my car is a 90 crx si with 255,000 miles on it, with zc dohc motor, which i'm guessing has around 130-150,000+ miles? (approx.)

i have'nt had any problems recently, car has been driving great, last sunday i went to visit my friend who moved away to a small town, and was an hour drive to get there, the speed limit out there was 75, so i was going 80mph+. my tank was almost empty, so i had to get some gas right after leaving my friends place, he said to get gas around corner, but i tried two places and could'nt get them to work, then i found a closed grocery store with gas station out front, called Berkshires, and i got $11 93 octane there, (usually i have gotten 87 or 89 octane in the past for the zc, but recently i've noticed it had more pep in it after putting 93, so i've gotten 93 lately),

then after 20 or 30 minutes into the drive back home, my car started losing power slowly, so i coasted / kind of stalling out over to the shoulder of the highway, and it made some sputtering sounds as it did it.

and i looked at engine bay, hoping did'nt snap timing belt, i tried starting it, and it just was trying, cranking over and over and over, while making sputtering and backfire sounds out the tailpipe ??,

i called my mechanic friend, he told me look at cap and rotor, so i did, and cap looked perfect, and rotor was on securely, enough where it did'nt move when trying to pull it off, but i could'nt find where the screw was for the rotor?, all i saw was a broken piece of plastic on the back of the rotor on the part that slides onto the shaft, and almost looked a little melted around that area too?,

i looked at the plug wires and plugs and looked good, had wires in right order, no eng. bay fuses were blown, timing belt looked good, and when looking at the cams from the side view, they look like they did before, if lining up the horizontal line on the cams with the "UP" arrows both pointing up, but, thats just eyeballing it, and to be totally sure, i should put my timing gun up to it to check the timing and see if it skipped any teeth.

i did'nt see any ECU codes, and i tried starting it with cap off and watched and rotor was spinning when trying to start it, also tried starting it while holding foot down on the gas,

after checking those things, i called my mechanic friend back to tell him, and he asked me where i was and said he's on his way out there to help fix it, so i was glad to hear that since he is good at figuring out and fixing things.

he was close to my area, and asked more details to me, then next time he called me, he said the cops just pulled him over, so i waited, praying they let him go so he can get on with fixing my car, but then he called later and said he was on speaker phone, and that they are taking him to jail for tickets he did'nt pay. just my luck . . . . . . . . .

so i tried a little more checks on my car, but i really had no idea what it was, it was 2:30am when i stalled out, i went to convenience store got something to eat, then around 4:30am i called a tow truck, and it got there around 6am, and towed it to my place. i have'nt looked at it yet, but i was reading other people had same symptoms after finding out the screw for the rotor fell off, but their rotor was spinning freely?, mine does'nt ?, but mine is weird cause had broken plastic around the base? and looked melted? also some people with same symptoms ended up finding their distributor was bad,

just wanted to post my problem to get feedback to help see what it could be ? what i should check ?

thanks

 

might be a clogged fuel pump/filter from the way you describe it.

 

all i saw was a broken piece of plastic on the back of the rotor on the part that slides onto the shaft, and almost looked a little melted around that area too?,

You need to look further into this.

Actually I'm certain you need a new dizzy after rereading your long post.

What typically happens is the bearing goes bad, starts to heat up and melt the plastic on the rotor since its on the shaft. Then either the screw backs out or the whole rotor is trashed like your described.

I've tried to replace the bearing. Its VERY difficult. Really hard to do without ******* anything else up. I failed multiple times, broke a bunch of wires and knew it was just not meant to be done easily.

So just find a new distributor.

 

i should already know how to do the basics of "no-start" diagnosis by now, i am just doing some stuff for first time now.

i tried doing the test to see if it had spark, by putting an old plug in the end of one of the disconnected wires, resting it so it was almost touching a valve cover bolt and watching it as i tried turning it over, but it was'nt dark, it was early morning and sun already coming up, so not ideal to see it, all i saw was short little orange bits, but it was'nt cranking in a continous cycle like it did before, and instead made one continous sound when holding the key to "on" ?, so did'nt seem right for testing spark,

instead i'm going to buy a thing called a "spark tester" while at the autoparts store later and try it using that.

i tested my battery, it read 12.18volts, so its charged up enough,

i looked at the rotor more, and realised it really is'nt normal at all, i mean it does'nt spin freely like some people said, after losing their rotor screw, but mine is secure and tight, i can't turn it manually, but it turns when turning it over with the key, but it looks warped and melted at the base that slides on to the shaft ?, and weird thing is that i cannot see the rotor screw anywhere around it ?, i turned the car over until the rotor spun stopping at every position around the rotation, and took a picture of each stopped position, and you can't see the rotor screw on any side its facing ?, its like it melted the black plastic over the screw or something ?

