Honda Car Forum

im going to buy a 90 honda civic hatchback and the seller told me he has to hold the shifter on 1st gear when you are driving slowly? is this right or is something wrong with the car that may cost alot

no it's not normal, have it chcked out at a transmission shop, you could have a transmission problem.

yep it is a very big problem! you do not need to hold the shifter if you are already geared. if you are planning to buy it, forget it! look for a better one! this will cost you a lot! you should test drive what you want, look if there are oil leaks, check the a/c , the temperature after long testrun, change the engine noise, when test driving, i prefer to turn of the stereo or anything that is noisy so that you can hear better the sound of the engine, the sound of the chasi, the sound of the whole car. make sure the wheels don't wiggle, if electronics works such as lights, make sure the door hinges are good coz these costs a lot, listen to the disk brakes or brake drums when braking, the distributor should not be leaking on oil, it costs a lot too...

YES it is a problem. The trans input shaft bearing is toast. It will prob. pop out of second at higher speeds too.