Car Model History

First generation · SB/SG (1973–1979) · 1973–1979

1978Honda Civic

The original Civic — a tiny, front-wheel-drive economy car that launched in the US in 1973 and made Honda a serious automaker, helped by the clean-burning CVCC engine.

First generation · SB/SG (1973–1979)

1978 Honda Civic — blue 1200 hatchback, front three-quarter view

Photo: “File:1978 Honda Civic 1200 (52265611870).jpg” by Rutger van der Maar / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Start here

What do you need to know?

This page covers the whole 1978 Honda Civic model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.

Documented lineup

Find your exact 1978 Civic

Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.

1factory configurations
Exact factory pairings documentedHow this lineup was verified

These source-backed records identify published body, engine, and transmission combinations. Exact pairings do not by themselves assert that every factory option or special edition is represented.

1versions shown
Two-door hatchback

Honda Civic Base Two-door hatchback

Body
Two-door hatchback
Engine
1.5-liter CVCC inline-four
Gearbox
4-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version

The 1978 model year

Overview

The 1978 Honda Civic belongs to the first-generation SB/SG. In US-market context, this year sits within the original compact, front-wheel-drive Civic and its CVCC emissions technology. Exact equipment, engine availability, and emissions calibration varied by body style, trim, state, and build date.

Specifications

Engines
  • 1.2 L inline-four
  • 1.5 L CVCC inline-four
Transmissions
Manual, Hondamatic
Body styles
Two-door, Three-door hatchback, Four-door sedan, Five-door wagon

Year over year

What changed

  • The first-generation range continued near the end of its US run.

Worth knowing

Notable

  • 1978 is part of Honda's first-generation SB/SG; market-specific performance models should not be assumed to have been sold in the United States.

Living with it

Reliability & ownership notes

  • For a 1978 Civic, condition and documented maintenance matter more than the nameplate's general reputation. Check the VIN for open recalls, confirm the installed engine and transmission, and compare service history with Honda's year-specific schedule.

Maintenance & service parts

Keep your 1978 Civic on the road

Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1978 Honda Civic. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
2
Factory intervals
1
Fitment-scoped
2
Exact references
1

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

  • Factory scheduled-maintenance visits

    Sourced interval available

    This record establishes when Honda scheduled service, not the undisclosed task list. Do not treat every visit as requiring every replaceable part.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    Initial scheduled visit

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 5,000 mi / 8,000 km · First scheduled maintenance point.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    10,000-mile intermediate visit

    Honda's table lists this exact odometer point rather than a universal repeating interval.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 10,000 mi / 16,100 km · Listed 10,000-mile service point only; not a repeating interval.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    20,000-mile intermediate visit

    Honda's table lists this exact odometer point rather than a universal repeating interval.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 20,000 mi / 32,200 km · Listed 20,000-mile service point only; not a repeating interval.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    25,000-mile intermediate visit

    Honda's table lists this exact odometer point rather than a universal repeating interval.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 25,000 mi / 40,200 km · Listed 25,000-mile service point only; not a repeating interval.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    35,000-mile intermediate visit

    Honda's table lists this exact odometer point rather than a universal repeating interval.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 35,000 mi / 56,300 km · Listed 35,000-mile service point only; not a repeating interval.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    40,000-mile intermediate visit

    Honda's table lists this exact odometer point rather than a universal repeating interval.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 40,000 mi / 64,400 km · Listed 40,000-mile service point only; not a repeating interval.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    15,000- and 45,000-mile major visits

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 15,000 mi / 24,000 km · At 15,000 and 45,000 miles; this is not stated as a universal 15,000-mile recurrence.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

    30,000-mile major visit

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2 L conventional, 1.5 L CVCC · US · The EPA report publishes Honda's service points for the 1.2 L conventional and 1.5/1.6 L CVCC families. It states that 1979 uses the same schedule as 1978, but does not reproduce the operations within each visit; those operations remain unclaimed.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · At the 30,000-mile maintenance point.

    Source: U.S. EPA — Automobile Emission Control status report, Honda 1978–1979 maintenance schedules · Section 12.2.7.1, Table Honda-8 and preceding text: 1978 Honda maintenance points; Honda states the 1979 schedule is unchanged · checked

  • Fuel filter

    Exact reference available

    The WIX application catalog establishes a replacement filter for this year and engine family; no service interval is inferred from the parts catalog.

    Applies to: 1978 · 1.2-liter inline-four, 1.5-liter CVCC inline-four · United States · WIX publishes 33067 for the Civic engine application rows that include this model year. Confirm the installed engine and filter dimensions before ordering.

    Source: WIX Filters — 33067 application catalog · Honda Civic application rows — 1973–1979, L4 1.2L 1237cc; 1975–1979, L4 1.5L 1488cc · checked

    Verified ordering references

    • Validated equivalentWIX 33067

      Qty. 1 · Inline gasoline fuel filter; 1/4-inch inlet and outlet · catalog-listed

      Cataloged for the 1978 Civic application; this establishes replacement-filter fitment, not a service interval.

      Catalog: WIX Filters — 33067 application catalog · Honda Civic application rows — 1973–1979, L4 1.2L 1237cc; 1975–1979, L4 1.5L 1488cc · checked

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Sources

  1. Honda Global — Civic heritage and 40th-anniversary history
  2. Honda Global — 75 Years of Honda History: automobile business
  3. Honda Owners — owner manuals and maintenance information
  4. NHTSA — VIN recall lookup
  5. Wikipedia — "Honda Civic"

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