"HI, Recently bought 2000 civic 113,000 mi. First problem, surging, check
engine light on. Went to autozone for free diagnostic
Read code P0505, they said ICV needs replacing. Went back to dealer
(under 30 day warranty) and he said it was a malfunction in the
system, requiring cleaning and tweaking. They would not replace the part. No check light, but second problem still exhists below. Does that sound right to you?
The SECOND PROBLEM we are having is random stalling. Will restart, but today started being more difficult to start and is getting worse.
THIRD PROBLEM: hesitation on take off w/ resulting large amount of white exhaust and then the car goes. Not sure if these are related. Been back to the dealer 5 times
in 3 weeks.
They keep trying different things (plugs, wires, injectors, clean throttle... ) The problem is random, test runs fine-2 days later acts up again. PLEASE HELP This is my daughters first and we are losing faith in the reliability of hondas. Thanks, Bruce"

For the second problem, test/replace the Ignition Control Module (ICM) and coil. AutoZone will test these for free. Here's what the ICM looks like:

While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com (http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?PartType=194&PTSet=A)

Here's how to do the work:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-46563-4.html#post265896

For the third problem, ensure the head is not cracked and leaking antifreeze. White smoke is often associated with antifreeze being burned during combustion.

"HI, Recently bought 2000 civic 113,000 mi. First problem, surging, check
engine light on. Went to autozone for free diagnostic
Read code P0505, they said ICV needs replacing. Went back to dealer
(under 30 day warranty) and he said it was a malfunction in the
system, requiring cleaning and tweaking. They would not replace the part. No check light, but second problem still exhists below. Does that sound right to you?
The SECOND PROBLEM we are having is random stalling. Will restart, but today started being more difficult to start and is getting worse.
THIRD PROBLEM: hesitation on take off w/ resulting large amount of white exhaust and then the car goes. Not sure if these are related. Been back to the dealer 5 times
in 3 weeks.
They keep trying different things (plugs, wires, injectors, clean throttle ...) The problem is random, test runs fine-2 days later acts up again. PLEASE HELP This is my daughters first and we are loosing faith in the reliability of hondas. Thanks, Bruce"
Thank you! Would the "smoke" smell like exhause if that were the case I was driving behind her when it happened. Also it is very random and mechanice says it would be more consistent if that were the case. How true? They replace the head gasket before we purchased.

If the head gasket was replaced, it likely coincided with the car previously overheating. Overheating can warp and crack the head. Machine work is normally done to correct warping. If it's still smoking, something is wrong. It's important to take care of the cooling systems on modern-day cars, because damage can take place even if they overheat once.

I have noticed a lot of dealers selling crap cars trying to hide defects I scouted 2 cars during one visit and the sales person played the car fax role tell I showed her over spray marks and a replaced radiator.