RSKtakR

I have a 1998 AWD manual trans CRV, 137k miles.


Parts replaced:
-fuel filter
-PCV
-main relay
-plugs and plug wires
-Air filter
All have about 4k miles on them.


I bought it with 132k miles on it, oil is changed every 3k miles. Last owner said the timing belt and water pump were replaced, timing belt looks to be in good shape but I'm not 100% sure on when or if it was changed or not. I have been driving it daily for probably 5mos now and have been getting 27-29mpg's in warm weather and about 24mpgs in cold weather. Currently has the stock distributor on it, I have never changed the coil pack or igniter. I bought a entire new/complete distributor but its not a Honda brand and stopped working within 100 miles. There ended up being no spark so I think the igniter might have shot craps.. when that happened I just put the stock distributor back in and it has ran fine since then.


SOOOO Last night I'm driving along going to my GF's house and all of the sudden I feel a loss of power and notice the RPMs to be at 500 rpms or less at idle, the CRV barely has enough power from a dead stop to get up a slight hill, once it gets to a higher rpm (above 3k or so) it seems to run fine but will buck and jump around. It does NOT die at idle, there is a pretty long delay/reaction from the motor when the gas pedal is pressed. The idle is also rough now and it wasn't rough at all before.


I drove it home last night and pulled all the plugs out, they look fine, did a COLD compression test this morning and from the timing belt side of the motor it read 150, 100, 150, 150, put a new cap and rotor in this morning and it still did the same thing/ no change. I started reading around online and have come across problems with the bad valves in these which might be causing this but I would think 100psi being the lowest it should still run decent and NOT do what its doing?? It has NOT overheated, it was a real bitch to start this morning and didn't want to start and run very well, but it finally did just with a low idle for a bit, then started idling high because of the 33 degree temps.


I am going to unplug the fuel injectors one by one this evening to see if there is any change in how it idles to see if an injector is bad to rule out a fuel problem. I kind of think its a sensor or something else stupid/small ( I hope). I don't hear any vacuum leaks but I will probably start spraying some hoses with carb cleaner or brake cleaner to check for a vacuum leak
to also rule that out. I was also told to squirt a little bit of oil into the cylinder that is reading low, and if the pressure doesn't come then its it's for sure bad valves in that cylinder.


Anyone else ever had this problem and if so what fixed it? Any other ideas on what it could be?? Also there is no check engine light flashing/on. Exhaust smells a little rich like fuel isn't being burned 100% so maybe the igniter or the coil in the stock distributor is on the way out? I wouldn't think that either of those would just halfway work and would be more of a it either works or doesn't work type of thing but I could be wrong. Any suggestions??

OneBadTurboCRV

Please edit that, I am willing to be practically nobody will take the time to sort through that monstrosity of a paragraph.

RSKtakR

Edit it why? So I can just be asked 28 different questions about info that would be lacking in my post? It's easier to post one informative post with all the info needed for someone reading to make a pretty educated opinion on what's wrong, so thanks for your help.

OneBadTurboCRV

I am one of the few people that will help you. All I was asking for is eye relief. That is just one giant paragraph that I am not going to sort through. This is the reason for page breaks, few sentence paragraphs, etc... if you can't do that then I wish you Good Luck.

RSKtakR

edited.

OneBadTurboCRV

Thank you so much; very good post now!

Anyways, from the sounds of it you have a burnt valve/s or (more unlikely due to compression #s) the valve lash needs to be set. Your best bet here would be to do a leak-down test and go from there.

Your gas milage and lack of codes doesn't suggest a clogged catalytic converter or some of the other common issues like a failed igniter. When the Igniter fails, usually the tachometer is bouncing around or the car will just shut off when it gets heatsoaked/been driven and won't restart until it has cooled back off.

You have to look at the numbers here. 100 psi is a ~33.33% differential from 150 psi and that is quite a lot. Definitely more than enough to have running issues especially at idle. There is always the possibility of a blown headgasket, but it is more unlikely unless you are getting bubbles in your coolant, thick white exhaust, or chocolate milk looking oil. I personally would focus on the valves first.

RSKtakR

Thanks for all that info!


Setting the lash wont fix the problem and the valves will need replaced and the head need to be removed/worked on though right (more than likely like you said)?
I don't have the tools needed to do a leak down test and I would think that at this point its safe to assume the head will be coming off though probably lol.


I don't think its a head gasket, as there is no coolant in the oil or other signs of that etc.

RSKtakR

Ok so update time... I got home this evening and decided to see how the CRV would start run as I wanted to get it warm and check the compression again.

It started right up, idled high because of the cold and got warm. Took it out for a short drive and I swear it feels like the same type of power loss there would be from a spark plug of plug word arching to anywhere except 100% at the plug. Right at 2500 the motor runs out great. But until then it's like I'm trying to start in 3rd gear from a dead stop.

Now for the compression tests.. I did 3 back to back, checking each cylinder one right after the other and disconnecting the tester and putting on each cylinder three times, so 150, 145, 150, 150. Then the next two times were damn near 150 across all four. Only thing I can think of that happened this morning was I was in a hurry and might have not gotten the tester on all the way?

So I think I will try (unless you think otherwise):
-replacing plugs
-try different spark plug wires
-replace the igniter
-replace the coil

Then start it and unplug injectors to see if there is a change at all. I think it's also low on coolant as I didn't see any in the overflow do I will fill that to. And find the leak.

Also, the oil is still nice and clear.

EJ8_Man

I'd do more testing before buying anything. Adjust your valves as suggested, and while you're doing that verify your mechanical timing is correct (timing pully and cam gears). Verify your ignition timing is correct. Hesitation, loss of power, rough idle sounds timing related.

Your story gave the impression this happened suddenly and you noticed immediately. This wasn't a gradual failure. Which is important when diagnosing and considering what broke. Could be your timing belt slipped a tooth or two.

If it's not timing related check other simple stuff like throttle cable slack, spray around looking for vacuum leaks. An OBD2 reader might reveal pending codes and you should see if your ECU has anything stored.

Also a spark tester is $15. Measure the quality of your spark. Only use Honda Distributors on Hondas. In my experience there is no substitute. I don't understand why you removed the stock distributor in the first place, replaced it with an aftermarket dizzy that broke, and then went back to stock again. Did you set your ignition timing after doing this?

OneBadTurboCRV

Yes, the new compression numbers sure changes things. Definitely a different direction now... do what EJ8 suggests and verify mechanical timing.

RSKtakR

As suggested I pulled the valve cover off and checked all the timing marks/alignment holes on the cams and crank.. sure enough they were off and the timing belt was pretty sloppy feeling. Took the CRV into a shop close to home on Saturday afternoon so I wouldn't have to drive it far to take the risk of anything else worse happening and I got it back yesterday just in time for the snow that is coming today. Thanks for you guys suggestions and help.