2004 Civic DX. 165K Own it since new. I have a few other newer cars but still like the Civic. If you do the work yourself, it's a very affordable car. Problems in chronological order: - Fuel door release cable. $10 fix - The clock is late a few seconds per day. Have to adjust it every few month. - Driver side lock cylinder tumblers wear out and prevent key from working. Take it apart and throw away worn out tumbler. Lock becomes less secure but who cares - Headliner started to peal in the back. Glued it back and it's fine. - Water leak in the trunk. Panel seams under the trunk lid started to let water through. Sealed them back with silicon. - Leaking valve cover gasket. $30 - Cam cover cap oil leak. $8 - Rear wheel short brake line rusted. Replaced the brake line ($20) - Hood release handle broke off and cable rusted. ($20 ebay replacement) - Rust in the wheel-well corner where rear fender meets rear bumper. Might deal with it sometimes. - Head gasket failure, this was the biggest issue, and turns out to be a common one with these. If you see your coolant level rises in expansion tank, it's the sign of a blown headgasket. Eventually it will overheat if not taken care of. However the car is very DIY friendly. - Plastic timing cover cracked. $25 - Alternator bolt/stud broke, after I overtighten it. Aftermarket/refurbished alternators suck, I tried 3 and all much whinier then the OEM. - CV axle seal leak - Front control arm bushings cracked (after 18 years) - Strut mounts failed. - A mouse hid an acorn in the intake resonator, I cannot get it out and it drives me crazy.
@@julepot For the first few months after it overheated every morning morning I made sure the radiator is full of coolant. But that got very annoying and after watching several DIY videos I tackled the head gasket job myself. Thankfully I noticed the overheating early enough, drove maybe 15-20 minutes, so the head did not warped. Doing the headgasket the first time was a bit scary but when I did it the second time took me about half a day. Why did I do it the second time? Well, after the first try the car starter burning a lot of oil. Someone on the Internet suggested that maybe because I cleaned all of the carbon buildup of the pistons, the head, and the intake (there was a lot of carbon in the EGR passages), now the combustion is stronger and the piston rings are worn out and there is a lot of blow-by. So I watched even more videos and replaced the piston rings and the PCV valve. The engine works great ever since. After I finished the job I realized I should have just try changing the PCV valve first, since it's a 10 minute job, but well... Also the oil control piston rings were gummed up which I think contributed to some oil burning before the head gasket failure.
I have an '04 LX CVT that I bought brand new as my daily. It's definitely showing its age, but its been great to me with over 200k miles! My intake noise got loud recently and my clock loses a second each day (LOL). Other than that, my girl has been very, very reliable. I don't want to giver her up, yet. Thanks for having a channel about 7th gen Civics!
@@travise5284 A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change through a continuous range of gear ratios without limits.
My experience with my 2004 LX sedan (auto) with 165,000... Drivers side seat bushings that fail constantly Sagging headliner Gas door latch cable retainer breaks Hood release cable retainer breaks Door lock actuators Not sure if it is common problem, but my speedometer quit at around 110,000. Had to get a reprogrammed gauge cluster. They are really reliable cars though. Stick with the manuals if possible. The 01-02 autos had high transmission failure rates. From what I've researched Honda addressed the issue with the 04-05 auto civics. And do the timing belt/water pump per the service schedule! The engine is an interference engine. If the timing belt goes, so does your engine.
My Civic had a blown head gasket, I constantly lost coolant but never found a leak. once head gasket was replaced, the coolant issue was fixed. My valve cover leaked, oil pan leaked, output shaft seals leaked and oil pump o ring leaked which made me think it was the crankshaft seal. My civic has 304,000 Miles.
My 02 LX was the same. Over the last 3 yrs I've had to replace Head gasket, radiator, oil pan. Now valve cover gasket and grommets. I hear tho that a common misconception is crankshaft seal when really it's the fuel pump seal 🤷♂️
My 2002 lx was honestly my best vehicle to date. Had it for 17 years and put on 285,000 miles. Only issue was a throttle body issue but I was meticulous with maintenance. I changed out the water pump and timing belt 3 times just because I never wanted that shit to hit me. Never had overheating, transmission or engine issues. All fluids changed to spec, tires rotated on time, brakes changed before 1/8 down. Seriously people $1,500 average a year in maintenance saves you the huge $4,000 bill for one bad problem. Prevent defense works here.
