What are the most common problems with this generation of civic?s

[legend1011]

I am going to be purchasing a Honda Civic this weekend and was curious as to what the most common problems with these cars are?

Thanks

[1990civicdxhb]

lol,this should be a good thread,
from what I know....

rotor button screw falling out, -(I've read around the internet)
ignition coils going bad -(every so often)--at least for me,
drivers side seat tearing -(from getting in & out)
factory batterys SUCK! -(at least for me)
anybody else?

[FrodoGT]

Ok, Ill start with the body, but first I must say that, consider this...these cars are 15 years old at least, and will probably live until 20 reliably and without much fuss!

Body/suspension:
Rust-rear fenders (at least on crx's). various other placesincluding (but not limited to) behind the front fenders by the door hinges, under the door and on the bottom of the door, the rails along the top side of the body where the metal joins on the edges of the roof (under the black strip), and by the hinges on the crx hatch.

Bushings-ball joints and tie rods- probably need to be replaced at their age, but some arent, alot of honda owners cherish their cars though. Expect some sort of suspension quirk, not a big deal.

Its a honda, more specifically a civic, this is the most popularly tunedvehicle on the planet! Finding one that is completely unmodified is a gem. So there may be suspension/ brake/ body mods. that may not be of the best workmanship and quality, keep an eye out.

Engine: Again, this car is so easy to swap an engine or a head into, do your best to make sure that the engine is in good shape, because even though its the engine meant to be with the car, that doesnt mean it has the same mileage. Check for smoke on any car, but these engines tend to start burning oil around 150k mi., or it could have a blown head gasket...they dont produce an insane amount of power stock, so some people will make them scream just to get up and go. Check all of the hoses and belts for possible problems down the road.

Electrical: The Main Relay, when this thing goes, it sucks, but if your buying the car, its probably running, so this piece is working
-The coil, these can go out slowly, and will drive you insane trying to figure out what it is, then one day it will finally die. Not common, or really detectable, but its there.
-Once again, it is a honda....they are prone to modification, whether you can see it or not, make sure you get all of the information and be sure that if anyone went screwing around with the wiring, that they knew what they were doing, especially for engine swaps.

I know there is more, but I cant remember right now...

[legend1011]

Well,

I am only paying $700 and I know the owner (he's a buddy of mines).

That is good to know;

I'm very excited and all my co-workers are like "for what?". They think it is an old P.O.S. that I am wasting my money on, but I see the value in it. It is in deed a treasure

Super Gas Mileage
Low Insurance rates

and
best of all

Reliable Honda Name.

I'll drive it proudly!

This Honda is completely stock! W/ no modifications at all (atleast none detected by the eye)

[SiZ]

I'll second the coil, and main relay.

I think Hondas are also notorious for bad windows (sticky mechanisms), and according to a recent survey I took about 50% of 4th gens idle like they should.

[Shaguar47]

Main relay is a huge thing that can keep you from starting up the car. The ignition systems on honda's has to be one of the lower points of the car as since the engines rev high to achieve power, the distributor most times can't take it very well and goes bye bye. Ususally upgrading this helps.

Rust is a bigger on these cars so if you don't have any, then your very lucky.

Seats are usually ripped on the driver side.

Most 4th gens have trouble with the idle as SiZ said and they also tend to go wacko on you somtimes.

If it's a hatchback or crx, be prepared for the hated squeaking in the rear hatch.

Climate Control face sometimes cracks up into little pieces.

Headlights will eventually get the ugly yellow sickness of trapped moisture

Taillights sometimes aren't sealed good or just old and water will find it's way in creating a fish bowl

Door open beeper may not stop beeping when the door is shut as the control unit has went wacko. (just yanked mine out above the rear view mirror)

If you have black bumpers and trim, be prepared to have a bleached color. A can of trim paint will fix it right up in no time.

Hope that helps, can't think of anymore.

[TheSilentChamber]

Biggest problem is a huge infestation of ricers. This is a nation wide problem, all towns including rual areas and suburbs are very likely to have cases of this to occure. It is offen signed by loud mufflers, wings, body kits, and of course the notorius act that is known as Honda Drive By, where in the car in question chooses not to race a car, but rather to engage in a high speed before aproaching and then acting like they are faster- offen including switching on the hazard lights to show their badassness. All cases of rice should be avoided with extream predjudice.

