I have a 91 hatch and I was driving the other night and my car died out and lost all fluid we found it was a hole in the top radiator hose, so we replaced it and started her up, she idles fine no problems, but when I put her in first gear and go to drive I get a check engine light and she dies off, but if i put her in reverse it drives just fine no light and no sputter. We checked all the fluid and everything is fine oil is normal color, any ideas??

 

you should find out the code first https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=468260&page=3

 

its blinks in a slow series of single blinks so i think its problem code one oxygen sensor

 

What specific code did you retrieve? Open the distributor cap to see whether coolant got inside and is causing a short. If you have an O2 sensor code, also check whether connector for the O2 sensor is soaked with coolant and shorting out.

 

I replaced the main o2 sensor and im still stalling out when i go to drive but ever since we reset the hazard and Ecu fuse it wont throw a code when it stalls do you think it could still be the smaller sensor the only thing with that one is I have to order it from online cause they dont sell it in the store or could it be something else.

 

me and my bf looked up the symptoms im having and it fits the exact description of a locked up torque converter but from what read torque converters are only in automatic cars and mines a manual but im stumped because its a fit.

 

Hm. So after coolant got all over, it stall when you try and drive it?

You can drive it in reverse? Try to put it in second and see if it will go. You will need to give it a little more gas to get it going but it will go.

Where did the coolant get? Did it get everywhere? If so you may need to take some time and clean a lot. This doesnt mean take a hose to your engine. You will need to clean thigns like connectors and such, but be careful not to get them too wet.

How long has it been sitting? Does it consistantly die out when you try to drive it, or does it go sometimes?

Depending on what the answers are to these questions depends on if its a sensor problem or a tranny problem. You dont have a torque converter. It may fit the discription but its not it. You may have a problem internally in the gears of the tranny. You should maybe try to check your tranny fluid. Look up on your manual (if you dont have one go to schucks, napa, or some place similar and get one). But look up the check plug on the side of the tranny. This check plug is also the fill hole. What you would need to do is take the plug out, which is actually a bolt. And stick your pinky in there and see if the fluid is just about to pour out of the hole. It needs to be right at the bottom of the hole. Also try and scoop some out with your pinky. The type of fluid those trannys take is regular ol' 10-30 so if some coolant got into the tranny the fluid may look like chocolate milk, or like milk chocolate.

Check these things out and post and update on what you find. Good luck.

 

It died out and it would start up but die when you give it gas. I can drive it but whatever gear i put it in it will die with check engine light.The coolant got pretty much over everything on the passenger side of the car drivers side was fine. It hasn't been sitting long and i cant move the car because its un-drivable i cant give it barely any gas before it dies out.

 

So it idles fine and everything? When you try and give it gas does it sputter and die out? If you just let it idle does it keep running? Like it you let it idle for 10 minutes would it just sit there and keep running?

You might want to check your timing. Obviously your belt is still there, but it may have jumped timing.

 

yeah it idles fine it will sit there all day and idle perfectly i could reverse my car all the way down the road and it will reverse perfectly but in drive i sputters and dies Check Engine light pops on. Timing belt is fine it's where its supposed to be.

 

so are you getting the same CEL code or what?

I you rev the motor up in nuetral will the motor die? or will it only die in first gear? also when it does die in first gear, does it move at all before dying?

Have you opened up and cleaned the distributor yet?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hatchbackbaby &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Timing belt is fine it's where its supposed to be.</TD></TR></TABLE>

well the real heart of the question is: are the timing marks lined up on the cam gears and crank?
The belt can "skip a tooth" and screw up the timing of the motor, and the belt will still be in place and all.

To check this you need to remove the valve cover, ( i believe thats the only way, correct me if i'm wrong) kind of a pain in the butt just to check it

 

Hm. This really sounds like a tranny problem. Can you start out in second gear and move forward at all? You will need to give it more gas to go, but try it out.

Does it die only when you try and let out the clutch in 1st gear?

 

it dies in every gear and i can let out the clutch i just cant give it a lot of gas

 

I can rev up the motor in neutral and she's fine she'll rev up fine, she dies when i put her in first and give her a normal amount of gas, if i just put a little gas on the pedal i can slowly move down the driveway at like 2MPH or something, checked the timing belt all is well. Cleaned the distributor cap up there was some liquid in there.

 

has a subaru that did that, it was leaky coil packs, your not DIS, so maybe check the distributor

 

cause i noticed some liquid in the cap so i cleaned it but it just wont drive in any gear, a lot of people have been saying its the throttle position sensor, but i dont know.

 

jack up the front wheels and try to get them going by cranking the car and putting it in gear and giving it gas. if it doesnt stall this way then your transmission is fine. thats the most expensive fix so rule it out first. i doubt its the problem.

if you dont get a check engine light while the car is running (its going to come on when the car stalls, thats normal) then you more than likely dont have a bad sensor.

i think one thing people didnt see in your first post is that your car CUT OFF. meaning it got extremely hot or you had 2 problems at the same time.

if it got hot theres a chance you damaged the engine. possibly blew the head gasket and now have low compression which would make it run descent at idle but want to die when loaded. other possiblity is jumped timing. i HIGHLY doubt you correctly checked the timing, so im gonna make it easy for you to do it properly... pull the spark plug from the #1 cylinder. this is the one closest to the timing belt, furthest from the distributor. stick a long stick or screwdriver or something in the cylinder through the spark plug hole. turn the crankshaft bolt (counterclockwise) until the screwdriver/stick whatever is as far up as possibly, when it starts going back down rotate it back up a hair. loosen valve cover bolts and remove upper timing belt cover bolts (2 10mm bolts) remove upper timing belt cover. (you can remove the valve cover, but you dont have to). with the timing belt cover off you should see the marks, if they line up you are good. if not it jumped timing.

hope that helps atleast a little.

 

As with my car there is always and easy and stupid fix here its seems the entire time the problem was the ground on the thermostat housing it was LOOSE. we tightened it up and it ran just fine. UGH thanks for all your help and ideas.