Hello all,

So my girlfriend was driving our 95 civic to seattle last week and about 100 miles into the trip, it lost power. She said when it happened her tach went to 0 even though her clutch was still engaged and she was still moving. She pulled to the side of the freeway and said the car idled roughly for about 5 seconds before dying. It would not restart after this. The car has broken down twice before this. First time, I replaced spark plugs and fuel filter and it ran great after that for about 3 months before breaking down again. When this happened, I was able to diagnose it with no spark. I bought a new distributor, put it on, timed it, and the car ran great for about 2 weeks until last week when it died.

Now, I have checked for spark, the main relay is functioning, cam timing is accurate, and the fuel pump primes when key is turned. I can't think of what else it could be. The only thing I can think is that I got a faulty distributor. Its not honda oem but it does have a warranty. It is sparking on every cylinder though. I have not checked compression with a compression tester but I did a half *** compression test on the side of the road by putting a paper towel loosely over each spark plug whole with the spark plug removed and cranked the car,and it blew out of every hole with a good amount of force, so there is at least some compression in every cylinder. Also, I tried putting my hand near the exhaust while having someone crank the car and it feels like it is getting combustion every few rotations of the motor, but just won't fully start. I'm lost on this one at this point.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

I can think of at least 20 things it could be.
plug wires
cheap spark plugs
improper plug gap
corroded engine ground(s), particularly the one on the thermostat

Or it could be an ignition failure due to fouling the plugs because of
bad/cheap fuel
O2 sensor
exhaust leak
vacuum leak
coolant leak
head gasket leak
bad temperature sensor
bad thermostat
overheating
clogged cat
fuel pump

*edit
PS most of that is just regurgitated from memorizing the Haynes repair manual troubleshooting section.

 

Maybe alternator? Not charging the battery, making electronics....gauges not work properly. Try jump starting it.

 

This happened to me not too long ago. I rebuilt my distributor and had the same problem. Replaced the distributor and since then everything is great. It could be your distributor.

 

Well the plugs are ngk, I run 92 octane chevron gas, there doesnt appear to be any coolant in the oil so I'm not thinking head gasket (though I will probably check compression just to be safe). I did drive the car with no exhaust past the resonator for about 10-15k miles, so I'm not sure if that could've messed something up but I do have a full stock exhaust now. The o2 sensor looked to be brand new when I bought the car and I've only put about 30k on it. The car does burn through about a quart of oil every 4-5k, but usually with bad o2 sensors, the car will start running like crap and getting poor fuel economy before failing completely. You mentioned the fuel pump though. I still hear it prime when the key is turned. Is it possible for it to fail enough to not start the car, but still kick on to prime? Also, the plug wires are the one thing I haven't replaced. Is it really possible for them to all fail so instantaneously? They are ngk wires. Like I said though, still getting spark. The one engine ground I see which goes from the power steering pump to the core support looks old but not corroded. I will check the one on the thermostat and report back.

 

Sounds like a short in the power to the ECU IMO. I would start checking the grounds and running through the continuity checks of your wiring.

 

I agree with Joe does the check engine prime with the fuel pump? if it doesn't or it stays on then check your ecu wiring and grounds

 

vatozone distributors fail CONSTANTLY. id start there, and for future reference, used OEM is far better than aftermarket new

 

Im not sure who the manufacturer is, but I purchased it from parts galaxy (an ebay seller with 100% positive reviews). It does have a warranty ultimately.

 

I had the same problem with my old 93 civic ex years ago. Ended up being my ECU harness. I then swapped everything into a 93 del sol si and the timing belt shredded and ECU died at the same time recently. IMO the short in my wiring harness years ago caused my ECU to fail recently. Had to buy a new(used) ECU and was sent a p30. The p28 is needed in this model. The car actually seems to be more powerful with the p30 but my MIL is on none stop. Work in progress....

 

same rebuilt in god knows where trash. id start your diagnostics there.

 

Can you push start it?

 

Open-air spark doesn't always mean it's sparking under load, I've had plenty of cars with those symptoms that had a bad distributor.

An O2 can certainly go bad instantly. Enough carbon fouling from oil or fuel will overheat and burn out the sensor like a light bulb. It easily could have shorted the wires on the heat shield with enough vibration also.

I just had a plug wire fail instantaneously last week on my own Honda, it's definitely possible.

Even if the fuel pump primes it doesn't mean it's making enough pressure, you have to check it with a gauge.

If you're losing oil and not leaking it you indisputably have a compression issue. Valves, piston rings, or into the coolant system.

 

Is there any way to test and o2 sensor or is it a replace it and see if it fixes the problem type of thing?

 

Haven't tried. My battery is about 6 years old and has some corrosion on the negative post but when attempting to start the car I've been using jumper cables and the starter has been turning over with plenty of power, so I don't feel like lack of spark power is a problem when starting. I will definitely try pushing it to see if that works though. I'll try anything once.

 

d.i.s.t.r.i.b.u.t.o.r. test it properly.

 

Are you testing your spark with a HEI, high energy ignition tester? If not you might not have enough spark. I used a plug to test spark. Found out later with a HEI I had a bad ignition coil.

 

so I went and got another distributor from the parts store today, and it solved the problem. After taking apart the distributor that was in the car I found the cause of the issue. There was a loose screw bouncing around inside the cap that totally destroyed all the posts and the router. Poor craftsmanship at its finest!

 

please buy a used oem distributor. you will be having the same problems in a year or less, i guarantee it.

 

Do you know of any good sources for used oem parts?

 

Look up local part shops or junk yards or salvages places. Maybe even try calling the people with those "WE BUY YOURE WRECKED CAR" or maybe just the ones that can spell.