Why Does My 1993 Honda Civic Run Terribly In Cold Weather
Posted in Internal Engine Parts | Asked on Dec 11, 2011
I’ve been having nonstop problems with my civic for about 9 months now. Let’s start with what I’ve replaced first:
Timing Belt/Water Pump (timing belt kit/pulleys, all that) Alternator, and ignition coil have all been replaced by a mechanic. I personally have replaced spark plugs, distributor cap, Fuel filter, IAC Valve, radiator, radiator cap, thermostat, and installed a toggle switch for the radiator fan (fan just would not kick on for some reason, switch works just fine though).
When its warm out (I would say, 50 degrees or above). The car runs just fine. Drives smoothly without overheating, doesnt have any problems with the idle speed (except when i first start it, it sometimes has to “find” where it wants to idle. Dependable daily driver.
However, when it gets cold (36 and below) , it turns into an absolute POS. first of all, on start up, the belt (or what i assume is the belt) is just absolutely LOUD (very loud whining). About 1-2 minutes after start-up, it can never seem to find where it wants to idle. I can be driving on a road with 0 incline (no throttle also) and the car will go a constant 25, more or less driving itself. If i’m stopped at a light, it constantly revs up and down, same if i’m in park. Also, the heat gauge steadily climbs up and never comes back down.
Why is this? I know i’m not an expert on cars, but it makes absolutely no sense to me for a car to not overheat in warmer weather, but for the temp gauge to climb rapidly when its 20, 30 degrees out?
Also, non engine related, but also along with the weather, when it’s cold like i mentioned before, my car squeaks and creeks over every little bump in the road.
Why does my car turn into an absolute POS when its cold?
I do not make a whole lot of money, and i need this thing to be able to get me through the winter. What is wrong with this terrible contraption?
There are 4 Answers for "Why Does My 1993 Honda Civic Run Terribly In Cold Weather"
You got antifreeze in the cooling system? Because if you don’t,ice plugs could be a problem.Also,ignition timing,spark plug electrode clearance,clogged fuel filter or an overdue oil change could also be to blame.
First off almost every older car and majority of new cars will creak and squeak when it is cold it is simplely because the metal expands and contracts at different spead than the rubber mounts. Hence causing the creaking. Given your explination of it hunting for a constant idle speed your problem is a simple one. Your cooling system needs to be burped,. You have an air pocket in there causing the coolant to cavitate, wich is causeing the erratic idle, it is causeing the water pump to basically boog down the motor (remember it is only a D15 producing about 89HP) The coolant systems in Hondas are not sealed linke on a VW or Volvo, etc. They will not be able to blead out an air pocket. Remove the radiator cap when the car is cool, start it up and let it get to operating temp. Add coolant directly into the radiator and watch how it flows. it should be smooth, squeezing the upper radiator hose with the rad. cap off will help eliminate the bubbles in the system. Also make sure you heater is on. And last the belt that is squeeking is probably you power steering belt. It is either loose or needs to be replaced.
Well I can answer two of your questions. The reason your car squeeks or squeals when you start it up most of the time its bcuz your power steering belt is either loose, worn out, or fluid is spilling on the belt. Reguardless, any one of them will make the belt slip and that’s where that squealing comes from. And the excessive idling is common on older Hondas. What it is is your “idle control valve sensor” needs to be replaced. Its located on the side or back of the intake manifold. My accord use to do the same thing and I just use to unplug the sensor for a few seconds til it stopped then plugged it back in until I had the money to buy a new one. They run about $180.00, and its just a little plug that plugs into your intake manifold to control your idling. Hope I helped a little, later.
The temperature related problems are very likely related to on-going problems with the cooling system. As a start, make sure the cooling system is bled. It must be bled every time it is drained and filled, and failure to bleed it is a common cause of idle hunting. Look for a nipple, like a brake bleed nipple, on the top of the thermostat housing or where either hose connects to the engine. With the engine cold, open the nipple half a turn (12 mm socket) and close it when a steady stream of coolant comes out.
If the idle is still misbehaving, clean the throttle body with carburetor cleaner. Follow directions, concentrating on the front and back walls of the throat where the idle passages are – front one for the idle air control valve and cold idle valve, rear one for the idle bypass screw.
Idle hunting is a favorite hobby of this era Honda. Beyond the throttle body and coolant related causes, if the ECU is unhappy with the mixture it will start hunting, resulting in high idle with very sharp drops in rpm, about every three seconds.