Okay, first of all, I will tell you all what I have, then the problem. It is a 1994 Civic EX with the 1.6L VTEC.

The check engine light has been on in my car since I got it. I was a freshman (2000) when I purchased it. The dealer who sold it to me was a friend of my dad's and sold it AS IS for $2000. The only thing that was wrong with it is that it had been in a wreck in KCMO, where it came from, and there was a decent sized gouge hole on the passenger side (which my dad fixed). A great deal, if you ask me. My dad dealt with cars for years upon years and checked out the problem. He found that just the front 02 sensor was bad. So I bought it. We have never replaced the 02 sensor in my car since my Dad told me that it was no problem. Now from reading some posts on here, I saw that the 02 sensor is pretty important! (My dad lied to me, I think fuel mixture ratio is very important. I didn't know enough about it!!!) Time passed, 6 years, and my car has ran PERFECTLY!!

All of a sudden now, when I accelerate, usually when I'm below 2000rpms, it will cut out briefly, then go on like no problem, I shift to second, and it cuts out again, and then from there on it's fine. I've only done one thing recently besides driving to and from work. What happened is that I was driving on the highway by my house, and some guy in a POS Dodge Intrepid tried to pass me when I was already going 75 in a 55, so I stepped on it. I ended up getting to about 123mph for just about 5 seconds until I had to start slowing down to turn into my house's driveway.

So tell me, what do I do? Have the check engine light ran again at Autozone, replace the 02 sensor(s), and what if it still does it? I am living paycheck to paycheck, and I just want my car to run decent for now. Going to college and trying to mod a car isn't going to work together, I have to get out of college before I'll be able to afford any of that. Anyone have any suggestions as to what could have done this? Also, in the past, I have gotten up to 125 and 130mph and my car has been fine. Did I finally just push it to the limit or something?! HeLP!!

Thanks everyone.

 

I also have a few other problems with this car. I am wondering if I should put the time and money into it just to be able to sell it for a little more money, or try to sell it as is (after I fix whatever is making it run bad) and just get a newer Civic? I want to stay with Civics because this is the best car me and my parents have ever owned. My dad even said it was like the energizer bunny no matter how I run it. Here are a list of the problems, would anyone be able to throw out some ideas for cost?

1. The antenna cable plug was pulled off of the cable itself when my CD player was stolen a few years ago. I still have the plug.

2. One of the horn buttons flew off and hit the back window when I hit it to avoid a lady backing into me at Sonic Drive-in last summer. Scared the crap out of me. I found everything but the little spring inside.

3. The bearings on the front and back are wearing out.

4. The hood is dented (slightly) and the mirror was broke off after I was going too fast down a road heavily populated by deer and it ran out in front of me... long story short, my car was the victim.

5. I popped the clutch a few summers ago also, and it was replaced, albeit not by a dealership which would have cost my dad twice as much, since he was the one that had to fix it. We had a guy with a repair shop dealing exclusively with imports replace it. Now, a few years later, with hardly any hard driving (I taught my fiance` to drive a stick in my car and he grinded the gears a few times.. doesn't everyone?), it has a residual noise kind of like a grinding but more subtle when in motion.

6. I believe the car isn't sealed right. When I go down a dirt road (yes, dirt), dust will seep into my car (it appears as if it's coming from underneath the glove box) and make it dusty unless I have the A/C or fan on. My brother installed a power cable for my amp when my sub box was installed, to do it, he drilled a small hole in the firewall, but the wire fit it perfectly, and hasn't been removed. Plus, it was also apparent that it wasn't sealed right when my trunk lid, not the spoiler, rattled like CRAZY when I used to have two 12's in my trunk. Not even DYNAMAT helped!! Plus, a sound system like I HAD in that car should have sounded MUCH better than it did...

7. The paint and clearcoat on the spoiler is chipping badly, but when I went to get the paint for it with the paint code off of the door it did not match my car. The paint was a few shades darker than my car. I know it is not just from it being 12 years old (it's not fading). It is supposed to be Aztec Green, but I have seen another car the same color as mine. It's more of a teal.

I will take some pics of my car with my brother's digital camera to better explain these problems! Thanks for any ideas!!!! I know this was long, thanks for hanging with me!
So... is it worth it?!

 

sounds like quite a list of stuff to get fixed. The antenna plug is no problem to fix, you just have to splice a new end on it, the horn can be replaced with a button if you so desire or just put the button back in place and live without it, Bearings do tend to wear out so yeah thats regular maintenance, see if you can find a hood at a junk yard in good shape or buy a CF hood, Thats what I did when mine got dented, Clutchh probs I can't help you with, as far as the dust goes I think thats pretty normal, your air comes in through the litle box right behind the glove box, you can try putting a small pice of filter in there and replacing the factory one, that might help you out, and as far as the power wire goes I hope he used a grommet in the fire wall to protect your power wire from shorting out!!!!! and as far as the acceleration

 

Update: I figured out what the cutting out problem was. Since I got the car in 2000, the spark plugs hadn't been changed. Come to find out, they actually hadn't been changed since the last owner had it, in about 1998 is the last time he changed them. All I had to do was change the spark plugs. Go figure.

 

5:
So, your clutch makes a little grinding noise when the pedal's out and it makes a louder one when the pedal's pressed in? That sounds like a worn release bearing or, even more likely, there's not enough tension in your clutch pedal linkage. If there's too much slack, the system will allow the release bearing to contact the pressure plate ALL the time and create a grinding noise and, when depressed, it won't apply quite enough pressure and the noise will get louder. If the noise doesn't clear up when you get your clutch pedal linkage adjusted, you've probably worn out your release bearing a bit.

 

for the antena cable, radio shack has the ends that screw on you have to strip a bit of the wire back and cut the plastic around the solid coper wire in the midle, i did they cut mine when they took the sterio out of my sidekick, its a softtop, and instead of unzipping the back window they cut the top, they should be shot out of stupidity,

as far as the dust the previous post about the filter, "in the little box on the firewall" check to see if the filter was removed, sometimes people forget to put it backin, it is called the clean air filter on most cars

makesure you have a gromet in your amp power wire to prevent grounding.

wheel bearings are not a big deal just get a chiltons and the bearings.

sounds like typical stuff that happens to a 12 year old car

if you have a DIStributor Ignition look at changeing the cap and rotor.