I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX Coupe I had quit the time with Sensors I replaced the Crankshaft sensor with a after market sensor it would not start so I put the old one back on it started so i ordered an OEM HONDA Sensor no problems had the same thing happen with camshaft sensor buy OEM. The Drivers side door window switch went bad. Could not find aftermarket switch and the oem was outrageous so i tapped into the wires and put a rocker switch on the door panel works well.
I managed to snap my longest drive shaft (from the gearbox). It has a rubber doughnut around it to stop it from knocking against the rear of the engine. Unfortunately it also retains rainwater spray from the roads. Using capillary action, holding it around the driveshaft causing it to corrode enough where just pulling away in 1st gear was enough to snap it with a torsional twist. The battery brace can also get badly corroded too… but not if you’re living in a warm dry environment.
The biggest flaw with my car is definitely the paint and rust, I have an 2002 lx and the paint is faded, clear coat is pealing and some rust. It’s a great car for the price they go for. Other than a slight headache with ball joints and seized bolts while doing mu clutch car has had no problems!
Another common problem is the fuel door. There is a plastic piece that will break from age and use that will cause the fuel door to not open. If you got one of these cars you should replace it
I had a blown head head gasket but it was only mixing oil inside the radiator got it fixed it’s brand new have the same cold air intake on the way thx again
A year ago my 7th gen also overheated and needed a head-gasket. It was under 150K. Turns out it's a common problem with these, exhaust gasses push out the coolant and eventually the engine overheats.
I have a 2004 Honda Civic DX that I bought is a daily and it’s a really good car. It’s just it overheats while idling but calls back down once driving and I’ve already replaced the two temp sensors other than that it’s a good car
Funny how my 03 civic has all of the cosmetic blemishes, roof faded, bottom of the door with rust/ stains, fabric on door panels and door handles chipping chrome.
I have 2002 automatic honda civic. My problem is while driving rpm hand goes crazy up and down then goes to zero and dies. It will recrank. What is the issue?
I got a 7th gen and my paint is still in good shape and it’s the same silver as you’re civic. The civic is an LX model and all your saying is true with the 7th gen civic and you got chrome I don’t and I want to know does the 7th gen have vtec
I have 2001 honda 1.7 vtec. The problem is that the dashboard cluster usually goes off and sometime for days. I have changed the capacities but it is still the same and the worst part is the gauges are not working. What can be the problem?
I have a 02 Honda Civic. Purchased as a secondary vehicle. It cost about $1100- over $5k later omg! Where are u ? U wanna work on my car?? It’s so hard to find a reliable honest person. I’ve put so much money into my Honda.
Hey brother, new visitor to your channel and I love the content! Do you have a link for the new ground that you added to your alternator? Haven't had this problem yet, but I did notice how crappy the existing grounds are. Could definitely help to swap those out. Thanks in advance!
I have an 2003 Honda lx coupe I’ve been having problems with ,put in a new alternator and battery because it had lost power on me and the gauges went to zero while headed to work ,,,it ran good for a couple days now it’s doing the same thing .can anyone help (shows battery light )
@NukeTheWhales It’s not that. This car has a CVT transmission the worst automatic transmission ever made. It forces the car to stay at a certain rpm to save gas/fuel efficient but that ends up adding more wear and tear to the vehicle components. Not to mention CVT’s use a metal belt inside of the transmission which means metal shavings are super commonly found in the transmission fluid of these cars. If you aren’t changing your fluid every 20k miles or less on that transmission it will break. I’ve been through 2 of these transmissions easily one of the worst honda transmissions ever made.
@@mistermr2147 The manual transmissions aren't the greatest either since their input shaft bearing fails so often and replacing it requires removing and disassembling the transmission, which requires either dropping the front sub frame or removing the entire engine and trans as one piece. Entirely possible for competent DIYers such as myself who are lucky enough to have the time, space, tools, and knowledge to rebuild a transmission. But for the average driver, the cost of paying a mechanic to replace an input shaft bearing would probably total such an old car.
Head gasket and the fuse box under the driver side dash goes out causing the power door locks to not work, or your key fob. As well as the brake light in the dash to turn on. Ac will not work either.
