2004 Honda Civic LX Coupe 1.7L I4 (non VTEC)
Under hard acceleration the engine hesitates and jerks back and forth, I can’t rev it past 3,500rpm in any gear and it makes the transmission slip. I’ve replaced the spark plugs, alternator, battery camshaft position sensor and I’m going to replace the timing belt because it squeaks upon cold start. Could that be my issue or is there something worse that could be it? It does the problem under hard acceleration that the engine hesitates and jerks a lot, under normal acceleration it doesn’t do it that much but it still does it intermittently sometimes. It’s very complicated and I don’t know it it could be the engine out of time or the transmission. The check engine light is on with code P0334 camshaft position sensor. Car has 180,000 miles and it’s in good shape for the year and it runs and drives good. But it can’t accelerate hard or else the engine hesitates and jerks the whole car and it confuses the transmission to shift. Help this is very complicated for me.
STOP breaking forum rules!
Bruh
I want to know why replacing the timing belt didn’t fix my hesitation
It's simple: because the timing belt has absolutely nothing to do with hesitation.
The timing belts, unlike chains, do not stretch, and as such the timing stays consistent with an old or a new belt.
The reason why belts are replaced is only to prevent it from ripping - because if it breaks, RIP to the engine.
If you're looking for a solution, first you fix the overheating, then you address the sensor issues,
Then you begin attempting repairs like cleaning all of the MAF, MAP, etc, checking pressure at the rail, ...
It never overheated on me before until I replaced the water pump with the timing belt so I think air got into the system and I still had a little bit of coolant left over so I am going to bleed the air out and put the remaining coolant back in it for safe measure, shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But could it be something having to do with fuel or air?
https://www.autocodes.com/p0344_honda.html
You need to properly bleed the air out of the cooling system.
I’ll do that but I want to know why replacing the timing belt didn’t do anything to fix my hesitation and check engine light problem?
Your code could cause all your problems, so check these before messing with the fuel system. Check the camshaft position sensor wiring first, then get a good scanner on the car so you can see if your ignition timing is jumping around, indicating a worn/jumped cam chain or belt, then you might need to replace the sensor.
https://repairpal.com/obd-ii-code-p0344
OBD-II Code P0344 is defined as a Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Intermittent
The Camshaft Position Sensor measures the exact rotational position of the camshaft in relation to the Crankshaft. This provides a critical data signal used by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to control Ignition Spark and Fuel Injector Timing. From the year 2000, the Camshaft Sensor is responsible for providing critical data to the Variable Valve Timing System which increases power and fuel economy while lowering emissions. When this signal is interrupted for any reason, code P0344 is set and the MIL or Check Engine Light is illuminated.
A vehicle with this code should be taken in to a repair shop for diagnosis.
P0344 Symptoms
- Check Engine Light will illuminate
- Hard starting/cranking without starting
- Engine hesitation or stalling
- Engine dies and will not re-start
- Metallic, rattling engine noises
- In many cases, no abnormal symptoms may be noticed
Common Problems That Trigger the P0344 Code
- Defective Camshaft Position Sensor
- Faulty or corroded Camshaft Position Sensor wiring or connections
- Defective Crankshaft Position Sensor
- Rough running/misfiring Engine
- Stretched Timing Chain or Timing Belt
- Jumped Timing Chain or Belt
- Metallic and/or rattling engine noises.
Common Misdiagnoses
- Camshaft Position Sensor is replaced when the cause is a defective Crankshaft Position Sensor
- Camshaft Position Sensor is replaced when the cause is a poor connection or chafed wiring
- Camshaft Position Sensor is replaced when the cause is a misfiring engine
- Camshaft Position Sensor is replaced when the cause is a defective Timing Component
I already replaced the sensor, timing belt and the wiring looks fine and that still didn’t fix my issue
First, get it scanned for codes for free at any major auto parts store. When was the fuel filter last changed on this 18 year old car? It sounds like a fuel related problem, but we need some codes to be sure. Also, it may be that the fuel injectors are malfunctioning and need to be cleaned or replaced. The squeak you mentioned is probably coming from one of the pulleys, but at that age and mileage, I would replace the belt as a matter of good maintenance.
