JasinC19

Car is a 2000 civic si b16

The screw for the dizzy rotor worked its way out and the rotor came off while trying to start the car. It took out the pins inside the cap.

I replaced the cap and rotor and have a no start condition. Here is where I stand:

- spark good on all cylinders
- have correct fuel pressure at filter
- have power and pulse to fuel injectors
- confirmed #1 tdc - white single tick mark on crank pulley lines up with timing cover mark, both cam pulleys are lined up properly. Rotor on distributor is pointing to #1 wire post.

- Compression check came up with low and inconsistent numbers on all cylinders.

I ran out of daylight. I can do a leakdown test tomorrow, but is it possible that the rotor coming off the dizzy shaft could have detonated the engine and blown a head gasket or cracked a piston or something? Anyone ever hear of this? Or have any other ideas?

Thanks!
Jason

Former User

Are you sure the cylinders aren't just flooded with fuel?

Are the plug wires re-installed in the correct firing order on the cap?

Is spark bright white on a new properly gapped spark plug?

JasinC19

The plus are not new, but are well within their maintenance schedule. I used a spark tester to test spark. It seemed strong :/

Wires are properly installed, and the engine sat overnight before trying to restart. I would assume it was not flooded. Could that affect compression? Cyl #1 was at 60psi or so, #2 at 90 with engine cold.

Former User

Details?

Post pictures to verify. In addition, some aftermarket distributors can be installed 180-degrees out of phase.

Are the plugs wet with fuel? If you add a teaspoon of engine oil to each cylinder, how do the compression numbers change? How are you doing the compression tests?

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

something isnt adding up here. you could bash your distributor with a hammer, it would never affect compression.

Atomic1

OP, you probably fried your coil and/or ignitor. It would be similar to trying to run the car with a spark plug wire removed.

As far as the compression numbers, it sounds like you were rushed and did the test wrong and/or it was a pre-existing condition.

JasinC19

I have spark at the spark plugs and the coil.

I agree, the distributor does not affect compression. However, when I first started the car, it started for a few seconds, THEN the dizzy rotor came off and the engine bogged and ran extremely rough, then died. That is when i found the rotor came off.

Is it possible (at idle) to have detonation due to spark being really out of time (due to rotor being off and who knows what happens in dizzy), and to possibly burn valves or blow a head gasket?

Jason

JasinC19

I'm going to re-test after work today.

Another thing I noticed is that after the engine cranks for 5 seconds or more, a bit of electrical smoke comes from the starter.

Although that never happened before, I never had to start for more than a second or two. And it's the OEM starter.

Former User

Again, provide details. Is the spark weak or strong? Explain how you know

Also address the other points.

JasinC19

Update:

I replaced the plugs. It started and ran horribly for about 10 seconds, then started to smooth out. A bit of white smoke out the back. I guess maybe the cylinders were flooded with gas possibly and the plugs were fouled.

I'm not sure what happened or why my compression numbers were so low... the second time around they were much more normal.

Thanks for the input fellas as always.

hondur

iTrader: (1)

maybe you didn't run the starter long enough? its a simple mistake, if it only goes around twice or so it won't show you the real compression on the guage