Team-BHP - Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos

Had a quirky incident with the Civic's AC recently. One morning the AC compressor stopped working all of a sudden. It had been running with no issues prior to that. The air wasn't getting cooled in any of the modes, and the compressor "hum" was also missing. Thought the compressor had conked out, or maybe the gas had leaked out or maybe it was a blown fuse. But funnily, when I tried the AC again in the evening, it worked normally... cooling was absolutely fine. And this issue has not recurred again in a week. While I will take it to Honda for a check-up, has anyone faced something similar or know what the problem might be? Something loose somewhere maybe?

Quote:

Originally Posted by razor4077 (Post 2842402)

Yes, I have a similar problem.

In around the third year of ownership, on a highway drive the compressor failed to turn on for sometime. It became okay after a few minutes.

Once in a while I have this problem during long drives.
The H.A.S.S was not able to diagnose because at the service-station everything works fine!

I have decided to do nothing about it for now.
However I am worried that it may conk out during some long drive with my family on some hot day.

So waiting to hear your feedback on what your H.A.S.S says.

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.prashanth (Post 2844426)

Got the car back costed 11655 for the clutch job and the engine mounting was also changed under warranty. Car feel super smooth and quieter then earlier

Which model year is your Civic ? I was under the impression that Civic's post 2008 do not have the mount problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.prashanth (Post 2844523)

mine is a 2008 April model.

Is it the face lifted model?

Guys on the other hand while driving on the busy western express highway i have noticed i can use the the 4th gear of my m/t civic more or less like a auto box withouh having to shift down or up much. But i am not sure if this is a fuel efficient way of driving since 5th gear is suppose to provide overall better economy.

I have observed that due to traffic conditions if i shift up to 5th then i find myslef shifting down to 3rd or 4th to keep momentum whereas in 4th
i don't have to bother changing gears much.So which will be the better way to drive as far as FE is concerned keep in 5th and keep shifting in 4th as needed or keep in 4th all the time. In either case i do not exceed max 3k RPM as traffic does not allow same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by manim (Post 2610686)

At the end of a long drive (after 8 hours) I started hearing a whining/whistling noise from the engine whenever I pressed the accelerator...... The level of fluid did not decrease again so there is no leak in the system.

Hello manim,

I am facing the same situation here and have found my PS fluid to be low.The sound comes only on the 1st start in the morning but disappears later on.Did you have any issue later on with the same ?

Since there was no leak in manim's car is it normal for the fluid to go low at just 39K which is what my car has done so far.I have a scheduled service visit next month so won't be using the car before the service is done.This is really giving me the creeps.I hope it's not a expensive leak repair etc that i have to undergo for the car

thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 2847529)

I am facing the same situation here and have found my PS fluid to be low.The sound comes only on the 1st start in the morning but disappears later on.Did you have any issue later on with the same ?

Since there was no leak in manim's car is it normal for the fluid to go low at just 39K which is what my car has done so far.

As posted here in Dec-2012, there was this whine/whistling noise during acceleration. I was driving up the Nilgiris-mountains when this happened (odo was at 96K).

After PS fluid was topped-up, the sound vanished.
The fluid level never decreased after that (seven months so far).
I am keeping the the remaining fluid in a bottle for any future toppings, if necessary.
So there was no leak as I had thought at first.

I assume that the fluid could have heated-up, boiled and burst out of the reservoir, since the PS had to be used heavily on the mountain-roads.

But then I have done many up-hill driving after that and never lost any more fluid.
So I assume this was a one-off incident.

I also think that after you top-up in yours, you can 'fill-it/shut-it/forget-it'!

Quote:

Originally Posted by manim (Post 2847717)

I also think that after you top-up in yours, you can 'fill-it/shut-it/forget-it'!

I really hope that it's a small issue and only needs topping up.But i have read elsewhere that PS fluid is not something that can get used up as say engine oil which can reduce in quantity while inside the engine.It's suppose to stay topped up and if it's low then it probably means that there is a leak or something.

I have not noticed any oil stains etc inside the engine bay near the PS container or below the engine on the ground.I will check again tomorrow for oil stains under the car.Power Steering is something new to me as i have never owned a car with a PS before so i guess this is somthing that slipped by me when i do a monthly check under the hood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 2847102)

Guys on the other hand while driving on the busy western express highway i have noticed i can use the the 4th gear of my m/t civic more or less like a auto box withouh having to shift down or up much. But i am not sure if this is a fuel efficient way of driving since 5th gear is suppose to provide overall better economy.

I have observed that due to traffic conditions if i shift up to 5th then i find myslef shifting down to 3rd or 4th to keep momentum whereas in 4th
i don't have to bother changing gears much.So which will be the better way to drive as far as FE is concerned keep in 5th and keep shifting in 4th as needed or keep in 4th all the time. In either case i do not exceed max 3k RPM as traffic does not allow same.

Even I was surprised by Civic's 4th Gear - pulls cleanly from 40 Kmph on mildly uphill twisty sections with 4 people on board and a boot full of luggage!

Less gearchanges = higher fuel efficiency, by the way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 2847529)

This will normally be indicative of a leak. Top it up and then keep an eye and get it fixed asap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 2848025)

Just make sure the engine does not lug. I am not surprised since the Civic has enough horses to handle a lot of abuse.