tim73

Have a 97 accord ex, vtec. I bought it off a guy who said that he went into the dentist office and when he came out it wouldnt start. He took it to his mechanic brother in law who said it needed a new engine. A compression test indicated 30, 30, 30 and 125. So, I adjusted the valves, and it improved to 110, 110, 110 and 125. It has 147K, so I thought it might still run, but it wont. I can see the timing belt turning, and it isnt loose. All the valve train looks good and all cam lobes appear ok. It is getting spark, and i can hear the fuel pump spooling up. Suggestions? I have a new rebuilt head sitting in my garage, but i sure hate to do that job, if it is something I have overlooked.

hondamark35

Check that the cam timing is right. Also double check the plug wire are in the right location. Look for loose ground wires or any other wire damage, looseness or poor connection.

see if the spark plugs are wet with fuel after a few attempts at cranking to confirm the injectors are working as well.

if at that point everything checks out and it still won't start, consider pulling the head and checking for piston and/or valve damage.

tim73

Are there marks on the crankshaft pulley to check timing? or do you have to remove the pulley and look at the sprocket? Thanks!

kidcool1977

yes there are, I forgot which one is TDC or BTDC, (consult your manual) but this is what you'll be looking for on the crank pulley.

tim73

Ok, so I assume cam sprocket will say up with the two lines aligned to top of head?

kidcool1977

correct.

tim73

So I first aligned the crank pulley, but the cam pulley didn't line up, so then I aligned the cam pulley and the crank pulley didn't line up. In either case it wasn't even close.

kidcool1977

i'm guessing you will put in a new timing belt while your at it and line everything up?.

hondacraxy85

I would check the main relay it should be under the steering column somewhere. It controls the fuel pump. Mine burned out and the car wouldnt start. Do you have any lights flashing on the gear shift indicator?

tim73

I will, but I am just not 100% convinced I need to tear it down. I would hate to tear it all down, just to put it all back together with rebuilt head, new head gasket, water pump and timing/balance belts, only for it not to run. Was hoping perhaps I might have missed something along the way.

By the way, when you guys remove the head, so you normally remove the camshaft assembly, remove head, set the head on the block and reinstall camshaft assembly? Or just leave it all in place and place bolt head down as is?

tim73

So, i worked on the car today. And i am even more confused. I found that the balance belt had shredded and one of the two crank sensors had broken. I am assuming the belt, after breaking, hit and broke the plastic mount of the sensor. But, the timing belt was still in tact and tight. However, the timing was off. No matter how I turned the crank, I couldnt get the timing marks to line up. Heres a few pictures. I havent removed the head yet, but I am planning on doing it monday. Advise? Thanks!



Pointing to the left alignment line. It is not near where it should be.



Showing crank pointing to Timing mark.



Showing snapped balance belt and destroyed sensor.

halfordrk

It controls the fuel pump. Mine burned out and the car wouldnt start.

MAD_MIKE

If the balance belt broke, it may have been caught in between the cam or crank sprocket and jumped the timing belt a tooth. This would cause the cam to crank timing misalignment. The no start condition is most likely due to the broken crank sensor.

Purchase a new timing belt kit with tensioners and a water pump while you are in there.(Gates brand from RockAuto.com is usually cheapest, code good until 12/29/2013: 1808744815519436 )

If the crank sensor timing is completely broken, electrically, you will need to purchase a new unit. If you can glue the plastic tabs back together this would save you some coin as they are fairly expensive. Avoid 'Standard' brand as they do not have a good reputation for reliability.

holmesnmanny

Hey dude, you adjusted the valves on a car that had the timing off so your valve adjustment is going to be off. If you're real lucky you don't have any damage so don't pull the head unless you have to. Just buy a kit like mike said and put it all back together. Then readjust the valves to spec and then buy a compression tester kit for only $20 and do a compression test and see what you got.

tim73

When I adjusted the valves, I visually looked at the cam for each set, to make sure I was 180 off of the lobe. So I "think" I'm ok there. I have a new timing set coming today. I will set timing right, install all crap I removed, and try to fire up. The cfk, was pretty badly damaged. They're 120 new. Maybe can go to junkyard and get one. But they don't allow air tools. Dang crank bolt is a booger with hand tools. Will advise later on. Thanks guys.

holmesnmanny

You can rent the honda crank holder tool at most parts stores now. I know oreilly has it

kidcool1977

amazon sells it for 30 bucks

tim73

I managed to get to the junkyard and get a sensor. Put it on, adjusted timing properly. readjusted valves. Then did another compression test. This time it came out even worse, 30 on all cylinders. So i ripped head off, and installed newly rebuilt head and new head gasket. Broke the temp sensor and VTEC solenoid for my efforts. Rained all day today, so tomorrow will install timing and balance belt. the adjust valves. Will then do compression again.

The head i pulled off didnt look bad, i couldnt see any bent or burnt valves. Head gasket and pistons all looked good too. So, I am hoping i didnt pull it off prematurly. I will doubly check book tomorrow, to make sure I am timing and adjusting valves properly.

The junkyard car was missing the starter so, i used a flahead and managed to keep flexplate still inorder to break crankbolt.

kidcool1977

damn, feel for you bud.

checked the distributor just for the hell of it.

tim73

Got the head on, bolted down and got the timing belt on and valves adjusted. Checked compression. 180, 180, 180, 180. Im pretty happy about that. Still have to get my hands on a VTEC solenoid and a temp sensor. But hopefully Friday, I can get to the junkyard.

Still not sure about the old head, it really looks good. The rebuilt head I got, cost me $234 to my door(This includes a $30 core charge) So all in all, im down about $450(Inlcuding the head gasket, head and timing belt/water pump kit) Havent heard it run yet, but I am confident it will. Will advise later on.

tim73

Runs good. Has a leaking oil pan gasket, but I am happy. Thansk for help all!