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-   -   1st Gen Honda City Owners - Problems Areas, Fuel Efficiency and more (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/26232-1st-gen-honda-city-owners-problems-areas-fuel-efficiency-more-121.html)

Hi all, I am planning to get my 2001 City 1.5Exi's Engine Cylinder Head overhauled. Recently I had run the engine without enough anit freeze for sometime due to a leakage in the radiator which went unnoticed. I stopped the car after i felt engine knocking mildly under throttle application and then only noticed the temp gauge shot up. Let the car cool down, topped up the radiator and slowly returned home with the temp gauge showing normal readings. To make sure i had not caused any damage to the cylinder head or gasket, i checked each cylinders pressure myself with a compression gauge. Reads around 180 to 185 psi in all 4 cylinders, But i Can see the coolant bubbling with the radiator cap off while engine running. Which essentially means a head gasket leak or worse still a warpped cyl head.

Now i dont want to take any chances but to rebuild the Cylinder head, as i also always wanted to rework the cylinder head (Milling, valves, seals, porting etc) to replenish some lost power from my 1.2 lakhs kms run engine. Now i need help in sourcing parts for this rebuild. Most importantly The cylinder head Gasket, Valves and stem Seals, a new radiator etc. I would like to know if anybody who has done a similar job on their honda city can share their experiences and also let me know the available sources for the necessary parts in chennai or bangalore. I found this on ebay america http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-CIVIC-...-/170721699227, but not sure if it will suit my Non-Vtech D15B engine. If anybody can confirm this, i can order it online. Parts availability is a pain in chennai for this car :( Also helpful if anybody can refer me to a competent mechanic who can do this work in chennai.

I don't know anything about this but member @pranavt may be able to help you.

Guys, I need to get the brake pads checked/replaced.

Which one's are good? Something easily available off the shelf and good life. Most importantly, they should not start making that grinding sound after a few days of use (have experienced and heard of such in the past).

How is BOSCH? I had them last, they were very good but did not last very long. Any idea on the current prices as well?

Thanks!

I got the brake pads changed a few months ago and it cost Rs. 2400 for the pair. They were OEM replacement pads and I think the brand was Nissin. They are pretty good and don't make noise. But after 1 or 2 weeks they tend to leave brake dust all over the alloys. But the dust comes right off with a spray of water.

Hey thanks, I've tried Nissan a number of times before but they just don't cut out for me.. Always end up screeching. Any other suggestions?

I've been coasting in gear for the past couple of weeks and my VTEC returned a "career best" average of 12.5 kmpl! This was in the city and mostly in slow traffic!

So my advice is:
1) Be patient and don't accelerate hard
2) Upshift between 1500 - 2000 rpm
3) Always coast in gear and not neutral. Try coasting in the highest gear possible that doesn't make your engine shudder

Guys I just bought a '03 1.5 EXi, I have been having a few nagging problems, Engine revs more than 1k on idle (which I think can be sorted with a little de-tuning, intermittently keeps revving between 1 to 2k for no reason on idle and have a rattling sound in the right rear which is annoying. I am about to give my car for service where I would be trying to get rid of those problems, anyone faced similar issues or know what needs to be done. The engine is a charm but these nagging problems are robbing me of my pleasure of driving this beauty. Also, I want to make sure that the garage guy doesn't rip me off.

Mine also revs between 1000-1500 rpm on idle but only for the first few minutes after a cold start. Then it goes back to normal around 700 rpm. You can try resetting the ECU by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes.

This started happening to me after I switched from mineral oil to fully synthetic.

Many thanks @Bowser Ill have the guy test that and see if it works. The problem with mine is that it is always on 1500 rpm unless I feather the clutch a bit in gear where it behaves normally and the revving is intermittent cant understand what triggers it. Any takers on the rattling noise? I noticed today that the left rear side of the bumper is a little lose and travels horizontally if pushed, apparently the bumpers extension is fixed to the mudflap using a nut bolt which I think is standard and the left mudflap where this bolt is situated is torn off I guess that makes the rattling sound while going through a bumpy section, but to be on the safe side I shall get the exhaust checked out too. And in other news I managed to scrape the front bumper a little while parking in my office I was absolutely gutted. :Frustrati

I have had this issue intermittently. The only way to get rid of this is a thorough servicing and cleaning of TB and Injectors. Once done then set the idling. That should give you some respite.

