How's it going I have a little problem with my daily driver which has been giving me a headache as to what the problem could be.. Im gonna try to explain it the best way I could..

A little run down of the car is that its a 1995 civic with a 2000 ex long block with original 95 ex trans.. the motor is basically stock I have never had a CEL no knocking, overheating,smoking nothing at all.. The car is running on a stock P28 has a 255 fuel pump and straight pipe to a stock muffler..

My problem is recently the car when i start it sometimes it has a slight missfire for about 2 sec then it clears up and idles normal.. I thought it was my spark plugs so i changed them and made sure the new ones were properly gap'ed and they are I thought the problem would be fixed.. It wasn't so then a friend of mine said that it could be the IAC.. so we then took the IAC off and cleaned it non the less the IAC was disgustingly dirty I thought that would fix the problem but it didnt..If it means anything my car does have a system in it so im thinking maybe the battery could be going since my lights tend to dim but i dont think that would cause a missfire..My car only gets sunoco 93 and oil is only changed with royal purple on time.. Im at a lost at what it could be i just want to fix the problem and continue dailying the car lol.. any input would be great.. thanxz h-t

 

Have you tried checking the actual spark from the distributor?

 

Yea just Change cap rotor pluugs an wire basically a tune up. Ur misfire
Should go away

 

are u sure of ur timing at idle?

 

Not yet but a friend of mine did tell me that it could be something with the distributor.. but i changed my distributor about eh lil less than a year ago so i figured it was good lol it still "looks" fresh lol

Thanxz im actually going to do that i dont recall ever doing a tune up to the car..

my timing is perfect i never really had a issue with this motor

 

i was just saying because I had the same problem I replaced the fuel pump to walbros 255 nd put fresh spark plugs after all that same thing, then realized my distributor was the problem.

 

if your timing is perfect should be something on the distributor, did u check plug's wires are u running stock ones?

 

You could test the coil and icm in the dizzy those are the 2 main components.

 

A few things before you go off buying random parts and possibly wasting money. What color spark are you getting from the plugs when grounded to the frame? It should be bright white/blue. Do you think your timing is perfect, or did you actually check the marks on the cam sprocket and crank? Did you borrow/rent/buy a timing light to check the ignition timing?

Also, do a fuel pressure test. There are write-ups all over these forums - just search. You can borrow/rent/buy the tool from your local parts shop.

As far as the tertiary and probably unrelated things, if you have a "system" in your car and your headlights are dimming, don't half-*** the job. Call up Ohio Generator and get a proper alternator for your car stereo. No, a 5 Farad capacitor isn't the correct way to fix it. Finally, do your wallet a favor and stop wasting money on Royal Purple. It's nothing but bling factor, and you can get the exact same oil in a different colored bottle for half the price.

 

I suggest to follow all these directions....

 

might have a bad valve in that cylinder have you checked compression?

 

changed cap n rotor plugs and wires..tried fuel injector cleaner still doing the same thing..cleaned iac too im at a lost as to what it could be...

 

CEL codes? Does the CEL work?

 

cel works fine.. not showing any codes at all..

 

How do you know?

 

it turns on when i turn the key right before i start it.. it comes on then goes off. when the car previously had a problem the cel came on so it works fine.. jumping the harness it show's the code when i had the previous problem

 

What code is showing? After you reset the ECU, does the same code return?

 

I was talking about before when it had a problem.. was giving more of a answer to the question you asked "How do i know my cel is working" but the car has no cel now..

 

Do you have a low cold idle speed rather than an engine misfire? Do you have an FITV? If so, have you cleaned and adjusted it?

 

what do you mean? im gonna google what fitv is..but my idle is steady alittle under 1k id say 8 or 900

 

Click FITV in my signature.

What is the idle speed when the engine is cold (when you are having the "misfire" problem)?

 

didnt even see that in your signature thanxz..idle is alil over 1000.. but it doesn't always do it at cold starts..

 

Why do you have an aftermarket fuel pump installed? Why are you using 93 octane fuel?

Do you have a stock 00 D16Y8 engine?

Is your P28 ECU chipped?

What brand plugs, wires, cap, and rotor are installed?

Is the ignition timing set to spec?

Have you had the alternator tested? If not, measure voltage across the battery posts when the warm engine is idling under no electrical load and under high electrical load (high beams, blower on high, defogger on).

 

Why do you have an aftermarket fuel pump installed?
when i had a problem my fuel pump wasn't coming on so i thought that it went so i replaced that with a 255 pump when it was actually the ecu..

Why are you using 93 octane fuel?
was always told that 93 is best for the car.. helps it run quieter and its cleaner supposedly..i always use 93 in all my cars swap or not..

Do you have a stock 00 D16Y8 engine?
yes completely stock down to the intake and mounts lol

Is your P28 ECU chipped?
nope no chipped ecu bone stock p28

What brand plugs, wires, cap, and rotor are installed?
cap and rotor are from the honda dealer..wires and plugs are from autozone..not too sure what brand the wires are but the plugs are NGK cant remember the name of them but they are the cheapest ones not the expensive ones that tend to go within 500 miles

Is the ignition timing set to spec?
yes when the swap was done it was set to stock spec..

Have you had the alternator tested? If not, measure voltage across the battery posts when the warm engine is idling under no electrical load and under high electrical load (high beams, blower on high, defogger on)
nope i haven't tested it yet but i will.. i have a feeling that my battery is going but everyone says its something with the ignition i feel like im replacing parts that have no problems..