Okay I’m going to get that checked out, I’m pretty sure the injectors and fuel pump and filter are all original to the car. It’s very weird because the car runs and drives pretty perfectly under low acceleration, I do feel the transmission slip a little bit so i don’t know what’s up with that it does it very little and that you really can’t notice it that much until you notice it takes a little to switch gears. But the car starts up fine, it cold starts a little longer but barely by anything, and it idles good, shakes a little but I think that’s normal for any 4 cylinder car, and it doesn’t misfire, I do hear a little injector clicking in the engine so that could suspect it, but under hard acceleration it just feels like the engine skips a beat and doesn’t go and it like disengages and engages repeatedly confusing the transmission. It’s a very weird issue for me and I hope it isn’t something tragic.
Well often change in the belt. Will fix it. If the belt is stretched it will give that code because the computer thinks the data coming from the sensors bed when his case is just not a line correctly cuz the belt is worn
I would also replace the fuel filter (18 years old) and clean or replace the injectors.
Why you say the engine overheat so do my test how to tell if your head gasket is blown it could be starting to blow
That’s the least of my worries, I want to know why replacing the timing belt didn’t fix my hesitation and check engine light p0344
Sounds to me like it's fuel starved when under hard acceleration. The fuel filter might be dirty and need replacing and/or the fuel pump pressure could be insufficient when the engine needs more gas for more power.
Car has 180,000 and it’s in pretty good shape for what it is. I scanned the car and the only code that came up was for a Camshaft position sensor, P0344 and I’ve replaced the sensor, spark plugs, alternator and the battery and the code is still there. I am going to replace the timing belt because I believe that could be what’s throwing off the sensor, would that fix my issue? Also the car jerks and hesitates under high acceleration, and intermittently under normal acceleration, the transmission shifts smooth but when the engine starts to buck and cut in and out it confuses the transmission to shift. Could that also be caused by the timing belt being out of spec or could it be something else like a fuel problem. Vehicle also cranks a little long under cold start condition and sometimes struggles to start under heat soak conditions. Other than that the car runs and drives fine under normal acceleration and even still sometimes it hesitates under normal acceleration too, it also hesitates when revving in park or neutral and cuts in and out under normal revving approximately 1700-2500 rpm and it doesn’t rev past 3500 rpm in any gear? What could this problem be? I’m trying to narrow it down and pin point we’re it could be. Help
2004 Honda Civic 1.7 I4 (Non VTEC)
So basically I’ve replaced the timing belt with water pump following all the correct procedures to make sure the engine is perfectly in time by aligning the pulleys with the markings on the block, and it still didn’t fix my hesitation problem. The car still jerks and hesitates under hard acceleration and can’t rev past 3500 rpm. And the check engine light is still on after I cleared it with the same code P0344, camshaft position sensor. And the engine cuts out and on under hard and sometimes normal acceleration. What gives, now I’m thinking it could be a fuel problem but before I move any further I want to know why that didn’t fix it I followed everything step by step and it still didn’t work. What else could be the problem if it wasn’t the timing belt? Also the engine overheats probably because air got into the system because I took the water pump out or it’s a little low on coolant because I topped it off and I still had coolant left over from when I drained it. Help I don’t know what is wrong with the car and I’m starting to give up and thinking of getting rid of it.
So this hesitation problem I have that I can’t rev it higher than 3500 rpm and that the engine cuts in and out under hard acceleration and sometimes under normal acceleration too. Has fixed itself when I parked it in an incline in my driveway for a couple of minutes, when I would start it in that incline the engine would crank and crank crank until it eventually started and then the check engine light went away (P0344) and the car ran great for a couple of minutes with all power and rpm back to normal. I am almost confident it could be a fuel issue, could replacing the fuel pump and filter and fuel injectors fix my problem and bring it back to normal?