Overheating lead to cracked block and eventually complete engine failure. starting 2006-? there has been a recall on these engines. after looking at many honda civics for sale this seems to be common problem spanning more years. i believe the recall should be expanded.
i paid $4,200 in a cashiers check 9/12/2018 for a car. owner told me it had been tested and looked over by his mechanics and that if any problems with the engine or transmission occurred that it was under a guarantee. the following day, 9/13/2018, i heard strange sounds from engine and car frequently jerked forward. took it to south tacoma honda to inspect vehicle for $143.13. was told valves need to be adjusted and would cost nearly $500. went to dealership and the manager named chocolate. told me to take car to 161 garage to get fixed over weekend. that monday was told they couldn't complete job and to have honda complete job. chocolate reluctantly agreed to get car to honda to have them adjust the valves and he would pay for it when it was finished. he did not show back up and both myself and the honda service reps had to call him for payment. worked out payment in the morning if his dealership agreed. honda rep called dealership asking repeatedly for an owner or manager and never got straight answer. when explaining my situation and inquiring authorization for payment from chocolate, person on phone from the dealership began bad mouthing their own employee saying he was a nobody and admitted they lied about the condition of the car telling the honda rep 'so what.' was able to take car but was told me to return if the payment was not made the next morning. that morning, 9/18/2018, my girlfriend agreed to drive me to work and go back in if honda called. but car died on the freeway nearly causing accident and was hard to brake. we were lucky we had been close to shoulder so i could veer away from cars and off the road. we had to get it off the freeway and have it towed to the honda in renton costing another $15. then $148.50 inspection fee from honda renton after service reps found major engine issues with cylinder 3 causing the valves to come loose overnight.
K20a3 camshaft lobes have pits/galling on them. they make a loud ticking/tapping noise. possible decrease in gas mileage, poor performance, and reliability issue. if left unintended could cause further damage to engine. common problem with the k20a3 engines manufacture defect. honda should address this.
I was on my way to school , i had driven about 18 miles from home and heard a scrubbing sound then noticed smoke coming from front of my car. i immediately pulled off the road and turned engine off. a city policeman stopped and told me the name of a wrecker service nearby. the car was towed to a garage where it was put up on a lift . the mechanic noted a piece of metal bulging from the right side of the block looking from under the car and toward the front..there was oil splatters from that area also. the piece of metal came from between the block and the air conditioner. there had to have been a defect in the block for it to break a piece of the block off in this manner. the piece was about 2 inches wide by 4 inches long. we have pictures to show what was found. there were two mechanic witnesses plus a policeman that saw the damage.the car was not running hot nor low in oil. the block just a defect. if i had been on the interstate there could have been a severe accident due to the car coming to a sudden stop.
After driving about 20 miles in warm day from san mateo to san francisco via i-101 then i-280 with a/c on. the vehicle came to a traffic jam on highway exit in sf, the speed was at 30 mph or less and the engine temperature increased to the highest level and the engine had water boiling sound and radiator fan did not came on after stopped on a city street. then 2nd incident happen on july 25 2015, again driving from san mateo i-101 > 92 > 238 > i-580 to dublin with weather temperature at 90+ with a/c on when the vehicle reach to slow speed at freeway ext ramp. the engine temperature increased to the highest level. once the car stopped at a city street the engine had boiling water sound and radiator fan did not came on. coolant is full as well as the reserve reservoir . on aug 3 same thing happens after replacing engine thermostat and radiator fan switch. driven from mountain view via i-280 to san carlos with a/c on. the engine temperature raised to the highest level and water boiling sound came from engine. again, coolant is full as well as the reservoir.
Original oem spark plug cracked and pieces fell into the cylinder. the car had a sever misfire, loss of power and i had to immediately pull off of the road. the honda dealership the car was towed to said the cylinder was damaged and the engine should be replaced. honda of america basically said that the car was out of warranty and that they did not warranty their engines past 3 years 36,000 miles. even though the spark plug was well under it's recommended replacement time, it failed and created a dangerous situation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda civic. the contact stated that while driving, smoke was seen from under the hood of the vehicle. the contact stopped the vehicle and discovered that the engine had overheated. the failure was not diagnosed by a mechanic nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 107,387.
Vehicle blew a head gasket and over heated. problem became progressively worse, and i have been advised by rick marichetti auto that this problem is common with the honda civic ex 1.7 liter engine, and the source of the problem is a multilayer head gasket that honda uses. this vehicle should be recalled, and honda should be required to install new head gaskets that are not multilayer. in my case, the head gasket created a serious road hazard and it was difficult to find a place to pull over. and the problem happened with little notice at approximately 4300 feet, with snow and freezing cold weather. i had to pay almost $800 to have the vehicle fixed, with no guaranty the problem won't happen again. honda should have recalled the head gaskets a long time ago. *tr