Hey guys!
I have a 95 Civic DX, auto tranny, 162K. My exhaust had a break before the muffler. I used fuel injector cleaner about 5 moths ago, and changed the air filter about the same time.
My car is a dog, as I'm sure you guys already know. I was on my way home from work, and was going up a slight hill, passing gear engaged, and that's when it started. I thought it happened before, but went away.
I let off after I noticed it the other night, and as the RPM's dropped, it was running really rough. I pulled over, and revved it, thinking maybe it would clear up. It didn't. I drove the rest of the way home. At stop lights, it felt like it was about to stall, enough so, I put it in neutral. It sounded like a riding mower, with kind of a popping sound during acceleration. I looked at the exhaust, which is stock. The weld broke around the resonator, thinking maybe that could be part of the problem. I clamped it, and still the same thing.
I'm not a "gear head" by any means...
I'm thinking maybe the plugs? I do have a good deal of blow by too. The exhaust also smells a bit richer...
PLEASE, any help would be greatly appreciated!!
-David
:confused:

Breaks in the exhaust system affect "carburetion" and performance in a big way. I would take it to Midas and get the exhaust system fixed properly. Afterwards, go over the electrical system and replace, as needed, spark plugs (NGK only), rotor, distributor cap, spark plug wires, and even the Ignition Control Module and coil.

The exhaust can make that kind of difference huh? That's kind of a relief, I thought it'd be worse! That pipe clamp that I put on after the resonator isn't a complete seal either! Also, the check engine light is not on. A friend mentioned that the manifold may have cracked? I REALLY appreciate it!

NGK plugs are that important? The local auto store is trying to push off Autolites on me! How much do OEM NGK's run, and are those dealer only options? :eek:

NGKs are the only plugs that really work well in most Hondas. I purchased my last set from Advance Auto Parts. I recommend using the brand of plugs that came with each car. It's okay, however, to go to a colder plug within the same series. I tried Autolite plugs in my 1993 Civic (once) and only left them in for 500 miles--never again. Performance was not good, until it reached normal operating temperature.

Maybe I'm retarded, but I changed the plugs with NGK, gapped correctly. After I changed them, the car took a bit to start. Three plugs looked like they were greyish, one however looked a bit oily...
The car still has a rough idle, I only changed the plugs thus far, but it's almost like it'll "chug" at idle, and upon acceleration. Almost like it has a performance cam in it. No check engine light yet. The wires are newer, as is the cap and rotor (about 15k miles). Is there a way of "knowing" or telltale signs that the cap and rotor need replaced, as well as the wires? Should I fix the exhaust before giving up hope? Thanks again for reading, and repling!
-David

If the distributor cap, rotor, and wires have only 15,000 miles on them, then they should be fine. You need to have someone, whose opinion you trust, listen to your car run and give you a second opinion. Could the chugging be to poor compression? If so, you may want to test each cylinder.

My buddy, who thinks he knows about cars, said it could be the plugs, or maybe a cracked manifold.
The low compression could be it, seeing one plug was oily? That could just "happen" too, I assume?
A rebuild is probably far higher in price to fix as opposed to getting a used motor installed?