I have a 1998 Honda Civic (5 speed) that developed a weird problem -- the idle speed would fluctuate every few seconds between low and high, even when the engine was warm. I noticed this during an out-of-town trip and on the way back, the "check engine" light came on. I got a computer diagnostic at a random garage and they say the problem is the automatic (edited) air control valve and that is a $500+ part. With labor and the diagnostic it will be $800+ to get the car fixed--ouch.
Does anyone know what the ACV does, and does the diagnostic make any sense? Is there some hope of being able to somehow fix or unstick the valve instead of replacing it? I'm not averse to attempting a DIY repair, though I don't have access to any serious automotive tools.
I don't drive the car much, so the car has quite low mileage and shouldn't (yet) be experiencing any serious wear-related failures, though maybe some parts become unreliable through just plain aging. One related thing: I was travelling earlier in the year so I had left the car in a parking lot for about 3 months without driving it. The parking lot guys ran the engine once a week which they said was good for it, but now I wonder if that may have had anything to do with the ACV failure. There have been other occasions where I left the car parked for months without running it at all, with no apparent problems resulting.
Thanks for any advice.
Does anyone know what the ACV does, and does the diagnostic make any sense? Is there some hope of being able to somehow fix or unstick the valve instead of replacing it? I'm not averse to attempting a DIY repair, though I don't have access to any serious automotive tools.
I don't drive the car much, so the car has quite low mileage and shouldn't (yet) be experiencing any serious wear-related failures, though maybe some parts become unreliable through just plain aging. One related thing: I was travelling earlier in the year so I had left the car in a parking lot for about 3 months without driving it. The parking lot guys ran the engine once a week which they said was good for it, but now I wonder if that may have had anything to do with the ACV failure. There have been other occasions where I left the car parked for months without running it at all, with no apparent problems resulting.
Thanks for any advice.
Last edited: