Cjlarson14

Vehicle is a 1997 Honda Del Sol Vtec (B16A2). Just recently bought it. The previous owner had pressure washed the engine and bay, BUT, forgot to cover the dizzy or spark plug wires. Since then the car has randomly died when at idle at a stop light or stop sign or even just disengaging the clutch and rolling to a stop sign. Just yesterday the vehicle began acting weird where it would not rev past 3500 rpms from 1st to 4th gear but I was on the freeway and in 5th gear it would surpass 3500 rpms. I got it home, but after getting off the freeway the motor began to bog and studder as if a cylinder was not even firing in the cycle. Soon after that the CEL came on. Got home and read the code. (P0336 Crankshaft Position Sensor Range/Performance). The timing belt does not appear to have skipped teeth. I've read that the CPK is inside the dizzy which may be the cause since the previous owner soaked the motor w/o covering it. I'm not really too sure about what's going on and would like to properly fix it without throwing parts at it. Already planning on doing a tuneup (Plugs, Wires, Dizzy Cap/Rotor, Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Air Filter, etc.) Any insight on this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. Sorry about the long post. Just wanted to be as thorough as possible.

jbpnoman

Since you have pulled the code, your next step is to reset the ECU and see if it continues/returns. If it does, replace your distributor with a known-good OEM unit. You can also get a cheaper OEM alternative from Rock Auto.

Cjlarson14

Reset the ECU that day. Just came back today. Going to opt for a new Distributor. P0336 is for the Crankshaft Position Sensor. Should I replace the sensor as well for good measure or you think it's just the distributor end that is messing up? Thanks in advance.

jbpnoman

P0336 refers to the sensor within the distributor, not the sensor down by the oil pump. Common misconception. By replacing the distributor, you ARE replacing the sensor.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showpo...68&postcount=4

HondaPartsHero

Got a multimeter?

Cjlarson14

Yes, I do. Thanks. I will have to do this when I'm switching out the dizzy.

Cjlarson14

Alright. Thanks for clearing that up for me. "SHOULD" also help the car dying correct? Has been randomly dying when at idle. It'll do it every so often when I'm at a stop light or when I first start it, meaning I start it and then it immediately dies, and so I start it again and it is then fine. Replacing the plugs and wires as well and gunna check timing after I replace dizzy.

jbpnoman

Theoretically, possibly, maybe, probably. I'm not going to say it'll definitely fix problems with random dying, but it should. OEM/NGK copper (V-Power) plugs and wires should be a given, as should checking your timing when you replace the dizzy.

Do yourself a favor, and spend the money on a good dizzy. Rock Auto has good prices for a proper replacement. Autozone/Advanced are his and miss (with a lot of miss), and "eBay specials" should be strictly avoided, unless you hate yourself and your motor.

Cjlarson14

Yeah definitely this. I've already gotten the dizzy. Went down to Honda and bought a brand new OEM distributor so I shouldn't have a any problems. Insane how much they charge for it but, I go there quite often and they usually hook me up with an employee discount and then some. Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated.

Cjlarson14

Not to bring up a debatable topic but, I've always opted for Iridium NGK's during the summer just because they have a higher melting point and seem to do better in the heat. Although yes, copper is a much better conductor. Any input on your end? I've already purchased Iridiums, maybe go back and get (V-Power) OEM original instead? Keep in mind that I'm kind of an OCD person when it comes to maintenance and I replace my spark plugs every time I replace my oil (Every 3-4 months).

jbpnoman

My car is setup for boost, so my "personal experience" input wouldn't be very useful for you. I'm two steps off in heat range, and running special plugs at the recommendation of my tuner.

That said, of the Hondas (and Subarus) that I maintain for friends and family, they all get NGK V-Power plugs that are recommended in each of their FSM's, and I've never had a problem.

Cjlarson14

Alright, well thanks for the honest opinion. I'm gunna stick to the iridiums for now, and come december I will switch back to V-Power. Never had a problem with them.