There’s no denying that costs have gone up over the past year. But there’s one area in which the amount you’re forced to spend could actually go down, if you’re prepared to get a little grubby at the weekend. Yes, Haynes can save you lots of money if you’re prepared to fix your car yourself.
You’re already doing a good job of minimising garage expenses by running a Honda Civic, which is very reliable, but as with any car it suffers the odd hiccup. And that’s where we come in, because we can point out what problems your Civic might suffer, and we can then show you how to fix them. Just follow the Haynes lead and your Honda Civic will be back on the road before you can say: “what labor charges?”.
What recalls has the Honda Civic been subject to?
The Honda Civic is known for being a reliable vehicle, but it has been recalled to dealerships on a few occasions.
The first recall concerned airbags that had been improperly assembled, and which could deploy incorrectly in a crash. Driver and passenger airbags were affected.
Then 14,310 vehicles were recalled because the transmission indicator could display neutral when the car was actually in reverse.
A faulty ignition switch that could cause the engine to suddenly stop caused another recall, then a brake switch failure caused another one, because the brake lights could fail to illuminate, and the automatic gearbox could become jammed in Park.
Dodgy handbrakes caused another couple of recalls.
What common problems does the Honda Civic have?
Some Honda Civics have suffered an issue that causes the engine warning light to illuminate and for the engine to drop into limp-home mode.
And Honda Civics fitted with the 1.7-litre diesel engine have suffered an issue that causes the engine glow plug warning light to illuminate.
Hondas fitted with the 1.8-litre petrol engine have, on occasion, been known to suddenly issue a worrying noise from under the hood, accompanied by multiple warning lights.
A failure to start is sometimes caused by an electrical issue.
The good news is that getting on top of these problems should be no trouble if you have a Haynes Civic manual to hand.
Does the Honda Civic have limp-home problems?
The Honda Civic has been known to be afflicted by an issue that causes an engine warning light to show, and for the engine to enter limp-home mode. If you plug in a fault-code reader, and it displays the error code P1259, the fault lies either with a faulty VTEC solenoid valve or a clogged oil filter. Test the resistance of the solenoid, and if its faulty, replace it.
If the solenoid is fine, replace the oil filter cartridge.
The good news is that both of these tasks are easily carried out if you follow the step-by-step guides contained within your Haynes Civic manual.
Does the Honda Civic have glow-plug problems?
Diesel-powered Honda Civics with the 1.7-litre engine sometime suffer a problem that causes the glow plug warning light and for the engine to suddenly cut out after 10 to 20 minutes.
The first job is to plug in a fault-code reader, which will display the code P1331.
If this code is displayed, then the issue lies with a faulty crankshaft position sensor, which is likely to require replacement.
But don’t worry, because this is actually a pretty easy job, and is one that’s covered in depth by the Haynes Civic manual.
Does the Honda Civic have coolant pump problems?
If your Honda Civic has a 1.8-litre petrol engine under the hood, there’s a chance it could suddenly start to emit a range of worrying noises. These noises will also be accompanied by a range of warning lights, and also a sudden increase in the effort required to move the steering.
The problem is damaged or loose coolant pump pulley bolts.
You’ll need to remove the auxiliary drivebelt, then remove the alternator and then remove the coolant pump pulley.
Check the bolts for damage: if they are damaged, then you’ll need to replace not only the coolant pump pulley but also the coolant pump itself.
If the bolts are undamaged, then just buy a new set of bolts and fit them to the pulley.
This isn’t as much work as it sounds, and we’re there to guide through every stage of the process.
And if you want to replace the drivebelt on your Honda Ciciv, just watch our free video here.
Does the Honda Civic have electrical problems?
There could be the odd occasion when your Honda Civic suddenly loses power.
To diagnose the issue, plug in a fault-code reader. If it displays 18000, the problem lies with the MAP sensor; if it reads 16485 it’s the mass airflow meter; and if it’s 16618 it’s an engine overboost warning.
However, the fault lies not with the actual components, but with the way they’re connected – the earthing contacts are likely dirty or corroded.
So just look up your Haynes Civic manual to find out where each ground connection is, remove it and clean it up. All should be well in the world after that.