aj2xz

Hi,

My 1990 Honda Civic EX has been making a squeak and squeel sound intermittantly, and is now constant over the past 5 mos. I noticed during cold weather that it idles high and searches when first starting in the mornings and the squeel does not occur until I actually put it in drive and becomes louder with acceleration and quieter when slowing down, and is just now barely making a sound at full stop/idle. Also, the car is searching between 2000 and 3000 rpms, while driving, speedometer needle goes up and down rapidly..when I take my foot off the gas pedal, and gets sluggish. A few times the car has acted like it is going to die when I'm at a stop light, or while driving, but never has ...although it is scaring me that it actually might one day. I've had the fuel pump replaced, the injectors cleaned...just had the timing belt and water pump replaced. The alternator seems to be fine as the car will start up and the lights aren't dimming, etc.... Not getting any warning lights on the dashboard... Sometimes at idle it does seem to be 'idle searching..in that the engine..gets louder than softer...like a 'loop'. Also it has been giving me problems with starting up and then stalling and dying...especially in extreme cold or hot weather..if I wait a few minutes, it will start up again fine. The car has 110, 000 miles on it...Spark plugs recently replaced and all drive belts.. can the distributor make this kind of squealing sound, and symptoms? I hate to pay so much for it and then find out it was the alternator after all?
Then again...would like to live and not have the car die while driving?

Help!
Thanks...aj2xz

bxsnypa

i had a problem like that, minus the squeak noise. I had bad idling issues leading to low rpms when idle and sometimes causing the car to stall at lights. I had the distributor cap replaced as well as wires and i havent felt it alot lately. I also heard it could be something with a vac line.

aj2xz

Okay..I just had the distributor cap and rotor replaced recently, and I just stopped at AutoZone on the way home after work this evening, and the guy said the alternator was reading fine, but that the battery was reading as needing to be charged.

So, rough intermittant idle with cases of starting up stalling and dying..waiting a few minutes...starts back up but fails if try and restart right away.. and fluctuating speedometer needle between 2-3rpms with sluggish search car acts like not getting power but accelerates fine again when depress gas pedal again...when removing foot from gas pedal until the car gets warmed up and going, and a horrible screeching noise...like a fan or bearing...that goes to a high pitch squeel as car warms up...sounds like s stuck fan...or at times like a dried out cable..so hard to tell..and only while driving..seems to get louder with acceleration, and die back down with decelleration...

Recently had all drive belts replaced...power steering flushed...transmission flushed..timing belt replaced...fuel filter replaced... a bypass hose that popped while driving...replaced...battery is new from this past summer. Anyone have any idea?

If the alternator is fine, and the car does crank slow every now and again..spark plugs replaced recently...no dimming lights... or anything that leads me to believe it's the alternator?.... Could it be the ignitor?..ignition coil?..anything in the distributor.other than what I've already had replaced?

At a loss...thanks!

bxsnypa

honestly i thought the sqweek was caused by a belt but i guess thats not the case, sry i have no idea.

dpkelly

I'd check for an improper ground. Check all ground connections and make sure they are clean. Maybe replace the negative battery cable. This may be causeing your battery not to charge properly. Also clean both battery terminals. Screeching noise might be a bearing somewhere. Your car can run a little without the alternator. Try taking off the belt and see if you hear the sound but don't drive without the alternator. Could be power steering. Goodluck.