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Honda Civic (fourth generation)
Encyclopedia
For 1988, the Honda Civic
was significantly redesigned. The suspension had a radical re-configuration with what Honda called "double-wishbone suspension" on all four corners, wheelbase was increased to 98.4 inches (250 cm), and the body was redesigned with a lower hood line and more glass, giving less drag. Rear suspension however is more accurately described as multi-link
trailing arm suspension since the upper control arm only has a single anchor and there is toe control used on the main trailing arm.
The base model of the 4th generation Civic had a 1.2 L SOHC, this single carbureted engine was not available for the European and American market. (23L and 23U for the Japanese market) 1.3 L SOHC single carbureted engine.
The 1.5 L SOHC engine came in a wide variety of models, dual-point injection, single carbureted and dual carbureted. Those engines were available in the Japanese-market 25X and 25XT,
Top model of the hatchback was the Japanese SiR EF9 with the 160 hp (B16A DOHC VTEC 1.6L 160 hp 7600rpm)
The Japanese version of the Si featured a (ZC) D16a8/9 1.6 L 16V DOHC engine.
The wagon, known in Japan as the Civic Shuttle continued as a commercial delivery van called the Honda Partner starting with model year 1996.
In 1990 the Civic had a light facelift. Some things that changed were the front bumper design, the front corner lights no longer had the two screws on the outside, the gauge cluster cover shape slightly changed, tail light units design changed, side moldings became thinner, and most American Civics received automatic seat belts due to changes in federal highway safety law. The sedan and wagon featured powered automatic shoulder belts that retracted from the b-pillar to a position halfway down the a-pillar when the door was open, while the hatchback received a standard style shoulder and lap belt mechanism that was attached to the door and was intended to remain buckled at all times. While this setup did satisfy the federal regulations, the front doors had to be opened very wide to allow access between the belt and the seat. Many Civic owners used the door mounted belts just as they would pillar mounted belts, buckling and unbuckling as necessary.
The base model with the lowest price and lowest standard (vinyl seats) interior, instrumentation, engine output and transmission. It was only available as a Hatchback. Engine was D15B1 16V SOHC, with dual port throttle body injection, 70 hp with restrictor on the tandem valve, and catalytic converter integrated into the exhaust manifold. Manual transmissions were 4-speed with cable operated clutch (5-speed in Canada). Automatic 4-speed transmission was also available.
Available as Hatchback, Sedan and Wagon, this had cloth seats, power steering, rear wash/wiper, optional clock, passenger door mirror and wheel covers. Engines were D15B2 16V SOHC with slightly higher output 92 hp due to an improved profile on the inlet side of the Single Overhead Cam and unrestricted tandem valve. Manual transmissions came as 5-speed with cable operated clutch. Automatic transmission was available as an option.
This was available as FWD and RealTime4WD. The RT4WD versions featured the MPFI D16A6 engine paired with either a 6-speed manual (with a super-low gear left of first) or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The FWD versions featured the DPFI D15B2 engine paired with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. RT4WD wagons had white steel wheels with matching center caps. This bodystyle remained in production until February 21, 1996, when it was replaced by the Honda Orthia
and professional use Honda Partner, sold only in Japan.
All weights listed in this table are in lbs. Air Conditioning added 49 lb (22.2 kg). Cargo capacity was an additional 100 lb (45.4 kg) hatchback, 75 lb (34 kg) sedan.
dual carbureted engine that was available only in 1988 and 1989; 1.5i GL and GLX models followed in 1990.
The European 1.6i GT and 1.6i-16 (depends on country) had a ZC like 1.6 L DOHC engine and produced 124 hp (D16Z5) or 130 hp (D16A9). In Europe the SiR was called 1.6i-VT and had a similar B16A1 engine. These top models were equipped with the VTEC
system.
seal degradation problems around the injectors on the throttle body injected systems. As they degrade, the o-rings start to leak, into the inlet manifold and normal fuel injection metering becomes impossible. The engine mixture then becomes increasingly rich until it becomes a Gross Polluter and fails emissions.