I’m haven’t this problem where my car won’t go past 3000rpms at all and there’s a check engine light for the crankshaft position sensor but I already replaced it twice in a Matter of 2 weeks and it’s still Doesn’t go past 3000rpms and the same code is still there, if anyone u have a clue on what it is please, please let me know
Try replacing the cam sensor, other than that may possibly be cam shaft walking in head due to excessive wear, my civic ex 2004 had this issue and ended up being repaired with a new head, when every other item was replaced meaning cam and crank sensors
@@luisvelez4464 Get the engine diagnosed. You're either misfiring, running rich, or burning oil. Whoever keeps putting cats in your car without diagnosing the root cause is ripping you off. 8 Cats in 1 cars life is literally insane.
@@drizzy9572 well. If you think I am lying about that. Good luck if you have one or going to buy one. Honda had lots of problems with the auto trans with that gen
@@stanktuss3151 7th gen Civic blown head gasket is very common. Almost always exhaust gasses get into the cooling system, push out the coolant, and eventually cause overheating. But these are relatively easy to DIY, there are a lot of videos here.
2004 Civic DX. 165K Own it since new. I have a few other newer cars but still like the Civic. If you do the work yourself, it's a very affordable car. Problems in chronological order:
- Fuel door release cable. $10 fix
- The clock is late a few seconds per day. Have to adjust it every few month.
- Driver side lock cylinder tumblers wear out and prevent key from working. Take it apart and throw away worn out tumbler. Lock becomes less secure but who cares
- Headliner started to peal in the back. Glued it back and it's fine.
- Water leak in the trunk. Panel seams under the trunk lid started to let water through. Sealed them back with silicon.
- Leaking valve cover gasket. $30
- Cam cover cap oil leak. $8
- Rear wheel short brake line rusted. Replaced the brake line ($20)
- Hood release handle broke off and cable rusted. ($20 ebay replacement)
- Rust in the wheel-well corner where rear fender meets rear bumper. Might deal with it sometimes.
- Head gasket failure, this was the biggest issue, and turns out to be a common one with these. If you see your coolant level rises in expansion tank, it's the sign of a blown headgasket. Eventually it will overheat if not taken care of. However the car is very DIY friendly.
- Plastic timing cover cracked. $25
- Alternator bolt/stud broke, after I overtighten it. Aftermarket/refurbished alternators suck, I tried 3 and all much whinier then the OEM.
- CV axle seal leak
- Front control arm bushings cracked (after 18 years)
- Strut mounts failed.
- A mouse hid an acorn in the intake resonator, I cannot get it out and it drives me crazy.
Lmao a mouse 😂
How did you resolve the overheating issue?
@@julepot For the first few months after it overheated every morning morning I made sure the radiator is full of coolant. But that got very annoying and after watching several DIY videos I tackled the head gasket job myself. Thankfully I noticed the overheating early enough, drove maybe 15-20 minutes, so the head did not warped. Doing the headgasket the first time was a bit scary but when I did it the second time took me about half a day. Why did I do it the second time? Well, after the first try the car starter burning a lot of oil. Someone on the Internet suggested that maybe because I cleaned all of the carbon buildup of the pistons, the head, and the intake (there was a lot of carbon in the EGR passages), now the combustion is stronger and the piston rings are worn out and there is a lot of blow-by. So I watched even more videos and replaced the piston rings and the PCV valve. The engine works great ever since. After I finished the job I realized I should have just try changing the PCV valve first, since it's a 10 minute job, but well... Also the oil control piston rings were gummed up which I think contributed to some oil burning before the head gasket failure.
O seu é manual ou automatico?
I have an '04 LX CVT that I bought brand new as my daily. It's definitely showing its age, but its been great to me with over 200k miles! My intake noise got loud recently and my clock loses a second each day (LOL). Other than that, my girl has been very, very reliable. I don't want to giver her up, yet. Thanks for having a channel about 7th gen Civics!
No problem and thanks for watching! They really are great cars! My intake was pretty loud too, Ended up being an air leak.
Cvt?
@@travise5284 A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change through a continuous range of gear ratios without limits.
My experience with my 2004 LX sedan (auto) with 165,000...
Drivers side seat bushings that fail constantly
Sagging headliner
Gas door latch cable retainer breaks
Hood release cable retainer breaks
Door lock actuators
Not sure if it is common problem, but my speedometer quit at around 110,000. Had to get a reprogrammed gauge cluster.
They are really reliable cars though. Stick with the manuals if possible. The 01-02 autos had high transmission failure rates. From what I've researched Honda addressed the issue with the 04-05 auto civics. And do the timing belt/water pump per the service schedule! The engine is an interference engine. If the timing belt goes, so does your engine.