so far, the rotor is what i'm concentrating on, cause after searching, one of the first things i saw was lot of people saying they had same symptoms as me, stalling out, sputtering and then it won't start, but found they were missing the screw for the rotor,

i called and the autozone near me has a rotor in stock for my car, only for $7.49, and i was going to buy it and try putting it on to see if it fixes the problem ?, and if does'nt, at least its not much to lose, if it fixes it, then of course i would eventually get an oem honda rotor and replace it with that one later on.

i also checked and turned the key while listening for fuel pump to prime or humm, but i did'nt hear any sound or humm?, but was'nt sure where i supposed to put my ear as i did it to hear it ?, but i did hear the main relay click for sure when turning the key, while my ear was right next to it.

car has 255,000 miles on it, and i've never replaced the fuel pump on it before ever,

i replaced the fuel filter one time, around 2004 or 2005, but i the maintenance schedule says its past time due to replace with another one by now.

i will post some pics i took of the rotor in different positions, i sent them from my phone to my email, but i have yet to upload them to a picture hosting site , and then still need to copy the image URL's and put in the post, so need to do that first...

 

not all distributors have rotor screws, some are held on by spring pressure only.

you can also crack the line at the fuel filter and put that into a cup and see how much fuel comes out if at all to make sure its not working.

 

i replaced the cap & rotor only 2 yrs ago, i remember there was a screw for the rotor (i'm almost positive?)

so to check fuel is coming out at the fuel filter, i just disconnect one of the two hoses coming from it, put into cup, and then do i turn the car over with the key? to get it to try to send fuel to it ? and you know which of the two hoses to disconnect on the fuel filter ? thanks

 

heres the pics i took of my rotor,





i kept cranking it over til the rotor moved, and took a picture of all 4 sides / angles of it, so you can see how the base looks warped or melted, with one plastic piece broken off, but also how you can't see a rotor screw anywhere in sight ? probably cause the melted plastic is covering over it ?

also, looking from the top view, the rotor looks like its crooked, where one side is against the side of the distributor casing (or whatever that part is?)

so, after seeing those pics, what do you think Tyson ? still looking like the distributor ?

 

there are two lines to the filter, one goes to the rail the other is the inlet, I use a large glass or metal cup, place the hose i disconnected into it and let the fuel pump prime.

i replace the rotor, its not good imo, it may not be the actual problem and only a symptom but that kind of damage says replace.

 

dam it, i went through into edit mode on photobucket.com and resized each image so they were 50% smaller, but they still come out too big !, after posting them to the forum ?

 

alright thanks

 

i was reading symptoms of distributor going bad, and it said this :
"A bad dist. bearing will cause the rotor to spin off balance and sometimes will eat up the contact points on the cap and rotor", that sounds kind of like mine? except my cap is perfect condition inside

but i was really searching to see if when a distributor goes bad, would it go bad gradually?, where you would be seeing symptoms along the way?, or can it be driving all good and just suddenly go bad suddenly, and stall out the way mine did ?

cause my car has been driving great, no hesitation or bogging or any screeching noises from the distributor, it just stalled out losing power at 60mph on highway, out of nowhere, and then would'nt start, just trying to see which parts fail in a gradual way where you notice some symptoms along the way? versus the parts which can just fail suddenly after car was just driving great?, so i can focus on those culprits first

like i read if the fuel filter was clogged, that you would notice symptoms for a while beforehand, and would know....etc

 

It's not even a question. Your rotor is fucked. the rotor screw is in there, it got covered by the melted plastic. the plastic rotor part melted and basically turned over the shaft, thats why your timing is all wrong and sputtering.

You can try replacing it alone, but that won't solve the problem why it heated and shifted, messing your timing.

Dont even bother diagnosing your fuel.

 

if i did just try replacing the rotor, how would i get the messed up one off?, i could drill into it and break the plastic away from the shaft, or try to find the point the screw would be at, and drill away the plastic to expose it and undo that first, or see if its even still there ?, then use hammer and chisel to break rest of it off ?,

its only $7 for the rotor they have at autozone which is right kind for my car, so mise well just get it and try putting it on,

another thing to mention, while putting the dizzy cap back on, the metal peg thats on the inside came off !, it goes in a hole on the inside that has a spring in it, can i just pop it back into place into that hole ? or do i have to buy a whole new dizzy cap ?

thanks for your help

 

Just chip the plastic off with a screwdriver or something to expose the screw. You can see where it is in the second pic.

I forgot about that metal bit at the end. I think its supposed to be on with a spring? I dunno. Probably just some grounding thing.

 

I agree with Tyson, you need to start with what is obviously wrong before going for other things. I find it odd that it just died without misfiring and other ignition related issues first, but get the pliers and screwdriver out and break it off piece by piece.

