I would say there's a fuel related problem here. I would check fuel pressure next.

 

Yes, I've had this car since Feb, and it has only been driven a hand full of times. Now I'm doing my first tune up on it.

When I first took out the fuel injectors to clean them, the tips were covered with clumps of wet carbon buildup. Cleaned them all off, and proceeded with testing them using the car's battery; they all seemed to click/spray normally.

As for the car, I didn't notice any problems (but then again, I've only been driving for a year so I probably couldn't tell); it idled smooth, and it drove smooth (I think). Noticeably more power than my Del Sol S. The only thing I noticed was that the start up was sluggish and one time, it didn't start when I cranked it (but started the second time). Here's a video I made comparing my two Del Sols:

 

I mentioned fuel pressure in an earlier post. Does this add to your suspicion?

 

I missed that!

Certainly check your fuel pressure. You may hear the pump priming and all, but that doesn't mean it is working properly. I had a pump that primed properly and even ran.. It only pushed about 12psi though

As you mentioned with caked/wet carbon on the injector nozzles. Bad. I can't believe it was running properly at all like that. Most autozones and parts places will have loaner fuel pressure test kits.

 

You should be focusing on no-start diagnostics. If you're unable to do this, your best option is to pay a professional mechanic to fix your car.

 

Luckily, my other set of hands has arrived so I'll go out and check for spark from the wires here in a few minutes.

In the meantime, when I changed my distributor cap (which I found out was cracked on the bottom) the ignition coil looked like this:



Is this normal? Or should it look like a perfect coil?

 

Looks bent, but should work.

See any issues when you removed the dust cover? If not, reassemble the distributor and check for bright white spark at all 4 spark plugs. Use a new properly-gapped NGK plug for the spark test.

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...blems-2919450/

 

Well I tested the spark plug wires with a new ngk plug and got all purple sparks.

However, when I removed the new plug from the engine (these plugs were installed earlier today) to use for the test, the tip had traces of fuel on it. Keep in mind that I unplugged the fuel injectors prior to testing. So when we tested the first wire (the spark plug hole was open), some fuel shot out. I then put one of the old plugs in to keep that from happening again. After we finished testing, I removed the old spark plug and it was somewhat soaked with fuel... Is it possible that my engine is flooded?

Nothing that I could see, except that the dust cover itself was cracked along the rotor area. It was dirty though and I cleaned all that up with alcohol.

 

Spark is weak. Remove the coil and Ohm test it.

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...blems-2919450/




Also measure voltage to body ground at the Blk/Yel wire attached to the coil and igniter unit with the key in the ON(II) position.

 

I'll have to test it tomorrow as it is already 9:30 here. But what you are saying is that bright purple/white spark is bad?

Also what could be causing the spark plugs to be covered in fuel? And how can I rid the cylinders of the excess fuel? I heard that cranking the car while flooring the gas pedal is like a burn-off of excess fuel.

 

You originally said spark was purple. It should be bright white.

And, if there is weak spark, the fuel won't ignite, hence the plugs wet with fuel.

 

Makes sense. Here's a drawing of what I (think I) saw:



The spark was bright in the center and the outer parts were purple-ish.

 

Spark should be primarily bright white with only a faint hint of blue.

 

Hmm... maybe I'm seeing things. Maybe it was blue-ish. The lighting around me at the time could have made it seem purple, I don't know. I just remember seeing a bright/whitish center.

But anyways, if it turns out to be a problem with the ignition system, would it be most likely the ignition coil?

 

 

Alright, I'll try to post the test results for the ignition coil tomorrow.

 

I did the test and got these results:

A + B Terminals: 1 - 1.2

A + 2nd Terminals: ~16,640

And the voltage I got was 11.8

This was however in direct sunlight and ~70 degree weather.

 

Did you subtract the internal resistance of the meter from the primary Ohm reading?

What was the voltage reading across the two battery posts?

 

How is that done? I just went by the instructions on the image.

The battery reads 12.4 volts.

 

Click the link I posted.

 

It seemed to have settled at 0.3 which I suppose make the A+B reading 0.7 - 0.9 ohms.

 

Remove the coil from the distributor. Bring it into your home. Redo the primary Ohm test to see if there's less variation. If fine, it's time to check the mechanical timing to see if it's off by a tooth or two. See post #23. Questions?

 

We'll have to continue this tomorrow as it's getting pretty late.

As for questions, not yet. Thanks so far though.

 

I retested the coil in more ideal conditions (mid 60s and in the shade) and got 0.7 ohms for the A+B terminals and ~16,200 ohms for the A+2nd terminals. Also 11.8 for the voltage. So I don't think the coil is faulty (based on that image).

I didn't do the timing check just yet as it was windy all day and didn't want a ton of dust blowing into the engine. Also, is it possible to pull off the upper belt cover without removing the valve cover? Because I just replaced the gasket a couple of days ago and I'm not sure if the RTV will be easy to remove from the gasket or not.

I did remove the spark plugs since I believe the engine is flooded from trying to start it a lot of times. And plugs 3, 2 and 1 were noticeably moist from fuel. If I look in the spark plug well of Cyl. 1, a puddle of fuel can be seen in the engine and the others are wet/moist. Should this be of concern? I did try that "flooring the gas pedal" method to try and burn it off, but I guess that didn't get all of it (the fuel injectors were unplugged before doing this, so fuel shouldn't be entering the engine).

 

You must remove the valve cover to remove the upper timing belt cover.

If the mechanical timing is off, the spark and fuel injection timings are too.