Honda Car Forum

Hello,Just bought a Civic EX 97 with 118,000 miles. Just got some new tires, alignment, front brakes, new front discs. Car runs fine, but i feel it should have more power. Any advices? Plus i was going to get a new timing belt with all the jazz that comes with that and also add some NGK spark plugs.The car feel like somtimes it gets stuck around 25-35 and then finally shfts gears, but this issue happen every now a then. What can i do about that?Plus I changed the brakes and the discs and the brakes feel okay, doesnt feel full.Im in New Jersey, so if anyone knows a good shop to take it too, let me know.Thanks.With the engine kit cleaning, would that cost much?

Not in New Jersey, but I would recommend checking the tranny fluid for your shifting problemtry getting a engine cleaning kit that cleans the intake manifold and throttle bodyalso try upgrading the intake to a high flow model. The plugs will do you some good, but any more power will have to come from some bolt-on performance parts.

I don't know how long it has been since your timing belt has been changed, but don't take the risk of "putting it off", - if the belt brakes, - or jumps a couple "cogs", it is going to cost you a new engine or engine overhaul!On the transmission , - I assume it is an automatic (Syncronizers on a standard transmissin will "hang up" between gears too, -- if they are bad). So here is what I would do! First of all it is important to see if it goes into "gear" and is ready to move quickly when the engine is first started in the morning (cold engine)! If it is "slow" in getting ready to go, you probably need a transmission oil filter! I would then work just fine (going into gear when the engine was "hot"). Next of all, It would be a good idea to get a can of "transmission oil conditioner", (sometimes referred to as "transmission tonic"!) This will de-gum the insides of the transmission and make things work smoother (this could have occoured becase of negelecting to change the oil at reasnable time & mileage intervals). After a few thousand miles, you could change the fluid out (if it looks good an clean now)!You have to bear in mind that the last guy may have just "driven the wheels off" - without taking deacent care of oil, water, etc. And since you don't know "when he has done what", -- you want to get everything up to "date" in order to prevent "surprises" later on!Now, on "power" I would think that the car in "stock" conditon would perform fairly well, (it will never go like a "Corvette or Porche", -- however you didn't pay for either one of these either!If you have right oils in everything, and have a good tuneup so that the car is up to "specs" as far as tuning, - that is about as much as you are going to get unless you "pump" a couple thousand more into it! If it gets a whole lot more powerful than it is supposed to be, - then you start tearing up parts- like motor mounts CV joints, strut mounts and struts, and a host of other things that cost money!The trouble with "little cars" is that they are little! I'm suffering that problem with a Neon, -- it runs great and gets good mileage, but at my advanced age, I can barely "bend" enough to get into it!

at a HONDA authorized service centre near you.