However in many states the EF chassis Honda civic no longer has to pass emissions under "classic" laws.
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
was significantly redesigned. The suspension had a radical re-configuration with what Honda called "double-wishbone suspension" on all four corners, wheelbase was increased to 98.4 inches (250 cm), and the body was redesigned with a lower hood line and more glass, giving less drag. Rear suspension however is more accurately described as multi-link
Multi-link suspension
A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms....
trailing arm suspension since the upper control arm only has a single anchor and there is toe control used on the main trailing arm.
Japan
 |
The base model of the 4th generation Civic had a 1.2 L SOHC, this single carbureted engine was not available for the European and American market. (23L and 23U for the Japanese market) 1.3 L SOHC single carbureted engine.
The 1.5 L SOHC engine came in a wide variety of models, dual-point injection, single carbureted and dual carbureted. Those engines were available in the Japanese-market 25X and 25XT,
Top model of the hatchback was the Japanese SiR EF9 with the 160 hp (B16A DOHC VTEC 1.6L 160 hp 7600rpm)
The Japanese version of the Si featured a (ZC) D16a8/9 1.6 L 16V DOHC engine.
The wagon, known in Japan as the Civic Shuttle continued as a commercial delivery van called the Honda Partner starting with model year 1996.
North America
All United States vehicles were fuel injected.In 1990 the Civic had a light facelift. Some things that changed were the front bumper design, the front corner lights no longer had the two screws on the outside, the gauge cluster cover shape slightly changed, tail light units design changed, side moldings became thinner, and most American Civics received automatic seat belts due to changes in federal highway safety law. The sedan and wagon featured powered automatic shoulder belts that retracted from the b-pillar to a position halfway down the a-pillar when the door was open, while the hatchback received a standard style shoulder and lap belt mechanism that was attached to the door and was intended to remain buckled at all times. While this setup did satisfy the federal regulations, the front doors had to be opened very wide to allow access between the belt and the seat. Many Civic owners used the door mounted belts just as they would pillar mounted belts, buckling and unbuckling as necessary.
STD
 |
The base model with the lowest price and lowest standard (vinyl seats) interior, instrumentation, engine output and transmission. It was only available as a Hatchback. Engine was D15B1 16V SOHC, with dual port throttle body injection, 70 hp with restrictor on the tandem valve, and catalytic converter integrated into the exhaust manifold. Manual transmissions were 4-speed with cable operated clutch (5-speed in Canada). Automatic 4-speed transmission was also available.
DX
 |
Available as Hatchback, Sedan and Wagon, this had cloth seats, power steering, rear wash/wiper, optional clock, passenger door mirror and wheel covers. Engines were D15B2 16V SOHC with slightly higher output 92 hp due to an improved profile on the inlet side of the Single Overhead Cam and unrestricted tandem valve. Manual transmissions came as 5-speed with cable operated clutch. Automatic transmission was available as an option.
LX
Available only as a Sedan, this had a higher level interior with tachometer instrumentation, electric windows, electric door locks, electric door mirrors, cruise control, clock and wheel covers as standard. Engines were D15B2 16V SOHC, same as the DX, with 5-speed cable clutch transmission. 4- speed automatic transmission was optional.EX
Available only as a Sedan for 1990 and 1991 model years, this was the top of the Civic line with the LX features, plus moon roof, optional alloy wheels and a D16A6 16V SOHC engine with 4-point injection. It also had upgraded brakes on the front with 10.3" disks vs. the 9.5" on the STD, DX, LX and SI models. The 1991 had a higher geared steering rack - 3.1 turns lock to lock vs 4 for other and prior models.SI
This was the "sporty" model, only available in Hatchback. A moon roof was standard, there was no power steering, no automatic transmission available (except in Canada), and it had slightly deeper bucket seats than other models. 14" steel wheels with covers were standard and the engine was the D16A6 16V SOHC with 4-point injection and output of 106 hp.Wagon
Honda Orthia
The Honda Orthia is a Japanese domestic market car model manufactured by the Honda Motor Corporation. It is a small station wagon based on the sixth generation Honda Civic. Introduced in February 1996 as what Honda called a Sport Utility Wagon it was available as 2WD or 4WD. It is powered by an...
and professional use Honda Partner, sold only in Japan.
