I have a 95 Civic DX with a 95 LS motor. I have noticed recently that the engine will die out when sitting idle with a full tank of gas. Well today, I was on my way to work and the egine died out on me on the freeway. Although I was able to start it up and drive it back home.
The previous owner did some mickey mouse things to the car, for example, cutting the fuel return line right near the fuel tank. The car's gas gauge is not working correctly either, because if I'm low on gas and I'm punching it, the car will kind of choke or stutter.I think the prev owner squeezed on the motor, but I dont think that is the problem. The lights and everything electrical work fine. The CEL does not stay on after starting the car up again.

When I got the car home I popped the hood and looked at the coolant resevoir and notice that it was dry and that some coolant was sitting on the fan. I did not see any leaks and the hoses are all new, because I got the car ref'ed and replaces anything that looked old.

Does that car shut down if it is overheating? The temp gauge works fine and did not rise.
Maybe the fuel filter needs to be replaced?

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Might be time for a new distributor/ignitor for your running problems.

Btw, if the car overheats, it doesn't shut off; the radiator fan should turn on.

 

I change the distributor 3 months ago. I guess I can try to swap out the dizzy with another LS.

Is there a way to test the dizzy? Without getting another one?

Thanks

 

Intermittent problems are the most difficult to solve. You might want to check the main relay, which is a common problem for Civics, especially the 5th generations.

 

Thanks for the help. I read in some other post that maybe an ECM might be the problem.

Will a Auto dizzy work on a manual? I think it will, but need someone to confirm this.

Thanks

 

At this point, you are left just guessing what the problem may be. It can get expensive replacing parts at random, so start by doing things that don't cost much. For example, I think a bad main relay or bad igniter unit are reasonable guesses at this point. Rather than replacing them, however, I recommend that you try resoldering the main relay and taking the igniter unit to an auto parts store for testing.

Unless you have a good reason to believe that the ECU is bad, this is usually the last item that you consider in troubleshooting.

 

Alright. That sounds like a plan.

 

where is the ignitor unit located? im having the same problem but i have a d16 Z6 on my 88 rex.replaced the main relay, spark plugs, alternator, starter and charged the battery and still no go..

 

The coil and igniter unit are inside the distributor.

 

oh o.k lol..i opened my distributer and the cap looks good..should i change it anyway along with the coil and igniter unit?

 

Do you have spark at all of the plugs?

If the contact points in the distributor cap and on the rotor are fine, then don't replace. Take the coil and igniter unit to an auto parts store for testing. Only replace if they test bad.

 

o.k kool..the only bad thing is that the retard that swapped my motor in decided to weld the cables to the destributer direct so i cant really take it off the harness..im going to have to cut the cables go to the junkyard and find the plugs that fit .. should i buy a new distributer condenser?

 

My issue probably has to related to the dizzy as well. I thought it was good today as poured some fuel injection cleaner into the tank , let it idle for 15 minutes then i drove the car for 10 minutes. Then I went to run an errand and BAM!!! The engine just shut off and I had to pull over and wait 30 secs before I was able to start it back up. I drove it about 10 feet and then the engine died again. I had to do this about 3 times before I finally just started the car reved it to 3000rpm for a good minute then was able to get the car home which is about 5 minutes away.
I'm going to need to take the dizzy to get tested this weekend.

 

The next time the engine won't start, check for spark and listen for whether the fuel pump primes.

 

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been get a ride from a friend to work and haven't had time to work on the car. My sister has been moving it from one side of the street to the other on street sweeping days. So I'm a little depressed about it.

I also just found out the radiator is cracked some where..There goes some more cash. i might have to buy one of those aluminum radiators off of E-bay.

How can I check the spark on the scene..Dont I have to take the dizzy to the parts store?

I can hear the fuel pump working.

 

Click the spark link in my previous post.

If you lack spark, pull both the coil and the igniter unit out of the distributor and have them tested at an auto parts store.

 

man..i haven't posted here in a while, well yeah it turned out to be my coil..Bought a new one and BAM! problem solved..

 

Back from the dead... I finally got around to working on the monster. Let me know what you think. The check engine light reads. one long flash and then 5 short flashes. I think it is error 15 which is ignition related. I hope it's not 1 and 5, which is o2 sensor and map sensor.

I tested the spark from all wires and it looked good, but I dont really know how strong the spark should be. Also got new spark plugs and fuel filter. I went to autozone with the distributor as whole(lol) but they couldn't test it for me. I guess I'm going to test the resistance on the dizzy components this weekend and pull out the coil/igniter. I looked at the dizzy's cover and the coil looks rusted. Maybe some water got into it. After I replace that, I'll see what happens.