Wow that was a lot!
The creaking noise is probably a wheel bearing - Jack the car up and wiggle the wheel side to side and top to bottom to check for play/noise - visually check every boot and bushing you can see check for leaks or dry rot.
Personally I wouldn’t worry about the water pump unless it’s malfunctioning, I think others would agree BUT doesn’t necessarily hurt if your doing things for preventative maintenance purposes - the rad cap and thermostat is a good call, you should replace the radiator hoses as well.
Intake manifold gaskets.
And yes replace the hose with the PCV.
I assume you’ve replaced the battery in this car at least once..?
Sounds like you’ve done a pretty swell job up keeping the car, along with the items you listed and possibly a few other things I’d say you’re in pretty good shape

 

I have a 2014 LX sedan. My daughter bought it at 41k miles, I bought from her Mar 2025 with 172k. All maintenance was done with the minder interval. I did the CVT filter at 184k along with the fluid. When I ordered it honda said they never change those.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

probably not the bearing yet but I'll check just in case. I say that because that bearing was replaced by a body shop 2 years ago when my parked go-kart got hit and pushed into the curb by a car accident. then again, the body shop did say they went out and bought a replacement bearing from a local auto-zone..

Drove again tonight and heard the same creak driving off a parking lot driveway and onto the street. that seems to be the case of when it happens.

okay, I'll leave the water pump alone for now. now I'm debating whether I should keep the spare pump or not because almost every part I bought from rockauto went up ~10% or so since January... I know this because I started a spreadsheet, documented links and prices back then

yes, I've replaced the battery like four times. I bought a battery from Costco after the factory battery started dying. but that battery started dying and went back to Costco for a new one under the warranty. did this once or twice again; this new battery has been solid so far.

not sure I'll want to replace the intake manifold gaskets yet. i looked it up and didn't see any references on how to do it nor any anecdotes of it failing randomly for this gen's Civic. from what I can tell, google says to only replace it when it fails

 

Well you did say you commonly back your ‘go kart’ into curbs lol -but if you don’t experience any other symptoms/issues while driving and it’s specifically at low speeds then more likely to be a sway bar end link or sway bar bushing(s) - I actually like that prognosis better for what your describing - easy to check, jack car up and grab the sway bar itself NEAR the link (but not the link itself) and wiggle up and down, if you feel any play at all then there’s your issue!
I’d keep the water pump, you already paid for it and you may be thanking yourself in a few months or years, I mean you do have 100k on the clock.. some never fail - some do eventually, I think largely based on how efficient the cooling system is working in your car and climate where you live, but yea I’d just keep it, all else fails you can probably unload it on here or FB marketplace…
Manifold gaskets are just like every other gasket, they get old and don’t do there job as well/efficiently over time, also if your engine has ever been slightly overfilled with oil then the oil will pool up in the intake manifold gaskets.. You asked for suggestions on commonly replaced parts with high mileage cars and those are absolutely on the docket, it’s your call you do what you want!!
Good luck w the maintenance overhaul brother - I think your in good shape

 

thank you thank you for the sway bar tip. I definitely do not notice any symptoms/noises while driving, only when that rear tire goes over a transition in "level" e.g. driveway angled down to street or maybe even a speed bump. I can't recall

hopefully a sway bar link or bushing isn't too expensive or difficult to replace

I think my cooling system is still solid even with the coolant from the factory. I haven't seen the red temperature light pop up at all. I wish Honda gave us a temp gauge rather a blue and red light for our Civics. I do live in Los Angeles where it's consistently warm, if not hot (100+ degree F). don't know if that would have a major strain on the pump vs a cold climate

ahh geez. I should probably look at the manifold gasket then. My engine asks for 3.9 quarts but I usually just put in 4 qts because I didn't see the point in having 0.1 qts leftover each oil change. and if i remember correctly, the oil was still in between the min and max mark on the dip stick but those orange plastic dip sticks can be hard to read..

just found out that I'll also need to clean the mass airflow sensor, EGR valve, and maybe throttle body? I wish Honda would note these things in the owner's manual or something instead of the typical oil, brake, transmission fluid maintenance etc. I wouldn't know known about PCV, MAF, EGR, Valve adjustments, etc if not for youtube and this forum

 

When you clean all those things your car is going to freak out and most likely have to go through the ’idle relearn’ process - you should look that up if you’re gona do all that.. None of this stuff is that hard to fix/replace/maintain - if you got questions just ask on here AND watch YouTube for sure, seeing it done is super helpful…

 

will I have to go through the idle relearn process if I do one item at a time? I'll probably do the mass airflow sensor first and then the PCV valve. I want to see if I can see any noticeable differences with my car for a few weeks

do the EGR valve later and hold off on the throttle body cleaning. so far my car hasn't thrown any check engine lights as me yet

 

The throttle body is what’ll get ya

 

hey all, thanks for having me here. I bought my 2015 Civic SE almost 10 years ago and have relatively kept up with routine maintenance as a first time car owner (oil changes, brake fluid changes, CVT fluid changes, tire rotations/alignments, air filter replacements etc).