USDM Weights
| Standard Hatch | DX Hatch | Si Hatch | DX Sedan | LX Sedan | EX Sedan | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto | Manual | Auto | Manual | Manual | Auto | Manual | Auto | Manual | Auto | Manual | |
| 1988 | ? | 1933 | ? | 1933 | - | ? | 2039 | ? | 2138 | - | - |
| 1989 | n/a | 2013 | 2138 | 2088 | 2161 | 2209 | 2147 | 2249 | 2211 | n/a | n/a |
| 1990-1991 | ? | 2127 | ? | 2165 | 2291 | 2252 | 2262 | ? | 2322 | ? | 2374 |
All weights listed in this table are in lbs. Air Conditioning added 49 lb (22.2 kg). Cargo capacity was an additional 100 lb (45.4 kg) hatchback, 75 lb (34 kg) sedan.
Europe
For Europe the base model was the 1.3 Luxe with engine was the 1.4 L which was not available in the USA and Japan.. Next was a 1.4 L SOHC I4Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
dual carbureted engine that was available only in 1988 and 1989; 1.5i GL and GLX models followed in 1990.
The European 1.6i GT and 1.6i-16 (depends on country) had a ZC like 1.6 L DOHC engine and produced 124 hp (D16Z5) or 130 hp (D16A9). In Europe the SiR was called 1.6i-VT and had a similar B16A1 engine. These top models were equipped with the VTEC
VTEC
VTEC is a valvetrain system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The VTEC system uses two camshaft profiles and electronically selects between the profiles. It was invented by Honda R&D engineer Ikuo Kajitani, and was the first system...
system.
Popularity
Despite its sometime image as an economical vehicle, the fourth-generation hatchback has become very popular in near stock SCCA autocross competition. The EF chassis nearly dominates the Street touring category, competing heavily with the MX-5 Mazda Miata. Fourth-generation Civic hatchbacks have also become nothing short of notorious among Honda Civic enthusiasts due to their lightweight design and formidable suspension layout which outperforms later generations.Electrical
While largely free of serious mechanical problems, there were two significant electrical reliability issues with this model.Main relay
The Main Relay which controls power to the electric fuel pump (it ensures the pump does not continue to run in the event of accidents) and fuel injectors, develops dry solder joints. This means the fuel pump will not run, and thus the vehicle will not start. The Engine Computer self-diagnostic shows "Code 16 - Injector fault".Ignition "Igniter" Control Module
Inadequate thermal connection on a convoluted heat sink design means the igniter unit tends to run hot, and over time, its semiconductors will degrade and eventually fail. There has been a manufacturer recall on this issue and a newer design of igniter used by Honda. However, reliability can still be a concern and care should be taken to ensure the heat sink assembly inside the distributor allows for a good thermal connection.Emissions
Modern gasoline formulations cause fuel o-ringO-ring
An O-ring, also known as a packing, or a toric joint, is a mechanical gasket in the shape of a torus; it is a loop of elastomer with a disc-shaped cross-section, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembly between two or more parts, creating a seal at the interface.The O-ring...
seal degradation problems around the injectors on the throttle body injected systems. As they degrade, the o-rings start to leak, into the inlet manifold and normal fuel injection metering becomes impossible. The engine mixture then becomes increasingly rich until it becomes a Gross Polluter and fails emissions.
However in many states the EF chassis Honda civic no longer has to pass emissions under "classic" laws.