braapin127

hey all, i got a 1993 honda del sol with the 1.5 5 speed. its run good so far with 240k miles. however i need a head gasket sadly. anyways, i wanted to give the symptoms of my problems in hopes someone might have an answer... so here goes:
slight misfire when idling (not fluctuating). just sounds like running off 3.5 cyl.
CEL code 43.
running pig rich (carbon on my bumper lol).
when taking off, falls on its face if im below 2k rpms.
less power than usual.

MODS and new parts: dizzy last year (oe replacement).
new plugs/wires.
headers and full 2-2.25" exhaust.
removed cat.
2 glasspacks in a row(w/ no "muffler").
full cold air intake.
1.8 LS throttlebody (symptoms started before the TB swap).

any and all help appreciated

HondaPartsHero

What is your fuel pressure at? Can you try a good known working fuel pressure regulator from a friend?



Test fuel injectors as well
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/hon...el-injectors-2

SmaTTeRLegion

I just fixed this problem, you either need a new cap or rotor on the dizzy. Are you sure it cause it's not running on all cylinders? Check the cap and rotor and then check the o2 sensor, because my buddy said the wiring could be wrong on the o2 sensor and cause code 43. And if the rotor has build up on it, it might not be sparking right.

What I did to check if it was the cylinders on mine was pull 1 spark plug wire out at a time wile the car is on idling. The idle won't change when you pull it out, if a cylinder is out. I would also do a compression test to see if all your cylinders have compression.

braapin127

i did do the plug trick and every plug i pulled out lowered the idle. i picked up a brand new o2 today.
also i just checked and the fuel pressure regulator tested good... however heres the strange thing. when i went to test the injectors i let the car get warm then shut it down. the fuel troubleshooting guide says i should have 5-7 ohms resistance... my injectors all have 12.9 ohms... all 4 of them. all exactly 12.9 ohms.

and as for the dizzy... i took a look at it last night and noticed brown buildup on the contacts on the cap. i sanded them off but idk if that would fix them or not.

NEW symptom i noticed today is at stoplights the idle will drop to 300rpms and when you hit the gas it doesn't rev. you have to feather it back up to get it to rev

PS: did a compression test today and all 4 cylinders are running 150 PSI

braapin127

update: the other day some guy told me to retard my timing all the way. so i did. then i read your post about the dizzy so i tried retiming it while i was playing with it and that got rid of the cars problem of falling on its face and the weird feathering the idle to get it to rev. also restored most of the power. so what im down to is the slight misfire at idle, and when i hit the gas at all and let off, it drops to around 750 rpms then rises immediately back to idle at 1k rpms and stays, and the fact its running so rich i can smell unburnt fuel .

my theory is the head gasket being bad could possibly be putting coolant into the cylinders and causing the misfire... and then when i hit the gas and let off and the idle drops for a second that the engine gets extra coolant so it takes a second to recover and burn it off. and also the coolant is causing it to not burn off all the fuel in the power stroke so it lets it out the exhaust on the exhaust stroke
im going through alot of coolant btw
thoughts
misfire video link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQSw_...ature=youtu.be

SmaTTeRLegion

Yup think your having same problem as me again lol. It's funny cause you're going through the exact tune up I did to get mine running right.... Cap, Rotor, O2, Head Gasket, header gasket. The idle thing prob a exhaust leak or a leak of some kind.

And wile your at it, check your vtec solenoid make sure it's wired up right and make sure it's working. Last problem I've ran into.

BTW did you get a 4 wire O2? And what ECU?

EDIT LAST ONE: And to check the injectors I would spray brake cleaner on them wile it's idling and see if it changes the idle, or if the fluid starts to bubble.