stumpedtech

1998 Honda Civic Ex Coupe 2 door coupe
D16Y8 4 cylinder Automatic 1.6L

There is a starting problem. There are many other problems that led up to today, but first the current problem.

You switch the key. The Check engine light shows with oil and srs and others,
then cuts off like normal with a click sound from the fuel pump relay.
You start the car and it has a not so good feeling start, sluggish, like it's
trying to churn into a complete start, then settles at 1k rpms. The oil light stays on for half a second longer than the others sometimes. The starting tends to sound a lot better if you just
now turn off the car and turn it on within 7 minutes, but anything longer than that wait time,
it won't start as well.

That is the problem. It is unhealthy sounding.

Now for another problem which may or may not be related.
Continued, you go in reverse out of a parking space, you drive less than
100 feet away, and you feel a powering down. A sluggish, loss of gas/fuel pump/fuel line leak, or as if the distributor was on a DJ spin down, then it goes back to normal, you press the gas and that seems to make the next one happen, but a little less, then, the car drives fine from here to the moon and back.

BUT, the thing I have found about these issues is that the problem gets worse as you continue to drive throughout the day, and starting it.
The engine stops churning as much as it did before, making it more of a
slitting wrist problem for me, but the powering down issue stays the same.

Now for the fun part, the history of repairs/replacement parts, and diagnosis.

A good 4 months ago, the car sat for 6 weeks.
I start it up, everythings fine. I go down the road and the powering down happens. I start thinking there might be something clogging a fuel pump screen. Well, life went on.

I am working, driving my car, going uphill, loss of horsepower down to
20 mph with a lead foot uphill. I go to a gas station, and see that one or two of the wires are smoking. I figure that since 2 wires made my life a living hell a year before hand, that maybe the 2 year old double platinum plugs and 1 year old wires are just in time for replacement. I try that, and snap off a plug in cylinder 3. I get a guy to remove it with an easy out.

Car runs fine after that. Thank god I didn't need a new engine.

Overheating starts happening and I juggle the things problems with hoses radiator coolant thermostats heat sensor and relay. Find out it's the head gasket after replacing the water pump and timing belt didn't work, wasn't the problem.

Car drove like new.

Keep in mind the check engine light has not come on for these things, but I do know that the check engine light works.

One day I feel what I've felt before a long time ago, an alternator going out. It was. It was the voltage regulator. Replaced it with a refurbished. A day later the battery light starts flashing intermittently. Anything could cause it. I change the battery out. No change. I replace wires. 4 guage wires and connectors for grounds and power. Happens less afterwards, but then comes back the same a day later.

Then, great, I snap off a connection for power wire on the starter. It was the
original starter. I replaced it with a duralast starter. No change except that the starting sounded like a classic comedy zipp sound.

I scratch my head a lot, and a new problem happens. Now,
the engine won't start properly! Wow, so now it's rumbling
like it's misfiring, but no check engine. It gets worse each time I start it throughout the day, then a steep downfall of not completely turning on for 10 minutes, feeling rumbling studdering like there's 1 cylinder firing and then slowly churning into an engine, to the next day, it doesn't start AT ALL.
Tries to start, but nothing.

I find out that the spark plugs are covered in black carbon and gasoline, including the threads.
Starts right up when I replace the plugs. But now, oh no, new problem..
The idle is going up and down on the rpm's in a timed manner.

I figure it's the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) causing that. It was the TPS, I got it replaced by someone, drove 20 miles back home, runs fine, turn off the car, and an hour later, oh.. Same stuff. Rumbling start, fine, then battery light flashing all over. I get told to replace the alternator again, and I do but this time it's brand new, and a Napa alternator. Problem seems solved, then I try getting a mechanic to check the fuel pressure to ultimately replace the fuel pump if that was the problem making it power down right after starting to drive, and also it's starting weird again. I tell them that what seems to cure it is priming the pump by turning on the key a few times and letting it sit for 30 seconds or so. It would start right up then. They don't check the pressure. They "don't have a tool". They say nothing is wrong with it. They are import mechanics and work on acuras and hondas and domestics too. They tell me that my timing was off by 10 degrees, I go.. What?! I'm thrilled, they don't even charge me, I pick it up, and it doesn't have any problems for 3 or 4 days. Drives like new.


Today, 3 or 4 days later, my car finally gives up and starts doing something similar. It starts misbehaving again. Described on the top of this post. It sluggishly turns over and fires up. It does the powering down like from the very beginning. Seems like a separate issue, but who knows.

Tonight I check the spark plugs to be sure that's not it again, and it isn't. They are dusted lightly with gray and no chips. They work.


What I have been thinking the problem is.. The ecu, fuel pump relay, or the distributor, because all I replaced was the cap and rotor after the wires,
but MAINLY the distributor. I have an itch I can't scratch, and it's the distributor to me. The ignition thing inside the distributor passed a test. I also replaced the fuel pressure regulator after cap and rotor.


I have heard of similar problems online, but not in this detail, and not as similar, with the outcome, the final fix understanding by them.. something
that I HAVE ALREADY DONE.

Listen, I live in a town filled with mechanics that are helpful, then stubborn, then egotistical when it comes to me checking off their little list of checks and questions. It seems that I should throw this thing at Honda, but they will do each thing I have already done and charge $100 for each "diagnostic", and frankly I don't have the money anymore. The job that I currently have only supplies enough for me to try and fix here and there only, I can't just buy another car. If I'm going to buy another car, it's going to be brand new, or I'm sticking with a Ducati. I'm not going through this crap ever again. This issue seems so dumb and simple to fix, but every time I'm let down.

Please help me figure out what this is