I purchased this 1999 Crv NONrunning with 242k miles.





I diagnosed the problem to be a faulty ingitor/ignition coil. replaced both of those with parts from a 1992 Civic, and it fired right up! It would not idle at all so i took the IAC out and cleaned it up.

Then i ran a can of seafoam through the brake booster line. now it runs much better and holds a more steady idle.

my problem is a slight miss when i am idling. on the gas and on the highway the engines runs great no problems. I am Getting codes P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P1399. all misfire codes. random misfire, multiple misfire, and all cylinders misfire.

What i have tried already-
Valve adjustment. intake set to .005 and exhaust to .008
cap and rotor
compression is at 135psi on all cylinders
fuel filter
filled up with a full tank of gas and b12 treatment
the previous owner put new NGK plugs(trying to get it running) and they dont look bad

i know that the timing belt was replaced but i dont know when. i just noticed that it says ACDELCO. so i know its not original.

Stupid question...but did you replace the cap/rotor?

thanks for the reply, but yes

It sounds like there is a vacuum leak on the drivers side underneath the intake resonator... it may just be the sound of air being sucked into the engine from the intake, but sorta sounds like a vacuum leak.. I'll check it out tomorrow

looks like a little play on the timing belt.
lock in the cams and set crank at tdc, then tighten belt

I will do this I've heard about being able to insert a 3/16 drill but into each cam to lock in.can you specify where this hole is in the cam?

Drove it another 40 miles still runs the same. Drives great with a misfire at idle

theres holes in the cam. as long as everything is set at tdc, youll see it.

Ive used allen keys so they are snug.

ok thanks. i'll probably tear into it tonight and take pictures

Ita just hard to believe that my engine would run so well if my cams were not aligned correctly.... it really runs great besides the slight misfire. Does anyone know what the engine vacuum should be at idle?

IDK what it would be in OEM trim.

idle vac should be 20inhg

the cams can be off a tooth and run very smooth, just less power. check your ignition timing too. if all of your cylinders have 135psi then you may be looking at an ignition problem. is oil getting into the spark plug tubes?

put the drill bit/punch/allen wrench/whatever fits where the red circles are

Thanks for the reply!
I need to find my vacuum meter....

The spark plug tubes are nice and dry. The car seems to have great power..

OH!! haha I would have never thought that's the place to lock the cams. All the ones I've worked on have had slots in the ends of the cams to put a flat bar against the heads.

I didn't have time to work on the car today so no updates.

Did u end up finding the problem?

when tightening the timing belt there is a such thing as too much tension and don't ask me why I know.


at TDC loosen the tensioner. turn the engine by hand slightly until the + (Plus sign) on your cams are now X's, I think the manual call this three teeth on the cam gear. Then tighten the tensioner to spec. You don't need to be any tighter than that right there. and if you try to manually make it tighter you might find yourself stranded one day with a snapped timing belt.