Platinum.Skillz

1993 Civic EX
Manual
D16Z6

Hello all,

Recently my car started idling rough, and seemed to hiccup a lot right between gears. It would be rough, but then kind of "kick in" and get going after changing gears.

Today I just replaced the fuel filter and spark plugs and now it's WORSE.

It almost stalls at lights, and hiccups almost constantly while driving. I'm at a loss here.

Any suggestions on what I could do next? My friend said timing belt, I'm thinking fuel pump. (I don't want it to be either because they're both expensive and very time consuming.)

Any help would be great. Thanks!

Platinum.Skillz

Nothin' huh?

Former User

You might want to replace the plug wires and also check the distributor cap and rotor for corrosion and wear. Also check the ignition timing with a timing gun.

Is the CEL ON?

Platinum.Skillz

No. There is no CEL.

Platinum.Skillz

Any other suggestions? This is my commuter for work. If I can't get it fixed I'm kinda screwed.

Can you take off and inspect the distributor cap without messing anything up on the car?

drave

I was wondering this too. I've heard from a few sources that taking off and inspecting the distributor cap/rotor will mess up the timing. Confirm/deny?

Former User

No, the cap and rotor can only be reinstalled one way. If you need to remove the rotor, you may need to flick the ignition key to ON (III) a few times to position the rotor screw for removal.

egthomas

hiccups. hhmmm..

it would be really easier if you could catch a video clip of it and post it so ppl can know exactly what your talking about. its a pretty broad problem you know?

sohctodohc

did you gap the plugs properly when you installed them? what plugs did you use? sometimes there gapped when you buy them but there not always gapped properly

Platinum.Skillz

I can try to get a video I suppose.

The spark plugs were not gapped when I bought them. I gapped them myself to the correct specs. They were Autolite I believe.

To add to the story, I got up this morning and went to Kragen to get some Carb Cleaner and Seafoam. I started the car and took off as normal. This time the car ran "pretty" smooth. It didn't practically die at lights, and it only hiccuped a little bit when accelerating. This was kinda weird to me because I was like... ummm, it was really bad last night and I didn't drive it until now. Why is it better?

Anyway, I haven't seafoamed it yet. I figured I would come home, clean up the engine bay a little bit then have a look around. First I took off the air hose leading to the throttle body and checked it for anything. Nothing. Then I cleaned the TB opening with the carb cleaner. Checked a lot of connections, blah blah blah.

Then I turned the car on and let it idle for about 10-12 minutes before I did anything else. In this time the idle slowly went from ~1200 at started to about 450, which I've read is normal after warming up. For about another 5 minutes it did nothing. Then, it started to idle weird again, but not so bad. Just a little jump every now and again, from the 450 to like 550 then back down.

I did notice, however, after looking around alot that my throttle cable was rather loose when sitting in it's neutral state. By a little I mean I could grab it and move it, I'd say around 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. That seems like a lot now that I think about it. Could this be a problem? If so, how do I fix it?

Also, when I turn the key to ON, I hear a couple of normal clicks, then about a 2-3 second "buzzing" noise. Is this the fuel pump turning on?

Again, I'll see what I can do about the video.

Thank you.

Platinum.Skillz

Well, the only way I could get a video would be to record it on my cell phone.

Only thing is, I have no way of getting it from my phone to my computer.

Sorry.

Platinum.Skillz

Today I cleaned out everything I could think of that had to do with my air intake and/or fuel.

I took the air filter housing off, and the large tube connecting it to the throttle body so I could inspect it and look around better. I found nothing. I cleaned everything thoroughly and replaced it. I also tightened up my throttle cable, which seems to have helped with the hiccuping between gears, but my idle is still stupid.

I was unable to get my IACV off so I could inspect it. Dang bolts wouldn't move. My butterfly valve in my TB is now sparkly clean, so I doubt it has anything to do with my problem.

Can anyone give me any more direction?

Things I've tried:
Air Filter
Fuel Filter
Butterfly Valve in TB
Throttle Cable
Vacuum Hoses
Air Filter Housing and checked the Resonator
Seafoam did nothing

Something new possibly. I do hear a tapping or ticking noise coming from near my valve cover, but I can't be sure if it's a valve or if it's something connected to my timing belt. The reason I say this is because there is noticeable squeaking coming from that area.

Could my timing be off? I'm not sure because my belt looks fine. No frays, no dry-rotting, etc.

Platinum.Skillz

Things I'm going to try next:

Clean IACV <-- This seems to be the most promising.
Check FIV
Flush my radiator and add new coolant.
(Read something about bubbles in coolant leading to erratic idle/running.)

It's worth a shot and rather inexpensive.

Platinum.Skillz

Well, I've done everything I've mentioned.

I cleaned out my IACV last night like crazy, it made my car idle rather smooth until I tried moving it. Then, it just did the same thing as before.

I'm stumped again, and I've been getting no responses as to help or input... so, I don't know where to go from here.

Thanks a lot everyone!

sohctodohc

did you replace the rotor and cap?

and what do you mean when you moved it? i dont understand

shifty35

One of your problems is Autolite spark plugs... get that crap out and replace with some proper NGKs.

sohctodohc

actually look up master of the universe, these plugs have been proven to work. do your research

Platinum.Skillz

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sohctodohc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">did you replace the rotor and cap?

and what do you mean when you moved it? i dont understand</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, I have not replaced the rotor and cap.

I did, however, remove and clean the cap last night. I also tightened the ignitor connections and added dielectric grease.

And when I said "move" I meant drive the car.