My brothers Civic was running just fine before it died. It was time for a tune up so we replaced spark plugs/wires. While doing this I took off the valve cover to check the timing belt. Previous owner said it had never been changed so I just wanted to check. Turn the motor counter clockwise checking the belt and everything seemed fine.

Put everything back together, started it up and it had a rough idle then it just died. Now the car will not start. It cranks but just won't ignite. I replaced the distributor with a brand new one. Put old plugs/wires on just to check for faulty parts and double checked all fuses. There is spark and fuel as well. ECU was also tested with another one. I'm kinda of stumped as of right now. Only thing left to check is the timing but I don't see how the stupid thing could jump so easily. Any ideas would be great.

Thanks in advance.

 

Did the timing belt jumped? IF so, the timing is off and will not turn over.

 

I don't see how it could jump

 

Did you touch the fuel filter or pump or fuel rail?

 

1. check the order of the plug wires on the distributor.
2. check the ecu fuse in the bay, a bad ecu fuse will rob your car from starting.
3. check the intake manifold for any hoses that have come loose.

hope this helped (^_^)

 

An old timing belt will stretch more than a new one. I've seen this happened, especially if there are "teeth/grooves" missing on the belt itself.

 

Check fuel pressure. Do a compression test.

 

What method did you use to conclude you're getting fuel? Are you getting fuel to just the rail or are you certain the injectors are getting fuel and are spraying?

 

Injectors are wet.

 

Belt looked fine to me. I'll double check

 

I had something similar happen to my 99 EX, in my case the coil went bad.
if you haven't changed the distributer, then pull the cap off remove the coil and check for resistance between the A+ and the B- terminals , then from the A+ to the secondary winding terminal.
a chilton manual will give you correct resistance, but on a 99 the resistance on a TEC distributor between A+ and B-, is between 0.63 - 0.77 ohms.
and from A+ to the secondary winding terminal is 12.8 - 19.2.
If the resistance is good take out the ICM (ignition control modual) and have an auto shop test it, it requires special equipment to test. If either fail, then replace.
If it all passes then I'd say check the timing belt again.

 

In my original post I stated that I replaced it with a brand new distributor.

 

^ was the distributor OEM honda part? or auto part store?

Ive seen too many "brand new" parts from auto stores fail. Ive personally gotten a few. I think people buy parts, clean up the old, return and the auto stores just throw em back on the shelves. I got an axle that looked worse then the one I removed from the vehicle I was fixing. Took it back and the counter guy didn't even think twice about it...just got me another one. ( I opened that box there and inspected that prior to leaving tho)

You get a bunch of high school kids working at pepboys/advance etc....that really don't care much about quality control. That or they are the ones buying the parts, then returning the old to sell to the next guy, while keeping their money.

 

You are absolutely right! and unfortunately it seems that this is the way thing works! I don't trust those "brand new" for the reasons you have mentioned.

 

Any CEL codes?

Are the plug wires installed in the correct firing order on the distributor cap?

Is spark bright white at all 4 spark plugs?

Do the fuel injectors pulse fuel? Will the engine start with starting fluid?

 

No CEL, firing order is correct and spark was nice and bright with the old distributor as well.

Have not tried starting fluid.

 

Still sounds like there is a fuel issue. Especially since you are getting spark and timming.
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Try pulling your fuel rail, with injectors still attatched*. Place a big zip-lock bag around all 4 injectors and then try cranking it over a few times. If everything is operating properly your plastic bag will have fuel in it. If you want a more precise result, try bagging each injector individually. Also, be sure you unplug both dizzy plugs so you don't start some crazy fire.

 

Got it started. Just a run down of what I did.

Checked and made sure timing was still at TDC. Which it still was.

Resanded down all ground contacts.

I noticed the car had a stupid alarm that use to be on there. "Not working anymore" so I just disconnected whatever lines it was from the battery and cleaned the battery terminals.

Once I did all this car started right up.

Thanks for the help/input.