1996 Honda Accor Ex 2.2L Vtec. Automatic 250000 miles. pretty sure the engine is the f22b1.

I did some work a few days ago, brakes, rotors, bearings, some ball joints. I also did a oil change. After this I couldn't get the car to start, turns out the valve cover gasket and tube seals are leaking and there was a lot of oil in the spark plug tubes. So I also replaced the gaskets and seals. I pulled the plugs and let all the oil into the cylinders so I cranked the engine for a while to clean out the oil. still nothing, also the plugs come out with gritty black gunk every time I check them but it seems to be less each time..

I started to think i had something else happen at the same time so I started doing regular diagnostics.

I have spark, verified by pulling the plug then putting it in the wire and grounding it.

My fuel pressure is at 29 psi with the key on and doesn't seem to be dropping. I know this is low, I'm not sure if its too low to start.

Replaced the fuel filter

Replaced the fuel pump relay just incase.

I can hear the fuel pump running. I tested the plug and I'm getting about 11.30V that fade quickly when the key is turned on. I think this is normal but its been hard to research.

The battery is at 11.9 I know a little low but I've cranked the engine 20+ times since its started.

there's no fuel in the vacuum tube for the fuel pressure regulator.

The only thing I can think is that the fuel pump is failing but I don't want to replace it unless I'm sure. or I somehow messed up the timing while doing the valve cover, not sure if that can happen.

 

Checking compression will tell you if your valve timing is off or if the rings are not working..........Use compression tester with the all the plugs out. Crank it over about seven times.You need to see about 150psi or higher but definitely above around 120.

If compression checks out, spray some carb cleaner in the intake manifold to see if it fires off. You need both pressure and delivery. Your injectors may not be firing. Use a noid light to see if the computer is grounding the injectors. If the engine fires off with the carb cleaner, your issue is fuel. You said you have spark, so that is OK.. Spark, fuel and compression is what you need........I would also open the throttle plate all the way when trying to start it. That is just what I would do

 

Starter fluid didn't work. Noid lights were all good. Compression is 120/120/75/55 tried wet, no improvements, maybe a bit worse. feels like its a head gasket.

 

Bummer.......Before you continue, I would try to prove where the loss of compression is.

You can use a cylinder leak down tester hose to "shoot" straight compressed air in the cylinder. You have to do this on TDC and need an extra hand to turn the crank for you. Where ever you hear or feel air coming out at TDC compression stroke is the weak point. -- If the air comes out the tail pipe, it is an exhaust valve. If it comes out the intake, it is an intake valve. If the air comes out the top of the valve cover where the oil cap is, it is the rings. If the air comes out of the radiator fill up, it is the head gasket.

If it is the head gasket, you head may be warped and the block may have "sagged." If you pull off the head, you need to check that everything is "squared" with a precision straight edge. If the block is "sagged", the engine is not really economical to repair. I think the limit is .004in. -- A machine shop can fix the head if it is not cracked and the block is square. Replacing rings is not easy and requires some experience as the rod caps need to be torqued perfectly. This assumes that the cylinder walls are OK...........

You have some options here, find out what you can, and it maybe the best option is to put a used motor in your ride, if you can do it yourself......Or sell the car for parts.

One more thing: If it is just the rings, you can try and put oil in the cylinder to seal them to the cylinder wall after a few compression strokes without fuel. If the car gets better compression then put the other plugs back in and start it quickly. The car will heat up and I have seen where the rings became able to work again after heat from the engine, but only in a very few cases. Just try to prove where your compression went and go from there. I am very sorry this happened to you especially after all that work you did. You got hosed unfairly.

 

I have to ask. When doing all the valve cover work, at any point did you take the rocker arm assembly off for sealing the tubes like you described?

If you did, you need to re-adjust the valve lash. I know that on the non-VTEC engine, that resealing the spark plug holes requires this step. The VTEC engine has permanent tubes..and I have never done what you articulated in the first post......,but you can't just remove the rocker arm assembly and put it back on without adjusting the valves or at least rechecking them.

This is what happens when I work on cars in my sleep. I can't think of why the head gasket would fail just doing all of the work that you did. It is unlikely to have been happenstance........