atisvt99

Okay... just got a new car the other day (my first 4 door... *gulp*) and it's in really good shape. Save for this new problem I discoverd. Once the engine has warmed up (never does it after it's just been started) there is a very noticable 'miss' when the engine is under load with 25% or less throttle being applied. And it really only happens at a low RPM. Once it reaches say, 2500-3000 rpm, it pulls fine, or as 'fine' as a DX motor can... It is noticable enought that the gear shifter actually shakes, really the whole car hick-ups... Really truely annoying in Northern VA / DC traffic... I can also feel the motor doing the same thing (although not AS noticable because we're not moving) when stopped at a traffic light. It almost feels like someone is tapping my gas pedal from the otherside of the firewall. I'm not sure what it is... and it's driving me nuts.

Now comes the trouble shooting part... I've checked all the plugs, (they look to be brand new) as well as the entire distributor cap assembly... wires... and that's it for now. I've poured some injector cleaner into a full tank of gas, and have a new filter and PCV valve to put in tonight. Can anyone else think of something I'm probably missing, maybe something not quite so obvious? Thanks for any input!

NonovUrbizniz

stock ignitor sucks... get a msd modifier cap w/ external coil.

that should solve the prob.

atisvt99

really? there is absolutely nothing done to this thing. You really think an aftermarket ignition system might be the solution for this bone stock motor?

NonovUrbizniz

I'm not going to guarantee I'm right but... the stock ignitor does suck... when the engine warms up it's sitting RIGHT next to the head in the distributer. coils don't like heat...

If your car has a lot of miles like over 60-100k then chances are the stock ignitor has seen better days.

The stock ignitor is like 69 bucks...

A modifier cap is 20 or so.. and a coil is 10-50 depending on new used ebay store etc... so for cheaper than the stock unit you could have a better coil that will outlast a replacement stocker for cheaper.

It could be something else though... I can't diagnose your car from a keyboard.

atisvt99

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NonovUrbizniz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
It could be something else though... I can't diagnose your car from a keyboard.</TD></TR></TABLE>

And I wouldn't expect you to! Thanks for your input though...

The car has 74,000 mile on it so Idunno... Anyone else got any ideas?

A friend of mine who works for honda (but hasn't had a chance to see or drive the car yet) said it could be a ton of things... tps, map sensor, fuel filter, even a bent valve? Ugh... should have bought a nice shiny bicycle...

civicmon

I bet you any amount of money you don't have factory plugs in it

Same exact thing happened in my car, put in the factory NGK and that elimnated it.

NonovUrbizniz

I didn't (had platinum+4's those things suck... there are too many points for it to arc to so you get 2-4 weak arcs instead of 1 good one.) now I have straight up platinums... I'm getting ngk's this week so I'll update cuz she's missing again and running like crap so I'll swap in the plugs before I do any of the other work I'm doing to it and see if that fixes it

Hybrid96EK

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NonovUrbizniz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">stock ignitor sucks... get a msd modifier cap w/ external coil.

that should solve the prob.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Can't say I agree with that. The stock Honda ignition system works extremely well. I think adding aftermarket ignition components is nothing more then a waste of money on something else to clutter the engine bay. Put a set of new plugs in it and see what you get. Also, try changing the wires. I would be more inclined to think that is where your problem lies.

Simple

check spark plugs, i had the SAME problem, seemed that my number 1 plug was loose.

YEE*MagicEK20kombobomber

u might also want to tighten up ur throttle cable... i checked mine and it was loose as ****. if its loose, when u push the pedal it has to tighten up all the slack before it acually opens ur throttle....hth

NonovUrbizniz

external coils are superior period... no one who knows about coils or electronics in general would argue with that... yes the stock system works... I should hope it does... but I've seen LOTS of posts about people replacing them and it IS cheaper to go with a superior aftermarket external coil than it is to replace your stock one.

Not only do aftermarket coils produce more voltage they are external so they stay cooler allowing it to operate better than the stocker sitting right next to the head.

My coil still worked when I replaced it and I had replaced wires plugs and rotor not a week before... before that I had replaced all those parts 2 other times because of the same problem... When I changed my coil it fixed it and to this day runs a million times smoother than it did and the throttle response is MUCH better.

Just my .02

atisvt99

Yea, I will check this out... I did check the plugs when I first started to troubleshoot this problem, and they looked fine as far as operation goes, but I did actually notice a little (manufacturer induced) gap on the diode of each plug... not quite a 'split-fire' design so to say, but not a solid/flat diode either. This could very well be the issue. I'll keep everyone posted, and thanks to all for your comments!

atisvt99

Welp... problem = solved

It was the plugs... and the strange thing is, I replaced them with the NGK reccomended by Honda and that cleared things right up... that's also what was in there causing problems. Maybe there was a bad plug? Idunno... but I took the 4 out that came with the car, then didn't look more then a few thousand miles old (if that) and put a new set of the same thing back in, all cleared up. Thanks for all the replies guys!

HT

atisvt99

Strange... the car is starting to do the same thing again... The plugs now hae about 100 miles on them? And it's started missing at an idle again (very faintly at first) and has just begun missing at low RPM acceleration. I don't get it... Anybody? It was the plugs... I replaced them, now the new ones are starting to fall into the same problem as before... *help*

piscorpio

Maybe you could pull the new plugs, and look for any signs of a problem?

I have been having a similar problem with my VX, but I pulled the plugs it came with and it just looks like they need to be replaced. If the problem persists on mine, I may try the ignitor idea mentioned earlier. I'm always a fan of upgrading parts that need replacing anyway.

atisvt99

bumpity...

YEE*MagicEK20kombobomber

sound like u might have something in ur motor that messing up ur spark plugs. could be some sort of foreign object fouling it up. try changing plugs once more and changing ur oil while the oil is warm. if u change ur oil while its warm, it will flow easier and any foreign objects in there should get out of there.

NonovUrbizniz

I'm TELLING you it's the stock ignitor it doesn't provide enough voltage to the plugs when it's up to temp... It gets too hot and won't send out adiquit spark... change the plugs again if you want but it'll only fix the problem for a couple hundred miles at most.

Trust me.. get the external coil... it's cheaper than a replacement and you will NEVER have to wonder if that's it... spend 50 bucks.. I'm pretty sure it'll fix your problem.

atisvt99

welp... i haven't gone the external coil route yet, but I did just take the whole distriburot off of another head I had (which worked perfectly on the car before it) and after everything warmed up, it's doing the same damn thing. Idunno... So that was a completely different ignitor assembly... and still a no go. Anyone else? I've got spare sensors (like TPS and IAC) laying around... should I try swapping those out? Grrrrrr...

Trooper

Try checking all of the motor grounds/ or replacing them. also try a difrent set of injectors.

atisvt99

well, Shoot... it would appear that the Dist. Cap was the problem... I changed that out (along with the plug wires) and the problem has been gone all day. I drove the hell out of it trying to get it nice and hot, and nothing could make it surge... I'll let ya know if the problem creeps back up again.