Thank you @Desmosedici Love the Ducati of that name too :-) I just got my car back from servicing and tune up where I addressed all the issues, and they fixed my car it is smoother than ever. The guy did exactly as you mentioned, he cleaned the TB and injectors, changed the spark plugs sprayed the entire engine clean where there was carbon dust deposited. My car now feels like a million bucks and it was very economical too. Here is the list of things the guy did:

1) Engine Oil Change
2) Oil Filter Change
3) Air Filter Change
4) Petrol Filter Change
5) Spark Plug changes (gathered a lot of carbon dust, reason for high revs and intermittent revving)
6) Radiator Coolant
7) Brake Oil Change
8) Gear Oil Change
9) Car Engine Spray (again reason for high revs and revving, carbon dust)
10) Press Button correction
11) Rear Drum Brake Correction (reason for rattling sound in the rear)
12) Wheel Alignment
13) Fit and Finish of some lose areas
14) All bulbs changed (small ones like parking and reverse bulbs)
15) Total Body Wash and cleanup
16) Alloys had loads of brake dust and other stuff, that was cleaned up looks fabulous
17) Engine tuned to make sure the rpm runs lower than 1k (around 600 - 700 now)
18) Bonnet spring and clips change (was not sitting in correctly)
19) Bumper Rubber Change
20) Labor Charges

All of this for Rs.5010/- BTW the garage is Lucent garage at Wanorie Pune if anyone is interested. :D

Guys, I have some doubts on whether or not my VTEC is really working. I used this video as a basis for my investigation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTis29MQC4U

Since I don't have the service manual and wiring diagrams, I first hooked up the VTEC solenoid to a multimeter and went for a spin on the ring road. I connected the positive red wire to the solenoid and the negative black wire to the body frame for grounding.

As expected, it was first at 0V and then at exactly 5500 RPM the ECU sent a 12V signal (it was actually 13.X) to the solenoid. So I figured out that this is a pull-up circuit and that to test further, I needed to connect the solenoid to the positive terminal of the battery.

After coming home, I turned off the engine and as per the video, gave a 12V signal to the solenoid. I heard it clicking on and off so it was good. For the next step, again as per the video I switched on the engine and gave the signal but there was no change in the idling RPM :(

Should I be worried? Are my VTEC hydraulics shot? please:

Guys I have a 1.5 AT (pre facelift). Car is great but the alternator has been giving trouble for a while. It was fixed with some 'jugaad' but the garage it usually gets serviced from doesn't have the part to fully replace it. The car works and all, but its quite sluggish and the battery light comes on at high rpm.

Does anyone know where a new part can be sourced from (Mumbai/Ahmedabad/Baroda) and how much would it cost? Also, would looking for a used alternator be a good idea? I won't be having the car for long so don't want to sink too much money into the part assuming the part costs a bomb.

Also, any suggestions for a good remote locking system? I don't want immobilizers or alarms. Just a simple and reliable keyless entry and exit. Any particular system to look at or should I grab any autocop/nippon system and install it?

Guys, I am thinking about buying a used 2000 HondaCity Vtec with 67,000 km on the odo.
It looks clean on the outside with minimal scratches.

Owner quotes 2 lakh at Hyderabad registration.

Is a 15 year old car reliable? I am more concerned about constant niggles.How about the parts availability and service costs at Honda A.S.S.
How much do the basic mods cost ?


Having completed my studies recently, I got a job and moving to baroda. It is better to buy the car there itself ?

I am looking for a Fun to Drive car within 2 lakh. Basic mods if any should come under the budget too.

My other options are 2006 Baleno Vxi or a 2007 Palio Stile 1.6.

Any suggestions ?

In Hyderabad the OHC sells cheaper than some other cities. It should be worth around 1.2-1.3 lakhs since it is a 15 year old car and requires registration renewal.