jeebertsab

Hi there,

Kinda new here and I have a little bit of a problem with the idle and the acceleration with my Civic 1993. The idle is rough, feels like the car is going to cut out. Acceleration will lag and hesitate until I past about 3k RPM then it'll run smooth.

I've checked my spark plugs and they are all in good condition. Compression is around 180-190 all 4 valves. Latest change was a new distributor about 4 months ago. the car has about 210k miles. No check engine light.

Not sure where to check next. Any insight would be great. Thanks.

Former User

CEL works?

How old are the plugs and wires?

jeebertsab

Forgot to mention I changed the spark plugs when I got a new distributor cap. Wires are old so I'll check that. Not sure about my Check Engine Light though. I will assume it works because my dashboard don't seem to have problems. I haven't checked it yet but I know you can do it with a paper clip and one of the small plugs down by the passenger's side of the foot. I will update once I get back from checking that.

Former User

Replace the plug wires.

Turn key from off to ON(II). Does the CEL light turn on for 2 seconds and then turn off?

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

<p>To expound on what RonJ said, replace the plug wires with quality wires. &nbsp;NGK is the way to go - everything else is a waste of money. &nbsp;When you replaced your distributor, was it with a good OEM unit, or some cheap aftermarket? &nbsp;Did you set ignition timing after the replacement?</p>

jeebertsab

Yes, check light comes on. About the distributor, I only replaced the cap. Sorry for sounding so noob. As you can see I'm also learning and practicing DIY. My distributor cap was an OEM from partsgeek.

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

test the coil/icm. if not, look towards a faulty o2.

frost6

At the risk of sounding like an idiot ,can the o2 be bad without throwing a cel? If so do you need to do a real time test on the volts? Or how would you know if it's the primary or secondary?

Former User

Yes

Just unplug the primary O2 sensor to see if the problem is eliminated.

The secondary sensor is only an emissions device so focus on the primary sensor.

Former User

Also replace the rotor. Have you inspected the inside of the distributor? Remove from car. Remove cap, rotor, and dust cover. What do you see -- red dust, oil, damage? Post pictures.

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

you dont have a secondary. your car is a 93

jeebertsab

Thanks guys.


This is gonna be pretty long.


I found out what was wrong with it. It was misfiring so I got new spark plug wires, I decided to check the distributor out of curiosity and found that it was dirty (probably caused the misfire). The rotor and the metal pins inside the distributor cap was dirty and covered in this wet green substance. Almost looks like some kind of melted plastic or debris. Not sure how that managed to get in there. Since it was green, it may have been the pins being chipped from the rotor since the pins are usually mixed with bronze or copper. So I'm guessing the heat made it like that but it should still conduct right? So I cleaned it up and put everything back on. It started up and was perfectly fine. After this I decided to go buy a new distributor cap because it's better safe than sorry. I changed and put on the new distributor cap right in the parking lot of the auto part store. Worked fine and as I was driving home, I downshifted from 4th to 3rd and my engine cut out. It died completely. Car started to roll so I pulled over to the side. I tried turning my car back on. All lights were normal, check light came on for a few seconds and then went off. All the norms but when I cranked it, the car wasn't starting. So I was getting a Crank/no start problem. I cranked it about 7-8 times and the more I did it, it seemed like the crank was slowing down until the crank was barely there. Almost feels like the battery was out or the alternator wasn't working. I'm curious to think maybe it isn't the battery since all my lights come on and my headlights still shine well at low beams. So I'm thinking I need to check the ignition coil, alternator, or maybe even the gas pump since my car just cut out while I was driving. I don't know why after getting my car to run fine, This new problem shows up. Any tips would be great and if anyone has an opinions why my car died like this from my detailed night.


TL;DR Fixed idle/acceleration problem but now I have a crank/no start problem. Might be alternator, ignition coil or gas pump.


Any tips would help. Thanks much.