My Civic had a blown head gasket, I constantly lost coolant but never found a leak. once head gasket was replaced, the coolant issue was fixed. My valve cover leaked, oil pan leaked, output shaft seals leaked and oil pump o ring leaked which made me think it was the crankshaft seal. My civic has 304,000 Miles.
My 02 LX was the same. Over the last 3 yrs I've had to replace Head gasket, radiator, oil pan. Now valve cover gasket and grommets. I hear tho that a common misconception is crankshaft seal when really it's the fuel pump seal 🤷♂️
@@jfulton1795 Its also a big headache cause you have to remove nearly every dam thing to just replace that tiny o ring for the oil pump.
My 2002 lx was honestly my best vehicle to date. Had it for 17 years and put on 285,000 miles. Only issue was a throttle body issue but I was meticulous with maintenance. I changed out the water pump and timing belt 3 times just because I never wanted that shit to hit me. Never had overheating, transmission or engine issues. All fluids changed to spec, tires rotated on time, brakes changed before 1/8 down. Seriously people $1,500 average a year in maintenance saves you the huge $4,000 bill for one bad problem. Prevent defense works here.
I just got one for $800 with 268k miles runs amazing
@@seansadventure9413 wow so cheap, from where you got it😂
I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX Coupe I had quit the time with Sensors I replaced the Crankshaft sensor with a after market sensor it would not start so I put the old one back on it started so i ordered an OEM HONDA Sensor no problems had the same thing happen with camshaft sensor buy OEM. The Drivers side door window switch went bad. Could not find aftermarket switch and the oem was outrageous so i tapped into the wires and put a rocker switch on the door panel works well.
I managed to snap my longest drive shaft (from the gearbox). It has a rubber doughnut around it to stop it from knocking against the rear of the engine. Unfortunately it also retains rainwater spray from the roads. Using capillary action, holding it around the driveshaft causing it to corrode enough where just pulling away in 1st gear was enough to snap it with a torsional twist.
The battery brace can also get badly corroded too… but not if you’re living in a warm dry environment.
The biggest flaw with my car is definitely the paint and rust, I have an 2002 lx and the paint is faded, clear coat is pealing and some rust. It’s a great car for the price they go for. Other than a slight headache with ball joints and seized bolts while doing mu clutch car has had no problems!
Another common problem is the fuel door. There is a plastic piece that will break from age and use that will cause the fuel door to not open. If you got one of these cars you should replace it
I had a blown head head gasket but it was only mixing oil inside the radiator got it fixed it’s brand new have the same cold air intake on the way thx again
Glad to hear that you got it fixed!
what cold air intake is it? Size?
I have the 7th gen and at 211,000 it overheated and I had to replace the head gasket. I have 250,000 miles now and it runs great.
A year ago my 7th gen also overheated and needed a head-gasket. It was under 150K. Turns out it's a common problem with these, exhaust gasses push out the coolant and eventually the engine overheats.
I have a 2004 Honda Civic DX that I bought is a daily and it’s a really good car. It’s just it overheats while idling but calls back down once driving and I’ve already replaced the two temp sensors other than that it’s a good car
My 2002 civic. It has 294k on it. I have dealt with all of these issues already. Great car though. Very reliable
Funny how my 03 civic has all of the cosmetic blemishes, roof faded, bottom of the door with rust/ stains, fabric on door panels and door handles chipping chrome.
I have 2002 automatic honda civic. My problem is while driving rpm hand goes crazy up and down then goes to zero and dies. It will recrank. What is the issue?
Can you please make a video showing how to remove the governor on a year 2002 Honda Civic
I got a 7th gen and my paint is still in good shape and it’s the same silver as you’re civic. The civic is an LX model and all your saying is true with the 7th gen civic and you got chrome I don’t and I want to know does the 7th gen have vtec
Only the EX and SI models came with vtec so the LX doesn’t have vtec
my Honda civic ex is a 2002 and has 125542 miles on it,it has a blown head gasket do yall think i should get it fixed?
I have 2001 honda 1.7 vtec. The problem is that the dashboard cluster usually goes off and sometime for days.
I have changed the capacities but it is still the same and the worst part is the gauges are not working. What can be the problem?
I have a 02 Honda Civic. Purchased as a secondary vehicle. It cost about $1100- over $5k later omg! Where are u ? U wanna work on my car?? It’s so hard to find a reliable honest person. I’ve put so much money into my Honda.
