2002 Honda Civic LX auto - repair & modding

[Daox]

Just last night I picked up a 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic with 188k on it. The body is in great shape, although I haven't been under the car yet. Its originally from Texas and has only spent 10 months in Wisconsin so far.

I picked it up for essentially scrap price, because it has a bad head gasket. The previous owner had been dumping water into it for a few months now. I figured the worst case is that it needs a new engine. However, when I talked with him last night, he said that the water wasn't getting in the oil. So, hopefully, I'll probably be able to get away with a head gasket replacement. We'll see as things progress. Its also going to need a few other things I'm sure (like cleaning up those headlights). On the way home I also heard the clickity clack of what is probably front sway bar end links. As I go through the car I'll post the progress here.




So, the first adventure with the car started this morning. I woke up to find a tree had fallen on my new car (and old car)! Thankfully no damage was done. It definitely wasn't what I wanted to see though, haha. I didn't get a before picture, but you can see where the Civic was parked next to the Tercel.

[MetroMPG]

I assume even with the automatic the Civic is going to get much better mileage than the Sunfire...

So will you put your plates & insurance on it when it's fixed? Or put it up for sale and use the proceeds to get something with a manual trans?

[Daox]

Oh yeah, the EPA ratings on the Civic are much better than the Sunfire with the 3speed.





As for what I'm doing with the Civic, I don't know quiet yet. Just from the ride home last night I really like how it drives versus the Sunfire. The suspension and handling is much nicer and the transmission feels quite a bit nicer too. However, there is definitely a part of me that would like to just flip the Civic for some quick cash. I also still want a manual transmission car and both are automatic. But, perhaps I should save that for getting the Tercel back on the road.

[Daox]

I'm thinking of starting things off with evaluating the engine on the car. First, I think a compression test is in order. Make sure the piston rings aren't shot. If that looks good, I'm thinking about weather to do an oil analysis or not. That should tell if anything has been wearing abnormally.

What else would you guys suggest looking at?

[Daox]

Oh yes, I almost forgot. I checked for engine codes this morning too. There were a few ignition misfire codes: P0300, P0302, P0303. I'm guessing this probably has to do with the head gasket.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Daox

I'm thinking of starting things off with evaluating the engine on the car. First, I think a compression test is in order. Make sure the piston rings aren't shot. If that looks good, I'm thinking about weather to do an oil analysis or not. That should tell if anything has been wearing abnormally.

What else would you guys suggest looking at?

Compression test may simply confirm the headgasket is leaking... It may not tell you anything about the rings.

You can also confirm by getting one of these coolant testers:


If the fluid turns from blue to yellow, it has detected exhaust gases (Specifically CO2 I believe) in the coolant.

Pay attention to anything weird with the tranny. Lots of tranny problems (both auto and manual) in these civics.

Look for tearing in the compliance bushings (the front rubber bushing in the lower control arms). This is another common failure.

Did you get any maintenance records? When was the timing belt done?

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Daox

Oh yes, I almost forgot. I checked for engine codes this morning too. There were a few ignition misfire codes: P0300, P0302, P0303. I'm guessing this probably has to do with the head gasket.

Most likely, yes. Does it run pretty rough? Or just a very occasional miss?

Any white smoke in the exhaust? Or does it seem to be pushing the coolant out of the overflow tank?

[Daox]

Doh, yeah the compression test and head gasket, duh.

I really haven't done anything with the car. I drove it home last night at about 9:30 and parked it. This morning I moved it into the garage and took pics and read engine codes real quick.

I don't have any maintenance records I don't think. I'll check for those few things.

Oddly enough, it runs really nicely. Had I not known it had a bad head gasket, I almost wouldn't have noticed anything. I'll check to see where its leaking.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Daox

Doh, yeah the compression test and head gasket, duh.

I really haven't done anything with the car. I drove it home last night at about 9:30 and parked it. This morning I moved it into the garage and took pics and read engine codes real quick.

I don't have any maintenance records I don't think. I'll check for those few things.

Oddly enough, it runs really nicely. Had I not known it had a bad head gasket, I almost wouldn't have noticed anything. I'll check to see where its leaking.

Yeah, weird, eh? I confirmed mine was leaking several weeks ago, but it still runs great. I suspect it has been leaking for months (years?) and just slowly getting worse. No drivability issues at all, just odd fluctuations in coolant temps and periodically I need to top it off.

[ecomodded]

Aluminum heads are famous for warping which causes the head gasket to leak.
Sometimes it may just be a poorly designed gasket for the motor run and they fail like clockwork.
With the head off put a straight edge or ruler on its mating surface and inspected it for warping, if need be take it to be resurfaced / shaved.