I hope someone can shed some light on my car issues, but it's quite a saga.

I have a 2000 Honda Civic EX coupe. This past June, while driving down the street the motor just cut out and I had a tough time restarting the car. While trying to get to a repair shop, the car died in mid-drive again and wouldn't restart. I called AAA and they sent someone who replaced the battery. The car still died so I had it towed and the repair shop had concluded it needed a new distributor cap and rotors, spark plugs, and ignition wire, but when they put them in, they still had trouble starting it. They concluded that the computer was also sending a wrong signal, they replaced the computer (ugh) and it worked again, but would stall when cold, but start right up again with no problem. The engine also sounded choppy when on the highway. The engine light went on about a week later and it was discovered that when the original problem happened, the engine misfiring caused the catalytic converter to be damaged and that was causing the choppy engine and stalling. That part was covered under an extended warranty, so the catalytic converter was replaced by the Honda dealer free of charge.

So the tally as of this past summer was new battery, new distributor cap and rotors, new computer, new spark plugs, new ignition wire, and a new catalytic converter. I believe they also checked the valves too. The car still doesn't run the way it did when new, but it's run fine since last June.

However, just this past week I started getting a weak power startup. Once it starts, it runs fine, but when I turn the ignition, it sounds sluggish and weak and the dash lights are low, the engine sounds like it's choking before it catches. It's only momentary so far, but I thought I'd ask before the thing dies outright. What could it be now? The starter? I saw the FAQ and will try to check error codes, but I wanted to get some advice if possible. I also didn't see any mention of how to tell when the starter is going and wondered what the symptoms are. I already sunk so much money into this car, I really want to just have it run properly for a while! I also probably got totally fleeced on parts the car really didn't need over the summer to get it running again, and I'm loathe to sink more unnecessary repairs into it, especially as I really cannot afford it.

Thanks!

txgreasemonkey

Civics are great cars--don't get discouraged. I would test the following items: main relay, igniter, and coil. If you have at least 60,000 miles on your Civic, replace the fuel filter.

algulsiento

Thanks, I will check those. I have about 83,000 miles on it now. I think they may have replaced the fuel filter too but I will check. That's been the frustrating thing, I bought a Honda Civic for their reputation and the thing just feels like it's falling apart lately. I keep getting random people offering to buy it, but since it's paid off, I'd like to keep it going for a few more years.

txgreasemonkey

If you take care of them, Civics will go 350,000 miles. They will outlast Accords, because people don't drive Civics as hard. To maintain "like new performance and reliability," my experience has been that igniters, coils, and main relays should be replaced every 100,000 miles or so. These components wear out just like plugs, rotors, etc. The aggrevation and expense of being stranded in traffic is not worth trying to save a few dollars. Igniters, coils, and main relays are notorious on Hondas for being replaced.