Liar
Hey brother, new visitor to your channel and I love the content! Do you have a link for the new ground that you added to your alternator? Haven't had this problem yet, but I did notice how crappy the existing grounds are. Could definitely help to swap those out. Thanks in advance!
Thanks and welcome to the channel! Here's the link: www.ebay.com/itm/292209485384
I have an 2003 Honda lx coupe I’ve been having problems with ,put in a new alternator and battery because it had lost power on me and the gauges went to zero while headed to work ,,,it ran good for a couple days now it’s doing the same thing .can anyone help (shows battery light )
the automatic trans on these 7th gens are trash.
That's why you should get a manual
Manual makes it so much better value honestly
@NukeTheWhales It’s not that. This car has a CVT transmission the worst automatic transmission ever made. It forces the car to stay at a certain rpm to save gas/fuel efficient but that ends up adding more wear and tear to the vehicle components. Not to mention CVT’s use a metal belt inside of the transmission which means metal shavings are super commonly found in the transmission fluid of these cars. If you aren’t changing your fluid every 20k miles or less on that transmission it will break. I’ve been through 2 of these transmissions easily one of the worst honda transmissions ever made.
@@mistermr2147 The manual transmissions aren't the greatest either since their input shaft bearing fails so often and replacing it requires removing and disassembling the transmission, which requires either dropping the front sub frame or removing the entire engine and trans as one piece. Entirely possible for competent DIYers such as myself who are lucky enough to have the time, space, tools, and knowledge to rebuild a transmission. But for the average driver, the cost of paying a mechanic to replace an input shaft bearing would probably total such an old car.
Head gasket and the fuse box under the driver side dash goes out causing the power door locks to not work, or your key fob. As well as the brake light in the dash to turn on. Ac will not work either.
I have had mine since 202,000 kms now sitting at 270,000 kms. I had p1457 issue so i replaced the soleniod and the canister…
My 7th Gens paint is flaking off on the roof and bonnet. Ideas of what to do?
good wax in the sun
Sand the car down and repaint it
I tried to avoid watching this video because I was scared :D
just purchased one - 7th Gen
The damn auto transmission gets fried on these
I have a 2001 civic lx for next mod you should change tac o meter
Over 3 million car world wide have platic headlights, and after 5 years period need new paint...🤔 in case nobody find out.cars in general.....
The gauges eventually stop working.
I’m haven’t this problem where my car won’t go past 3000rpms at all and there’s a check engine light for the crankshaft position sensor but I already replaced it twice in a Matter of 2 weeks and it’s still Doesn’t go past 3000rpms and the same code is still there, if anyone u have a clue on what it is please, please let me know
Try replacing the cam sensor, other than that may possibly be cam shaft walking in head due to excessive wear, my civic ex 2004 had this issue and ended up being repaired with a new head, when every other item was replaced meaning cam and crank sensors
I’d consider a bad tps or misfire as well. Would need more info
Probably jumped timing!
I have a 7th gen 02 civic lx!! Why is it that I keep burning out my catalytic converters?? I have replaced them about 8 times already!!
Wow that's a lot of cats. If the car isn't running right it can damage the cat. unburned fuel can cause this.
My Honda runs good for a few months after I replace the CAT!! After that engine light comes on. Is there a way to stop this from occurring so much?
@@luisvelez4464 Get the engine diagnosed. You're either misfiring, running rich, or burning oil. Whoever keeps putting cats in your car without diagnosing the root cause is ripping you off. 8 Cats in 1 cars life is literally insane.
@@mistermr2147 dude bout to have more cats than cats got lives holy shit
Get the 3rd brake light spoiler
Sweet
The head gasket
Auto trans in 7th gen is absolute crap. Very unreliable
Lies
@@drizzy9572 well. If you think I am lying about that. Good luck if you have one or going to buy one. Honda had lots of problems with the auto trans with that gen
the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket can leaks oil......YOU DONT SAY!!!! SMDH!
Overheating issues and the head gasket
Are these the most common run into a with the 7ths?
@@stanktuss3151yea
@@stanktuss3151 7th gen Civic blown head gasket is very common. Almost always exhaust gasses get into the cooling system, push out the coolant, and eventually cause overheating. But these are relatively easy to DIY, there are a lot of videos here.
The tension bolt on the timing belt is prone to slipping out threads!
Overheating issues and the head gasket
How did u fix overheating
@@drizzy9572radiator replacement
Especially after just idling but while driving it don't