ilu

94 civic dx, d15b7 with a d15b8 motor...yes, that's going from sohc 16v to sohc 8v. it was the only motor i could find when my last one went bad from the cheap head gasket falling apart.

so, i had a head gasket oil leak on this new motor, about 1 quart every month. eventually it was 1 quart every 2 weeks. i was keeping it well oiled. one day it got a little hot so i filled the radiator with water (it's summer and i'm between jobs--just got a new one but it takes a bit to get paid etc). i was drunk and i forgot to put the radiator cap on. the next day i drove it like 5 miles and noticed steaming from the water boiling out i guess. i filled it back up and replaced the radiator cap. drove it between 5 and 10 more miles and it just stops at a light. won't start, but turns over. i have AAA tow it home and i get it to start but i have to keep the throttle open for it to run. i tear it apart, replace the head gasket (which is metal and actually looks pretty good), intake and exhaust gaskets, and it runs the same. it almost sounds like the timing is bad, but before i took it apart and after i set it to TDC it ran exactly the same. all 4 of my spark plugs were black and kind of sooty, one was a little corroded, but nothing extreme....they were all 4 pretty damn old so i replaced them with really nice ones. runs the same. checked spark...runs the same. today i had my roommate take each of the spark wires out while i ran it and there was barely a difference when he took each one out. after all that i slowly took the throttle down and i got it to run with no throttle, but it only ran for a couple minutes before dying. now, the distributor cap looks fine (so is the spark), the block and head was not warped (checked when replaced hg), and the car has 230k while the motor has about 100k. could water have boiled out of my radiator and ruined the distributor? crank angle sensor (which i don't know where it is)? i know that i need a d15b8 ECU because my car runs a bit rich since it has half the valves, but i haven't been able to find one for under $60. i refuse to pay someone $60 to basically help someone clean out their garage for such an easily swapped and useless part.

also, how do you run a fuel pressure test? i have a fuel pressure tester but i'm not sure how to do it. it's got a screw-on female nozzle that you have to press the pin in the center to allow stuff to pass through. there's no such male part for that in my fuel system that i saw.

Sr420Det

if its getting spark its not ur dizzy. So when u replaced the hg it started running like ****? or after u forgot to put the cap on? did u run it hot?

ilu

it ran hot, but didn't hit the red zone. it stopped, got it towed home, ran it and when i got it to run it ran like ****. replaced hg and plugs, still runs exactly the same as it did when i started it before i touched anything...maybe a bit better cuz of the new spark plugs. it stopped after i ran it hot (but not quite damaging hot, according to the gauges), and then put new coolant in it.

Sr420Det

so the motor stopped running due to it overheating? or at least when it overheated but according to ur guage that was measuring air it hadnt overheated yet. Then u replaced the hg and got the head checked and it still runs pretty much the same. that about right. R u loosing coolant right now when u can actually get it running?

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

did you happen to look at your valves when you had the head off?

ilu

yes, the valves are fine. i was going to replace the head with a 16 valve head that my friend gave me but i noticed there was a hole in one of the valves. i decided to stick with my 8 valve head which was in good shape. the bottom of one of the valves was white, but it wasn't cracked or broken or anything. all of them moved fine.

for the record, i have no idea why my motor stopped and wouldn't start (i didn't try especially hard since i was at a highway exit). i thought it was the head gasket but it wasn't. i didn't spin a bearing because i was moving the pistons when i had the head off to get it to TDC and they moved smoothly. i'm suspecting fuel problems or wiring.

ilu

what i really need to know is how to run a fuel pressure test. i'm not sure how to hook it up.

ilu

can someone tell me how to hook it up? i googled, couldn't find it.

ilu

wow, fxck you guys. every time i ask a simple question on honda-tech, no one has an answer for me. i always used to say how this was the best honda forum on the internet.

i found a chilton manual on bit torrent. thanks for the help guys!

Em1x4xLife

hey no need to get pissed about it
its kinda a tough problem to figure out unless your there looking at it
if you cant fix it and can afford to have a shop look at it they can probably tell you

ilu

no, i can't afford to fix it, and yes i'm going to get pissed because i asked a really easy question for people to answer (how to hook up a fuel pressure tester) and every day i looked at this page it was bumped a page or two down so no one would see it because it didn't get any responses. thanks for the advice bro, but no, i can't afford to take it to a shop, otherwise i wouldn't be asking honda-tech.

Former User

Have you inspected the contact points of the cap and rotor? Are they worn or corroded? Are the plug wires old?

Any CEL codes?

Can you post pictures showing the cam and crank set at TDC1?


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ilu

i replaced the cap and rotor today, still hasn't solved the problem. i can try and get pictures of TDC when my camera charges, but i don't see how my car would have stopped and refused to start while i was driving, then when i towed it home it started and sounded like the timing was off. with the tension that the timing belt is held at, i don't see how it's possible for it to slip. it's not an old belt by any means, which is why i didn't replace it when i changed the head gasket. i'm positive that (note that the car ran EXACTLY THE SAME before and after i reset the timing) i set the timing right. i've done 2 motor swaps on hondas and 2 head gaskets and never had an issue. in fact, i noticed the head cam was one tooth off before i put everything back together, so i adjusted it. the white crank TDC was pointing straight up (measured it with the mark on the block) and the cam TDC mark was pointed straight at the timing cover mark, and the timing cover was bolted down tight.

i can't check fuel pressure since my car won't idle. i checked flow from the filter to the fuel rail and it works great. i pulled the injectors and cranked the engine and it appeared that one of my injectors is a bit irregular, but i don't have the money for injectors right now, especially if that's not the problem. my exhaust smells like gasoline so i doubt injection is the problem. also, if one of the injectors was irregular, the engine would run a little boggy. i noticed that when i take each of my spark plugs out there is little difference in how the car runs (i checked spark like 4 times, and as i already stated, i replaced the plugs and distributor cap + rotor). i apologize if i seem irritable, it's because i am. this stupid money pit is sucking money out of me that i already don't have, and every time i think i've got a good lead it still does the exact same thing.

ilu

apparently my timing belt has been jumping teeth. getting a new one tomorrow.

Former User

Let's hope there is no engine damage.

apexi_rsx

have you even done a compression test or leak down test on this motor? you could have a bad head gasket now after over heating it so much

ilu

no, i just replaced the head gasket. pretty sure i said that like 4 or 5 times, too. i know it's a lot to read, but it's difficult to assess my problem if you don't read the information provided.