On 14 Jun 2004 10:09:39 -0700, sstula@hotmail.com (Sebastian) wrote:

>On two occasions now the check engine light has come on in my 2002
>Civic EX under the same conditions.
>
>The car was left in the driveway for a few days and then driven into
>the garage for a total travel distance of 7m (23ft). On the following
>start-up the check engine light comes on.

You mean the check engine light comes on after you've driven the car till
it's warmed up? If it's staying on when the engine is still cold that'd be
odd, since the system is not in closed loop yet.

>I've reset the light both times by disconnecting the battery but I'm
>wondering what may be causing the light to come on. I know from
>experience that the previous generation Civic has a known problem with
>not wanting to start after short distance drives on a cold engine and
>I'm wondering if this generation may be a related problem.

Every Honda/Acura I've owned has had the starting problem you mention on
the next start after a brief driveway shuffle - less when newer. I just
quit doing that and now drive around the block till the coolant is up to
temp, even if I just want to shuffle the cars. Since it's caused by
flooding and might be aggravated by a slight injector leak, you might try a
bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank on the next fill to see if it
helps.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??