Honda Repair: honda civic repair, obd 2 code scanner, charcoal canister

Question
Hi.1997 Honda Civic 4-door,5-speed.It'll be running fine,then it will start to hesitate and eventually start running rough and stall.When this happens it will just turn over and not start.If I keep cranking it will sometimes almost start but not quite.After it sits for at least a couple of hours it starts up fine and runs great until problem reoccurs.The fuel pump is coming on.When I bought it used a couple of months ago I noticed the check engine light was staying on.The guy said that when he replaced the gas cap the light came on and stayed on.Not 100% sure on this but problem may be occurring when engine is fully warmed up.

Answer
Rod, that is true about the check engine light (CEL) and happens very often when these cars get over 100K in milage. There is a charcoal canister which has a sensor that causes this.

Whichever you need to have the codes scanned and evaluated. This will guide you in the next direction for focus and repair. An OBD-2 code scanner/reader is affordable to purchase or have your local mechanic scan them for you.