timbo79

1997 Honda Civic HX 2dr 266k miles.I have a dead miss that causes CEL to blink/come on momentarily. Seems like a hiccup, usually starts, sorta when lugging or coasting, once it starts, it gets worse. The car will idol fine, occasionally a slight miss. Will drive fine until it starts missing, then the miss gets worse.I currently have no codes, occasionally in the past, I have gotten a code for catylitic converter? I do not recall the code#I originally had ignition module go out & replaced complete distributor with Cardon after market because the distributor was also leaking oil. I have since replaced the ignition module in the OEM distributor & tried it & the miss is still there.I have replaced the plugs, the plug wires, the fuel filter & fuel pump, the main relay.The current timing belt has 160k miles on it.I have tested the plugs & plug wires. I am out of guesses & ideas? Any help would be appreciated!

timbo79

1997 Honda Civic HX 2dr 266k miles.

I have a dead miss that causes CEL to blink/come on momentarily. Seems like a hiccup, usually starts, sorta when lugging or coasting, once it starts, it gets worse. It will idol fine with an occasional hiccup, will run fine until the hiccups start then it gets worse.I currently have no codes, occasionally in the past, I have gotten a code for catylitic converter? I do not recall the code#I originally had ignition module go out & replaced complete distributor with Cardon after market because the distributor was also leaking oil. I have since replaced the ignition module in the OEM distributor & tried it & the miss is still there.I have replaced the plugs, the plug wires, the fuel filter & fuel pump, the main relay.The current timing belt has 160k miles on it.I have tested the plugs & plug wires. I am out of guesses & ideas? Any help would be appreciated!

civic402lx

Did you gap the plug to oem spec or just throw it in fresh out of the box?

Jimi Hondrix

Do a power balance test to hopefully isolate the cylinder the misfire is in. Instead of removing spark plug wires one ate a time.. disconnect fuel injector connections one at a time and listen/look for idle to drop (normal). If idle doesn't drop within a particular cylinder than there is an issue (fuel, air, or spark). Did you use an OEM coil and/or icm?

joey1320

Compression check - cold and hot?
Checked spray pattern of injectors?
Fuel pump pressure?

TomCat39

duplicate threads merged

timbo79

Several good suggestions & I appreciate the input. I was able to take car for a drive yesterday, drove approximate 10 miles, the thermostat opened, running normal with no missing. I encountered a slight hill with head wind at 65mph in 5th gear & it started missing, slightly & then got worse until I slowed down, then it occasionally missed, check engine light flashes. I make it home to drive way & let it sit & idol, it idled normal. I took it back out & drove around the neighborhood & it would miss occasionally almost stalling, now at the slower speed I can hear the main relay clicking each time the motor misses. I don't know why this would be? Any suggestions?

Jimi Hondrix

Reviewing similar threads a few suspects include:
1) cleaning all engine and chassis grounds
2) igniter
3) swapping ECU
4) replace main relay


Looks like you're not alone: https://www.google.com/#q=honda+civic+main+relay+clicking&*

mk378

I think that a bad igniter will just miss. The OP also indicates that the whole distributor has been replaced at least once. The CEL coming on and relay clicking means you're losing some fundamental power or ground, or the ECU is bad. The thermostat ground wires and the main ground wire from the battery to the chassis and transmission are definitely the place to start. With the engine running, get under the dash and under the hood and shake all the other wires to see if you can make it miss. There may be a loose wire.

Haaarrrrryy

id think more along the lines of faulty fuel injector(s). it sounds like the miss occurs when the engine is under a heavier load, and then continues in other driving conditions after that initially happens. what would really help is the definition of the code that your ecu is throwing. you can really isolate the issue if you had that. instead of just throwing parts at it with your fingers crossed.

timbo79

I have not had a code since I replaced the distributor with after market. The local shop reset any codes & have not had a code return in sometime.

timbo79

Great news! I think the mystery is resolved. I took the Honda to local Honda guy, he checked the 101/thermostat ground & pulled the ecm & cleaned the contacts. This seemed to fix the intermittent dead miss. Although this is not a smoking gun solution, he recommended replacing the thermostat ground wires even though there didn't appear to be any obvious issues with the wires or connection.
I have traveled in excess of 100 miles with no issues, fingers crossed. Thanks Darrell at Allrite imports!

TomCat39

Looks like this was previously mentioned.

Glad you got it resolved, none the less.

timbo79

I knew the fix was suspect, I knew it was to good to be true.

Made it 258 miles before it hiccuped died & left me stranded again.

Thank you for all the great suggestions, especially the ones suggesting to read the FAQ & search because this has already been answered.

I apologize for posting here. Moderators, feel free to delete this thread.

TomCat39

If you are still having problems with this vehicle, there is even more reason to keep your thread open.

So now we know it's not the grounds as that has been contended with.

We need to review all the things you've done so far versus all the possibilities that have not been ruled out.