Jimi Hondrix

Did you recheck inside your distributor to look for more buildup of the green substance you mentioned? To confirm your suspicion: the green substance would likely indicate corrosion from the copper or brass bits on the coil and/or igniter, and for that to develop so quickly on new parts would indicate overheating and/or inferior metal (made in China..lol). Overheating could be be caused by parts rubbing or more likely by excessive current, poor connections, or insulation breakdown. Are you sure that substance isn't oil that could be leaking past the distributor's inner (within housing) O-ring? As others suggested buy an OEM distributor or at least OEM coil and igniter.
Look for loose or dirty main ground wires to block and frame. As we all learned in middle school science.. electrons take the path of least resistance. So, clean your grounds, clean your battery terminals, posts and apply a bit of vasoline (to prevent corrosion) to both the terminals and battery posts. Tighten connections to starter.

maybe these will help:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...il+overheating

jeebertsab

I'm not sure if there was any oil because the green substance wasn't oily but it was moist. I did recheck it this morning before work and came to find out one of the screws for the distributor cap snapped. >:O dammmn man. So I drilled it out and yes I took off the cap to see the ignition coil. Didn't see anymore of that green substance and no traces of oil. I can't check the ignition coil since I don't have any voltage checking kit (not sure what they are called but the screwdriving looking tool with the light inside the hollow handle to show if there is voltage or not). I'll check the grounding wires but I doubt they will be the problem because my car was running fine for a moment until it all cut out. I'm beginning to get nervous because I didn't check the fuel pump or can't recall if I heard the fuel pump prime last night when I tried to crank it. Man, finish one problem and another pops up. I love my EG though. Old school is the most durable.

Jimi Hondrix

Use Ron J's test coil and igniter procedure:
https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...blems-2919450/

Another source:
Part 1 -How to Troubleshoot a No Start (1.6L Honda Civic)

ETCG shows you how:

As you can see there's plenty of information on-line. Do you really want us to cradle your ***** for you? That's what you girlfriend is for. At least that what she does for me...lol.

Jimi Hondrix

Try getting a jump or charge the battery if you have a battery charger. Low beams on doesn't mean battery is working properly.. just means battery's output isn't totally drained.
If, you get it started drive it to Autozone or other parts store and ask them to test (free of charge) the alternator and battery.

jeebertsab

Thanks. That's what I plan to do. Just watched the Ericthecarguy's video about no crank/no start. youtu.be/BrqkhZmDnHQ and I'm thinking i'll get the starter checked too since I get a very little crank when I try starting my car. Praying that it's the battery.

Former User

First post:

3 days later:

So, did you install a used rather than new distributor?

jeebertsab

I replaced the distributor cap with a new one. It's not OEM but it will have to do for now. My car shut out after I started driving home with the new dizzy cap and spark plug wires. I forgot to mention I also replaced the fuel filter and air filter. I was literally 3 minutes down the road when my car cut out. Since then I was having good cranks and it went to barely getting a crank or no crank at all.

Former User

You need to clarify. If you supply bad information, then you delay solving the problem and waste member's time.

jeebertsab

I didn't install a new distributor, just changed the cap. If you're referring to the earlier post when I said I did 4 months ago, I meant just the cap so sorry if it confused you. Bit of a noob here. As of knowledge if the current distributor is used or new, I'm not sure. I bought the car about 5 years ago so I didn't even know to ask. Not sure how to check if it is the original or if it was a used before I got the car. Cap is new though. Not oem but new.

Former User

If you want help, then it's imperative that you provide accurate information. Please look through all of your posts in this thread and correct any errors or ambiguities.

Have you checked for spark at all 4 plugs?

You can bet it's old based on what you saw when you opened it up. If there's no spark or weak spark, then seriously consider buying a NEW distributor.

jeebertsab

Yes all spark plugs are good. They're about 4 months old in my car. Not showing any signs of burning oil or burnt out plugs. My compression test were around 180-190 in all 4 cylinders.


Thanks for the tip about getting a new OEM distributor.

Former User

This doesn't answer the question about whether the plugs have strong spark.

jeebertsab

Are you talking about the spark plug wires? Sorry a bit confused here. If you can check a spark on a spark plug, I didn't know.