check engine light on a 2000 honda civic LX?

Question

I have a 2000 Honda Civic LX, and the check engine light is on, and the car idles really low (just above 0), but does not stall out. We had it hooked up to a diagnostic machine (we went to Autozone), and the codes that pop up are: 1399, and 1381. Other than it idling low, the car runs great, still goes 0-60 in 8 seconds, still shifts perfect. Any idea what is going on with it, and what do the codes mean? btw, it has a little over 130,000 miles on it.

last month we had a tune up done on the car, oil change, new spark plugs, etc. My step-dad is a mechanic, and he even set the idle up, but within 3 days it went back down to above 0.

Answer 1

Per honda's tech web sight... just to add to what dodge man said. typed in the other code and honda doesn't have anything also would like to point out that if a valve adjust was done incorrectly, your idle will be affected, and on civics it is very easy to over adjust the valves causing idle and runnablity issues.
DTC P1381 Set? Check the
Ignition Coil Shield
Troubleshooting a DTC P1381 (CYP sensor
intermittent interruption) in a ’98–02 Accord L4 or
’96–00 Civic? If you can’t find anything wrong
after following the procedure in the appropriate
S/M, then remove the distributor cap, and make
sure the coil shield is in place and it’s correctly
installed. If the coil shield installation
looks OK, then the ignition coil is the probably
faulty and should be replaced.

Answer 2

The code P1381 is an indication that the ignition coil is breaking down and causing an intermittant loss of the signal. Honda had a service advisory on that code that said if you get the 1381 that the coil is probably faulty. A failing ignition coil would generate a lower voltage (weaker) spark that would cause your low idle. So the first thing to do is to have the ignition coil changed before it fails entirely and the car stops. In this case, the check engine light is doing its job of alerting you to a problem, so take care of it.

the P1399 code is just a general failure code that is generated at the same time as the P1381 code and will go away when you fix the primary problem.

Also, you don't provide any maintenance history on the vehicle but based on that mileage the car is due for a valve adjustment if it hasn't been done. The valve adjustment is the most critical adjustment on that car with regard to idle quality.
The maintenance schedule on that car called for the replacement of the spark plugs, a valve adjustment and idle adjustment every 30,000 miles. If you can't remember the last time it was done its probably time to do that as well.
beyond that, the normal maintenance items such as the distributor cap, wires, and rotor should be checked and replaced if they're worn out.

start by changing the ignition coil and go from there.

hope that helps

Answer 3

1381 = abs road sensing system error
1399 = start light circuit faulty
It will take a knowledgeable mechanic to diagnose them. Stay away from dealers. Your idle problem, with no trouble codes, may be a sticking/dirty throttle plate in the throttle body. An idle air control (iac) or throttle position sensor (tps) that are also sticking or worn. They are located on the throttle body.

Her is a link to honest mechanics.
http://www.iatn.net/shopfinder/

Answer 4

hmm.. the car should be idling at around 800-900 RPM (just under the 1).

Something you need to get checked is the idle itself, fuel delivery system (injectors and/or air intake), spark plugs and then see if any of those need repair/changed.

Go to another mechanic and get a second opinion, you don't want to do long term damage to your motor!

Cheers! =)

Answer 5

You must be an unlucky guy, I have been on the road for 54 years and have never met anyone who has had to replace a distributor. Unless you have the appropriate code coming up I wouldn't part with any money before checking further.

Answer 6

call the dealer. its probably nothing.