Ok, yeah, next time you warm it up and it starts to go above it's normal mark, jumper the switch connector on the thermostat housing and the fans should turn on. If not, apply direct battery to each fan and ensure it comes on. If the fans did come on when you jumpered the connector then the problem is the fan switch on the thermostat housing.

 

I talked to the parts guy at my Honda dealer and he said that if you had sludge from oil/water mix it would make the VTEC malfuntion very sensitive to oil quality.

It seems that they have a fan control modual hidden inside the passengers side dash interior. I'm going to jumper the fans to on via paper clips and take it for a drive.

I drove it for 15+ miles and about 30 min and it ran great until I turned it off and tried to start it again. I think it all goes back to the fans. The misfire was just on start up once it was running it stopped mis firing. I think if it was something it would not have gone away. When the car was moving 50+ the temp would come down too. I think if I had another issue it would not cool off when it was moving.

I wonder if this efan issue is what caused the original owners overheat that blew the head gasket?

 

When you gently cruise the motor and aren't going uphill the air hitting the radiator acts as a fan.

The overheating of the car would only cause a misfire if it blew the headgasket.

No need to drive the car at all with the fans constantly running. Just check it like I suggested and if it's bad just replace the fan switch with one from Honda. Aftermarkets don't last as long and it's not worth the $10-$20 savings to risk them not working only one year down the road and you're out in the middle of nowhere. I know this form experience. I blew the headgasket on my car using an aftermarket thermostat from Oreilly that didn't even make it one year or 30k miles. This is expecially true with thermostats, Hondas have a built in failsafe.

 

right but it would keep mis firing not just on start up right?

 

Once the engine gets warmed up the ecu simply puts the system into closed loop. Overheating isn't going to change that unless it overheats and the headgasket leaks.

There is a very small chance that some sensor is somehow getting too hot and screwing up so sure ya fix the overheating and see what happens.

 

yep the passenger side fan comes off and on without any explination when the AC is on. I tried moving around relays and checked every single fuse from under the hood to both sides of the dash. It didn't make a difference. The other fan on the drivers side doesn't come on period. I jumpered the temp sensors and was able to get the passenger side fan to come on and stay on. It comes on with ignition now and I will probably just leave it paperclipped on.

Where does the drivers side fan get its signal to come on from??

Also you were all right about the head.... I did another compression test I have 160/155/130/130 so I have two cylinders that have low compression. I found a shop that will shave it and clean it for $65 so I guess I will do that. I checked it with a straight edge and the feeler gauge and it was not warped I wonder if the gasket was bad? I used a cheap Amazon gasket made by Evergreen. I have used their stuff before with good luck? I know everyone always says OEM OEM...

 

Check the block for warpage. It's not as often but it can warp. If it's warped just plan on getting another engine.

Ok, now for the ac, the fans will only come on when the ac compressor cycles on. So keep an eye on the ac compressor, when it cycles on the fans should too. However, both fans should come on, if the drivers side fan is not coming on at all, take off the connector and apply direct power from the battery to the fan motor connector. Just get a set of test leads for like $2 or so. If it doesn't come on then the fan itself is bad.

Also, fyi, normally when the head overheats it starts by taking out the 4th cylinder, then the 3rd and so on. This is almost universal.

 

It's funny the car runs great until you turn it off and try to start it again ah head gasket. I thought about running 12 volt to the fan but figured I'd deal with it after I get the head redone

 

It sounds like either coolant or oil is leaking into the combustion chamber after the car warms up and the car is off. It pools enough to screw you when you try to start it.

 

I thought the same thing and the water in combustion chamber would cause the misfire at start up and would explain why it stops mis firing on its own after a few min of running. This motor has been apart before I bought it because all the valve cover bolt holes in the head were helicoiled and the valve cover studs had damaged threads. I picked up new valve cover studs at the junkyard. When I drop it off at the machine shop I'm going to have them repair the holes. They should be able to fill them and re-tap them. The drivers side rear corner one does not seal 100%.

 

well I took it back apart and had a shop deck the head. The head was not warped on the bottom but was on the top. With a straight edge you could not get a feeler guage under it. with it sitting on a bench you can rock it slightly. The shop said that it got very hot and the entire head is heat warped. The shop said they have seen much worse from Honda's and that after a decking it should seal up.

I put it back together and adjusted the valves. 3 of the 16 were very out of adjustment from whatever the machine shop did. I have 170/160/140/160 compression on a warm engine without any oil squirted into the plug hole. Clearly something is not right with #2 but it runs great, starts right up and makes power. I have driven it about 15 miles running a bunch of short errand trying to get it hot and it is running cool.

Thanks for the advise

 

60 miles later no issues