[FrodoGT]

Yeah I completely forgot to add the seats, especially SI seats, will tear ont the left drivers bolster. My hatch squeaks, butthere fixes (still need the fix for laziness). My Climate control is in 2 pieces (for now), and if I didn't know how to fix it, my idle would be fooked for life.

[CRXperiment]

My 89 civic had 2 recalls that i got done at the dealer. I got a new ignitor module and new seat belts. Honda does this for free, just show then your VIN #. Other than the few minor things already mentioned, i find my 4th gen very reliable, especially for its age.

[turtlecrxsi]

Originally Posted by Shaguar47

Main relay is a huge thing that can keep you from starting up the car. The ignition systems on honda's has to be one of the lower points of the car as since the engines rev high to achieve power, the distributor most times can't take it very well and goes bye bye. Ususally upgrading this helps.

Rust is a bigger on these cars so if you don't have any, then your very lucky.

Seats are usually ripped on the driver side.

Most 4th gens have trouble with the idle as SiZ said and they also tend to go wacko on you somtimes.

If it's a hatchback or crx, be prepared for the hated squeaking in the rear hatch.

Climate Control face sometimes cracks up into little pieces.

Headlights will eventually get the ugly yellow sickness of trapped moisture

Taillights sometimes aren't sealed good or just old and water will find it's way in creating a fish bowl

Door open beeper may not stop beeping when the door is shut as the control unit has went wacko. (just yanked mine out above the rear view mirror)

If you have black bumpers and trim, be prepared to have a bleached color. A can of trim paint will fix it right up in no time.

Hope that helps, can't think of anymore.

These are all right on. I'd just like to add that one of the typical rust problems is with the Si sunroof. Also, The tight bend in the rear quarter panels just prior to the rear bumper will rust.

[Jason Wellman]

I got really lucky 2 years ago with my civic. Completly stock 91 Civic DX and then only thing major that has had to be done is a tranny swap cause the bearings started to bad and didnt really want to bother with a rebuild. Only has one rust spot, which is on the trunk but is only about 2 inches long and extremely narrow. best thing is, it gets 30 mpg in the city alone!!!

[skotman]

mine leaks. my sister's leaks. i had an older civic that leaked. they leak.

other than that, as everyone else has mentioned, most of these cars are between 12 and 18 years old. hell, mine runs "fine" though. wouldn't race anybody, but it's a great daily driver and still sometimes gets over 40mpg, but only if i burn through an entire tank of gas or more in a day.

[Smoghog]

Originally Posted by legend1011

Well,

I am only paying $700 and I know the owner (he's a buddy of mines).

That is good to know;

I'm very excited and all my co-workers are like "for what?". They think it is an old P.O.S. that I am wasting my money on, but I see the value in it. It is in deed a treasure

Super Gas Mileage
Low Insurance rates

and
best of all

Reliable Honda Name.

I'll drive it proudly!

This Honda is completely stock! W/ no modifications at all (atleast none detected by the eye)

Since I'm a smogtech I have seen alot of these. Mostly suspension bushing are gone, along with motor mounts. This is true with my 88Si w/213,000mi.
I went through the car to make it dependable. Spent $3500 in parts, I did most of the labor So for 4700 I got an excellent car that is really fun to drive, and real easy to work on. If that is what you like to do.

PS: Good find, You will not be disappointed....Promise

[4twenty]

check your gas tank for rust - mine was sold to me from the dealership with rust right where the bracket got bolted on, so i had to buy a whole new gas tank for 300 dollars...

windows - they get out of track, like mine - so if you don't fix it, you'll have to use your thumb everytime you close it to stick it back in track - like me, haha.

battery - the puny battery mine came with gave me like 2 hours max with the speakers on before you needed a boost to get you car moving.

A/C - i have a/c - it doesn't work. why? i don't know, either i'm out of freon or somethin else... but yeah watch for that.