I will admit I was a bit ignorant as I only changed my brake and CVT fluid twice. both fluids were changed around at the 5th year mark (2020) at 49,750 miles and the second time both again earlier this year at 94,000 miles in addition with the round CVT filter because of my lack of changing the CVT fluid in a timely manner.

my old independent Honda mechanic said both fluids looked good when he changed it the first time which led to me assuming that was how long both fluids lasted in the car. not excuses, just an explanation and now I know better. Interestingly enough, he didn't feel the need to change the factory front brake pads until at 70,000 miles so maybe it's my driving habits?

anyways- I just realized my little go-kart is about to hit 100,000 miles soon. I've been doing as much research as I can for the next couple of rounds of routine/preventative maintenance. I bought a few items from rockauto and various retailers in anticipation for the next maintenance minder notifications such as:

1. 4x NGK spark plugs
2. Bando serpentine belt
3. Gates (rebranded Motorad) radiator cap
4. Litens belt tensioner (rebranded INA but made in Slovakia instead of China)
5. Liten idler pulley
6. valve cover gasket
7. Aisin thermostat
8. Aisin water pump
9. other small parts and tools like valve feeler gauges and such

I'm planning on replacing the parts myself with the items in the list above as they are all from the factory. Hell, I just realized I'm also still on my factory rotors but haven't noticed any squealing or vibrations in the brake pedal so I guess I'll change those the next time I change my pads.

however as I'm doing research, I realized how little I know about my donkey. for example, I just learned about the PCV valve just an hour ago. I have never changed the PCV valve and nor has my old mechanic to my knowledge. this led me to wondering: what else am I missing?

I'll be picking up a PCV valve, a couple gallons of Honda coolant, a belt tensioner pivot bolt, windshield wiper blades, and maybe hondabond from my local Honda dealer.

Qs:

1. should I even change my water pump? I only considered it because it's behind the belt tensioner and the pivot bolt looks like a pain to get past. but I'm seeing people leave their water pump for 200,000 miles and they're still fine
2. are there any valves, gaskets, or any other critical parts I should replace/keep an eye on? I'm going to replace the valve gasket when I do the valve adjustment but I'm wondering if there are others that should also be replaced
3. when i replace the PCV valve, should I also replace the hose?
4. my rear passenger side wheel has been making this creaking noise whenever I drive off a driveway. doesn't happen every time but once in a while. I will admit that's the wheel that takes the most abuse as I sometimes take a turn too aggressively and the tire clips the curb or when I'm parallel parking, I might slowly back the tire into the curb. again, doesn't happen often but it does happen. the rim is still fine and somehow scratch-free. also, thank goodness for Firestone's lifetime alignment guarantee i bought in 2016.
5. regarding #4: how do I know which bearings, rubber boot, suspension needs to be replaced just by looking at it?

I think a lot is a waste of money...I bought a 2014 Civic LX (manual trans) 2 yrs ago. It had 147k on it. Had all the dealer receipts. It only had one trans oil change. Never had BRAKES replaced. Never idler pulleys never rad cap. Never water pump....The ONLY thing I WOULD advise is to check/replace the rubber air plenum that attaches to the intake. After years they ALL crack. When cracked the flex of motor causes the crack to open up and let a little extra air in (usually at shifting or taking off from stop) It causes the engine to jerk and stumble....I would change that because it WILL FAIL. And probably soon. Other than that these cars are pretty maintenance free. (They recommend changing oil at 8k....I change mine at 5k) Also they recommend change manual trans oil every 60k....I change every 30k.

 

I didn't read through the whole thread as I'm pressed for time.
But due to the age ,not the mileage,I would say definitely need a valve adjustment.

 

He said he’s doing valve adjustment Bee … as for the other whom just chimed in, don’t listen to that, no car is maintenance free that’s ridiculous - yes it is a Honda Civic and some folks get away with doing the bare minimum and don’t take great care of their cars and somehow they run flawlessly for 200k miles BUT if you actually care about your car then go ahead and do what you have been Zeppy, you’ve got a good plan and all of those things should be done in order to keep the car in ‘top’ running/driving condition and that goes for any vehicle - If these other folks want to drive around in a ragged out car with 150k+ w one oil change and original brakes that’s their business fr fr... I’m sorry but that’s just a dumb comment “don’t do maintenance, it’s a waste of money” Like What!? 🤯

I have a 2014 LX sedan. My daughter bought it at 41k miles, I bought from her Mar 2025 with 172k. All maintenance was done with the minder interval. I did the CVT filter at 184k along with the fluid. When I ordered it honda said they never change those.

Never replace what the trans filter?