 

yeah, it is weird, i usually just drive close by around my neighborhood, and sometimes on the highway a little, but i was actually in a good mood that night to take a drive thats over an hour each way, to an area i've never been before, and nobody was out on the roads, and felt good out with window open, listening to music, and going 80 and sometimes 90+, but on the way back i was just thinking how good my car has been running lately, and then this happens out of nowhere?, its also been starting on the first try lately for last 2 yrs or more, cause it has new starter, battery, o2 sensor, cleaned iacv out, set idle good, valve adjustment, new t-belt, plugs, cap rotor 2 yrs ago, put timing from advanced back to middle stock setting, new pcv valve, new radiator, etc . . ., and seems like if any part was about to fail, that i would have some type of symptoms before it happened ?, but it did'nt ?

 

just one thing to mention also, i've had an intermittent battery light on the dash here and there recently, i got the new/reman. alternator in 2012 w/ lifetime warrnty, the alt belt is tight and good condition, connections to alt good, and the lights don't dim or anything like that,

but i think the alt is on its way out, even though its a couple years old only, but i have heard that remanufactured alts from autozone don't last long, so i might just get another one with the lifetime warranty and put it in before this one leaves me stranded.

i'm assuming that would'nt have anything to do with this problem?, would it?

 

i bought a rotor and new cap also at autozone, plus a spark tester,

i got the bad rotor off, along with the screw for it, (which was on), then i put the new rotor on and tightened down the screw for it good, then put the new cap on so it was secure and put the plug wires on it, (i put pieces of tape with numbers on them, to label where each plug wire goes on the old cap, and put them same way on new one),

i tried starting it, and still did'nt start, and just kept cranking over and over and over . . . .., then i attached the spark tester to each spark plug at a time, and turned it over watching if the light went on or not, the light went on for each of the 4 spark plugs / cylinders, so they all are getting spark,

i just bought a basic spark tester, so does'nt show if its a good or bad spark or anything?,

so if it shows spark at all 4 plugs, does that mean the ignition coil is good for sure ? or should i still test it ?

 

now that you have taken care of the spark issue, its time to check for fuel. listen for the fuel pump prime and it may be time to crack a fuel line to make sure the pump is working as well.

 

yeah, i still need to do that yet, i know its easy, just need to do it.

i mean i tried doing the thing listening to the fuel pump last week, but i just did'nt know where to put my ear to listen for it ? cause i did'nt hear anything really when i turned the key ? and it was pretty quiet outside at the time, is'nt the fuel pump somewhere underneath the security storage compartment behind the seats ? ontop of the gastank area ?

another thing, should i do anything to check my timing ? with timing light or anything like that ? the belt is fine and stuff, but i'm just thinking of anything else worth me checking ?

 

check timing to be sure. no reason to think it jumped a tooth but just worth checking when diagnosing things like this.

take spark plugs out to look at the tips, and shine a light in, make sure its not flooded.

if the fuel pump is priming, i see no reason why fuel system is the issue.

 

i went out and tried listening for the fuel pump priming, i turned the key til the lights on the dash came on, and already had the fuel filler door open, and i put my ear right against the filler hole, and listened for a minute or so and did'nt hear anything ?

not sure how long til it supposed to come on after turning the key to on ?

before doing that, i was trying to disconnect the hose from the fuel filter so i can see if fuel is coming out, i took off the top service bolt, while holding the banjo bolt underneath it with another wrench, but then i had trouble getting the banjo bolt at the end of the hose off ?, its on tight, and the 17mm wrench only seems to fit down halfway onto the nut?, so can slip off easily, plus i only had one of the two mounting bolts holding the filter to the firewall, so it flexes and moves to one side as i'm trying to pull on the wrench to loosen the nut, i just gave up for now cause was getting too hot out, and i put the service nut back on and connected the negative battery cable back on (the directions said to disconnect it before removing fuel filter hoses), then i tried that thing to hear the fuel pump.

 

after looking at the 89 integra distributors on rockauto.com, i saw a beck / arnley on sale for $99 with 30 day warranty, and different beck arnley for $196 that has cap / rotor already on it, and a spectra for $172, w/ new cap&rotor, which says "1st Generation Jdm Zc Engine; w/ Tec Distributor - TD-03U", not sure how long these last compared to OEM ? or maybe i should get a good condition used OEM 89 teg one from junkyard ? or ebay or craigslist ?

 

i found out it is getting fuel,

cause fuel came out of the hose at the fuel filter after cranking it over, i never got the hose fully disconnected, but i guess i got it loose enough where fuel could come out, cause i saw it was wet on top of the filter and below it on a bracket, and i finally smelled a gas smell.

 

I had a problem last year where I couldn't get the car to start after a head gasket repair. Confirmed fuel, confirmed spark, triple checked the timing. No luck. It drove me crazy.

I ended up just replacing the fuel pump, the distributor AND the main relay. Never did totally pinpoint the exact problem. Didn't really care either, at that point. Running and driving great now.

https://honda-tech.com/honda-crx-ef-...-pics-3224278/