dollars and get a tune up at a local import shop..... how many miles does it have???

its has 114K on it. Also, there really isnt an import shop here in tiny corvallis, or. the best i have is the honda dealership, who has tried to rip me off at least three times, so i dont trust them. Any ideas?

do it yourself if you dont trust anyone else. pretty easy on a civic. replaced plugs,pcv valve ,air and fuel filter,set your base idle, pretty much it. you could replace wires at the same time but not always needed.

Ok, i would really really love to do all that myself but Im a retard when it comes to this stuff. I know i have had my plugs replaced in the last six months, but does it matter much what kind???

ive heard the PCV valve on a civic is a biatch. any thoughts on this?

i replaced the air filter less than two months ago and Ive never done the fuel filter.
I guess i need some basic information on how to do this stuff.

How is it idling? My friend's Civic had a clogged fuel injector about a year ago and he was experiencing similar problems.

pcv valve ina civic is so easy its stupid. its the little blue or black plug on your intake arounf your intake manifold near the back of the head. pull it out and replace it.

fuel filter is fairly easy, its easy access so thats a bonus. its right on the fire wall near your battery.
1. remove the gas cap to releave any pressure on filter
2. remove the 10mm and 17mm bolts holding the line to the fuel rail
3. there is a metal strap that holds it onto the wall,i find it easier to remove the hold thing and then remove the strap out of the car.
4.oposite to install.

ok, so i just changed the oil, oil filter, pcv valve and will do the fuel filter tomorrow. Ill keep you posted as to how it runs. Oh ya and the pcv valve was not easy. Most annoying spot behind the oil filter and I have huge hands. Not fun. But thanks so much for the help.

Also, what type of oil should i be running??? ive heard 5W20 but im not sure. Real or Synthetic???
How about stuff like dura lube or z max?? is that bs?

Also, there really isnt an import shop here in tiny corvallis, or.
you're just a couple hours from me :)



and you can't really compare your 1.6 to your old 2.0, little more there....

kicker, where are you???