Some background information, b18a1 swapped into 1990 hatchback, been converted to MPFI and OBD1.Car was able to start and sustain an idle for however long I kept the key in. Just yesterday, the car overheated while idling in the driveway.I quickly turned the car off to let it cool down and didn't touch for close to 24 hours.I saw my potential problem as to why and it was a bent rad hose. fixed that.

Before trying to restart the car, I replaced my dead battery with a new one, and I tried to start the car and then I seen that I had a 25A fuse blown under the dash, I Replaced it immediately. I finally tried to start the car again and im getting no start. the engine is cranking and trying to turn over but it doesn't have enough of whatever im missing. I did a bypass test to see if its the starter but the engine still cranks but doesn't turn over.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can fix this problem because I need the car running before the weekend. im moving farther away from work and need it for commuting.

Remember, it ran --> overheated --> new battery, blown fuse --> crank, no start.

 

CHECK THE TRANS GROUND lol

 

check the stupid things first. it takes a lil bit to overheat and warp a alum motor but it does happen.

1- fuel, does the motor prime? and all 4 plugs are wet with fuel after a few tries to start?

2- spark, distrib cap/rotor look burnt etc? plugs good and wires not burnt etc?

but like i said above, the trans ground is a perfectly good reason why the motor cranks and will never fire. just unbolt, clean the area it contacts, and see if she starts right up

 

well the other day it would start up, so do you think in 24 hours the ground could have gotten that dirty to not turn on again?

I just got another distributor and would turn the car on for days.

how can I check if im getting spark?


also, this is probably important but when im trying to turn over the car, I can hear a sound that makes a beat. I believe it is coming from the pistons moving up and down. it is supposed to make a really audible and noticeable sound?

 

when i had a bad trans ground depending on the weather it would or would not start. usually when warm it would start because metal expanded, but when cold it wasnt making contact and the motor would just crank and not start.

as for checking spark, pull 1 plug out at a time and use a screw driver to see if its sparking or not. u can also pull the distributor cap off and look at all 4 contacts. perhaps 1 of 4 are black and burnt. *i go through caps every few weeks atm because im power arching above 5500 rpms and cant find the issue*

but i would clean all of your grounds up even if its not the probem. bad battery ground usually turns power off to the entire car when u try and crank. bad trans ground usually will crank and click but isnt making enough contact to fire up.

 

maybe the weather could explain it because usually when I start the car its nice and hot, but yesterday night and today was a lot colder and was cloudy with a chance of rain. I will clean all the grounds and contacts tmrw.

 

So I have cleaned the ground, got a brand new battery, and cleaned battery terminals. I am still getting the same results.

Here is a video so you guys can see whats going on.

 

is the motor even turning...? i see the alternator belt moving from the crank but jeez

may be a timing issue but i still wanna say fuel or spark, more so a fuel problem because it would eventually spark and backfire after trying to start a bundle of times

is the motor still timed?

 

the motor is turning, you can hear the pistons going up and down making an audible sound due to the compression.

im going to have to check my spark, fuel and timing sometime this week.

 

the motor is turning, you can hear the pistons going up and down making an audible sound due to the compression.

im going to have to check my spark, fuel and timing sometime this week.

 

i would check the timing or atleast glance over it before moving onto fuel/air/spark.

make sure to check the stupid things first though. distrib cap is 3 screws.. look at the contacts on the cap and rotor. spark plugs just screw in.. check all 4 to see if burnt/broke/oily etc..

the distributor also can be a culprit here because they are known to go, but usually u can tell over time they dont just stop working 1 day. they go out with a bang or start stalling/poor mpg etc

 

ok I have found the culprit. I snapped a tooth off one of my retainers and it gouged my cam shaft, which it then offset the timing on the exhaust side by almost 45 degrees!

so im off to the junk yard to find a new one and change it this Saturday.

 

ouch. good thing u figured it out before the motor turned over completely. hopefully no bent valves etc.

wasnt really expecting timing to jump just from idling for a few mins spewing coolant. but cam gears always have marks for a quick glance if the motors timed

gl at the junk yard. make sure its in goo shape

 

So I have removed the valve cover and replaced the piece that had broken, I thought that would've been the problem so I tried to start it once more, and it was a no go.

so I took a look at my cam timing, they are off about 45 degrees. so that means the intake skipped a lot of teeth.

I tried resetting the timing manually by removing the belt and turning the intake cam gear. I cant get it right and I have no confidence to go about it blind, I have too much at stake to mess the car up.

Ive read some posts on how to do it, but is there any that you guys can recommend that could give me a helping hand?

 

i wont touch timing and in cases where need to time the motor, i usually text a few friends who are confident in doing so. if all fails, post on a few forums seeing if theres any local honda mechanics who are willing to time the motor at ur house for a lil $. if that fails or u dont trust the ppl who contact you, then ur stuck towing to a local shop to have it timed. while the car is down though, inspect all timing componets etc and make sure u found the culprit