I'll start of with what I have in my 90 hatch and things I've done, followed with a discription of my problem.

DOHC ZC, PM7 ecu, 4 speed STD tranny, 2 month old clutch, 2 month old lightweight flywheel, almost a year old spark plugs (but have cleaned them about 3 times during this past year), almost year old dizzy rotor and cap, spark plug wires (unknown...look old but no dry rotting, visible tears or cracks for arcing), 4 month old timing belt and tensioner (and set ignition timing to specs), 3 days ago I just put a 2.25 inch catback exhaust on it, and 4 month old main relay.

^ Those are the main things I can think of to help ease the diagnosis to my problem.

I have had this problem ever since I got the car (for a year now) where if I go straight to the gas station across from my job to get gas, when I pull away from the pump it sputters for the first couple seconds then it drives normally. SOMETIMES it wont get better and if I just press on the gas half throttle, it's like it doesn't even notice the throttle difference. So if I let go and then press the pedal again it acts normal. Well in the past it's only gave me that problem at the gas station, but today it's been doing it randomly at stop signs. If I just ease on the gas from a stop sign it'll sputter and the car kindda jerks alittle for just a few seconds then it drives normal. If I turn on a street real slow in second it never does it. I look at my Air to Fuel ratio gauge and it doesnt read that I'm going lean or bounce all over the place.

The car drives fine besides that and after that....but as I said it's random. I've tried mimicking the problem but I can't seem to make it do it. There's no CEL on or even when it happens and even no codes to help me out. I know the description isn't that great, but it's the best I can discribe it. It kind of reminds me of when I forgot to set my ignition timing and it would just sputter at almost any dead stop situation. I thought maybe it was my clutch randomly slipping but as I mentioned I replaced that recently and the old one wasnt even bad. Then I thought maybe it was because the exhaust was too big but not only did it do it before the exhaust upgrade but I've read people running 2.25 piping.

Sorry for this being so long, but if anyone has any pointers let me know.

 

Also, I'm not sure if it's related to not applying enough throttle because as I said I can't mimick it. But from what I have tried, it doesn't seem to do it if I give it more gas than normal for a first gear take off. And it's definitely not a stalling situation....I know the difference and it doesn't feel or sound like one.

 

Kind of sounds like TPS, my '90 Civic did the same thing when my TPS grenaded. No CEL? No codes?

Mine threw a code 7 but no dash CEL. The ECU blinked but the light on the dash stayed off, and it is working (came on when I pulled IACV plug to do my idle speed adjustment), so might be hidden on you.

 

Thing is, I've had my ecu exposed for almost four months....ever since I did my timing belt and it has never thrown it. And I literally just put it back under the carpet this past Friday. I'll expose it again and pay more attention but to my knowledge it never threw one. But then again I can honestly say I never looked at it when it was sputtering on me. I'll have a gander at the TPS this weekend hopefully.......

 

And thanks for the reply....after over a hundred looks I was beginning to think no one would have any thoughts.

 

I noticed on my last two ef's would do this randomly. After racking my brain for weeks I discovered moisture in the distributor cap. I even managed to copy the symptoms by lighting spraying my engine bay a while back, and sure enough it started doing it again. Once I removed the cap I saw the small bit of water.

 

good look out, I'll have to check that too man. Thanks for the info.

 

I'd def start with the tps. Has it ever been taken off the throttle body? If you haven't removed it, you can still tell if any previous owner has because the factory rivots will now be slotted or replaced with another type of screw. If it looks to be tampered with in any way, remove the throttle body so you can properly adjust the tps using a vom. Should be .5v at closed throttle and 4.5v at wot, iirc.

Other things to try would be to replace the "unknown" plug wires with some good old NGK Blues. Also, slap a new fuel filter on it if you haven't already.

