last night i was driving in rain in one of the surrounding towns. i took a left and hit the gas and all of a sudden the check engine light comes on and not only that when i let the car idle its down to about 400rpm and its shuddering bad. no knock or engine noise just the car doesnt wanna start or stay running. somtimes if you get it to run itll run for about a min the start to shudden an fight to stay alive. when i hit the gas to keep it running it does nothing. then when you tap the gas it kicks in after pressing it about 5-6 times. its going into the shop tomorrow but i wanna kno wth is going on so this way i can check to see if it was fixed the right way. i figured out it might be the distributer( one bolt is loose). im pretty sure that water is part of my issue but also would timing affect that to?

 

Try holding the air filter ajar while someone starts the car and see if that helps. Clean around the filter first and make sure no debris gets in. If the filter isn't the problem, check your valve timing and then your spark at all four wires.

 

checked the spark. there is spark. i was thinking maybe for whatever reason when i hit the gas and i gave it a fair amount the timing belt skipped a few teeth. a friend of mine thinks that its the distributer and my throttle body sensor but it doesnt seem logical to me.

 

bump. kinda important guys. this is my first honda. i really wanna kno whats wrong so i can wath out for it later on down the road.

 

You need to perform some tests because the car dying isn't enough information to figure out the cause. All anyone can do at this point is make suggestions of what to check, but you would still have to perform the tests suggested. We'll first need to know what CEL code(s) you have. You can check both the ignition timing and valve timing. If you find nothing, you can test your fuel pressure.

 

alright. ill ask for a list of codes then when it hits the shop. id do the work but no room or i dont have a few tools that i would need.

 

If you can get the car over there alright, parts stores like Autozone will usually pull OBD2 codes for free. I'd hate to see you pay a mechanic just to find out that a connector came loose or something. Good luck

 

well it wont even make it that far. u have to tap the gas to get it started and itll run fine for all of one min then drops to 400rpm the fights to stay alive then dies. all this is within prob 2-3min of starting it up

 

You could buy the OBD2 code puller, hold onto the receipt and just return it after you check the codes. If you return it the same day, I don't know of any parts stores that would have a problem taking it back. Also, I know that Autozone's tool rental program has a code puller. If you put down a deposit, you can take it home to get the codes and then get your deposit back when you return it.

 

true i could do that. maybe ill go down to autozone and do that just so i can see wth is goin on. hope its nothing serious cause ill just swap it then.

 

Whether it's serious and you swap it or it's simple and you fix it, you may avoid towing and repair shop costs by checking the code. My guess would be that the timing belt slipped or perhaps a sensor went out.

 

towing i got for free. and im friends wit the owner so hes giving me a deal. used to work for him

 

looked at the codes and indicated that i do a tune up. i did the full tune up. got it started but its idling funny. im gunna do a vavle adjustment tomorrow and hopefully itll solve my problem.

 

bump....did the valve adjustment and its stil stalling when i stop for a stop sign/ red light. gunna throw a new cam in her to see if that fixes it. still looking for some advice as to what can stop my problem.

 

Borrow a fuel pressure tester from a parts store and check the fuel presure if you haven't yet with the regulator vacuum hose connected and disconnected. You said you have spark but I don't know how you checked it. To check the quality of the spark (not just whether it's there) either buy a spark tester or:

Disable the fuel injectors and get a new or known good spark plug. Set the gap of this plug to your vehicle's specifications and make sure it is clean afterward. Wear gloves (welding gloves work great), preferably with latex or nitrile gloves underneath, and remove a spark plug wire from its plug. Connect the good plug to the end of the wire and hold the plastic deep-well tube at the very tip of the wire end with the threads of the plug touching bare metal on the valve cover. Have an assistant crank the motor while you watch the spark, carefully keeping all body parts away from the plug, motor and car body. Different types of plugs have different colored sparks but usually a good spark is a thick, strong flow of bright pink or is at least bright. Little blue or pink "lightning bolts" indicate a weak ignition. Check all four wires. If the sparks at all of the wires are weak, try holding the threads of the plug against the battery negative post to see if the better ground makes a stronger spark. This will test your entire ignition.

You follow a similar procedure when using a spark tester. These two tests are important and can completely rule out those two systems, leaving only timing and compression. If you are loosing any coolant or see any bubbling in the reservoir, please post it.

 

i checked the spark the day after this whole thing started with a spark tester. the spark is strong. i however havent check the injectors just yet. i will do that tomorrow.

 

I went back over the thread and noticed that even though it was mentioned, I don't see you posting that you checked the valve timing to see if the belt slipped. If you haven't yet, that would be the next step. When you get a fuel pressure tester, screw it into the service port on the fuel filter and start by seeing how much pressure is created when the pump primes and how long the pressure stays in the system.

 

alright will do and yea i checked it. the timing belt and water pump were already recently done so i decided not to change it. all the marks line up so timing must be fine.