 

Yeah the fuel filter is about a year old....put it on when I first got the got because it had sat in a gay-rage for two years. And I havent paid much attention but I'm 98% sure the throttle hasnt been tampered with. It seems like whoever had it before me did the ZC swap correctly (wiring and ect) and just bought a whole engine, tranny, axle, and ecu set up. I'll have to test it then this weekend while I'm putting my Si tranny in. Dont flame me for asking this, as I havent ever fiddled with a TPS but is it a three wire or two wire plug? Basically asking what wire I should be testing for voltage......I could always check the FAQ's when I get home too, if it has something in there.

 

Well I uncovered the ecu and went out for a drive last night. I drove around for a while trying to see if it would throw a code but it never did......oh well, I'm gonna be testing the TPS today at some point.

 

I figured I'd post something and ressurect this couple day old thread I had posted and see if anyone else had any ideas.....I havent tested the TPS yet.....I know, I'm slackin'. Had a lot of parts that have been accumilating that I've been waiting for the weather to get better so I could install them. Anyways, still no code but the problem is getting worse. It'll happen more often now and sometimes affects my idle and happen at the start of second gear. Just wanted to see if anyone else had another idea because of the no TPS code, but I am still intending to test it.

 

Ok, so I tested the middle wire on the TPS.....that's what I read to do on a lot of searching I did this weekend and the voltage was spuratic...speratic.....however you spell it. It wasnt staying at .5 closed throttle and wasnt staying at 4.5 WOT. So in my searching I read if the reading bounces and doesnt stay at a consistant voltage that the sensor is bad. And if it stayed at a voltage but being wrong, that the TPS needs to be calibrated. I just wanted to ask and make sure if that sounds right for properly testing a TPS before I go buy a new one.

 

If you tested it and it was off then its the tps (or throttle body), I have had two bad ones on my zc and with both of them they stuttered off the line and second some times at 1/4 throttle. I think i'm about to get a new throttle body and tps for mine.

 

See my ecu isn't thrown a TPS code, did/does yours JDpower?

 

I just wanna say thanks to the people that guided me in the right path and your responses. I bought new spark plug wires and a Blox TPS from a website I go through and istalled them earlier tonight. Took it for a ten to fifteen minutes test drive with my dog and it never acted up once. Figured I'd also say something incase someone Googles this having the same problem. It never threw a code for the TPS but after calibrating and installing it, it seems to have been the trick.......I have a 45-50 minute drive to work tomorrow so I'll definitely know by tomorrow morning if it's definitely fixed but I'm crossing fingers and I'm 99% sure the problem is solved. The TPS is a picky lil' bitch to calibrate too... but anyways thanks again guys.

 

 

No I have had 2 bad TPS's and a bad/sticky throttle body and I've never had a code thrown from it but changing from the horrible tb/ tps to the less bad tps made a pretty big difference. It went from not being drivable to just being kinda annoying.

 

How do you have a bad throttle body though? is it damaged or am I missing something? "bad throttle body" intrigues me.

 

One I had was a bad (sticky TB) and it didn't matter if I cleaned it and put on a different TPS it was just sticking at take offs when I tried to feather the throttle.

 

AH! I see now..

 

Well....sucks to come back in here but the TPS still hasn't solved one of the issues I'm having. The sputtering from dead stop and idling has basically went away. But the situation when I'm just cruising at low RPM's....like going 45 in fifth gear in my SI tranny.... I'll hit the gas just little more to pick up some speed and it just acts like I never did anything. It doesn't neccessarily bog down, it just stays where's it at......if I hit the gas more than half throttle it still doesn't do anything. I have to fully let off the throttle and then hit the gas again. It did it on the way to work this morning and on the way home. It's not consistant either. When I was calibrating my TPS I spent a whole hour or more trying to get it exact but I could only get it at .498 closed throttle and it only goes up to 4.28-30 at WOT......could this be my problem? or does the symptoms seem to point somewhere else? If you need to ask me anything more in specific I'd gladly answer, at this point it's just annoying and I want to get it fixed.

 

And yes, I did have a 4 speed STD tranny in it when I first posted this but I just recently swapped in a SI.