The car: JDM B16A powered '88 CRX Si.

The problem: It won't idle. I start it up, it does its usual rev-up-to-2k thing, then it stalls. It's like it tries to idle at 750 for a split second, but then the revs just drop and it dies. It fires up again without TOO much hesitation on average, but once or twice I just haven't been able to start it; I had to wait and try again.

Also, driving home on the highway today, I pressed the gas in 5th gear to try and keep up with traffic (driving really slow since it's f*cked) and I had ZERO power. I mean, it made noise but pressing the gas just literally was like lightly hitting the brakes. It went nowhere fast, and the A/F gauge was reading full lean. I let the car stall again and started it again (still rolling) and the problem didn't come back.

Please, PLEASE help... I'm broke as fvck and can't afford to take it to a shop!

 

what was the last thing u did to it when this started happening?

 

Hard to say really... the idle's been bad for a bit, but not usually so bad that it stalls. It usually will stall once, maybe twice when I first start it, and then it'll run perfectly from then on. I *just* replaced the distributor cap, rotor, and spark plug wires, if that makes a diff...

Also, I'm currently using a cheap MotoMaster fuel filter. Maybe it's clogged?

 

I am having a similar problem with my prelude. I have replaced the cap, rotor, coil, wires, and fuel filter and still haven't fixed the problem. I am thinking possibly a bad fuel pump.

 

Inlinefour: Bad fuel pump? Eeek, I hope not... expensive .

Jay D Em: How do you remove the pickup screen? Just pop out the fuel pump and have a look?

I pulled my fuel filter today and shook it around, and there's something metal rattling around inside of it... I'm thinking that isn't normal. My fuel filter from before (I still have it lying around) doesn't rattle when I shake it. I just replaced my timing belt today too (Acura part for the JDM B16A versus a Lordco part for the Del Sol VTEC), so maybe that'll fix something... can't start it until I get a new fuel filter though.


[Modified by raeneshadow, 9:34 PM 6/30/2001]

 

The fuel pump screen is just on the end of the pump. Pop the fuel pump out and look at it. Mine is clean.

Raeneshadow, if you fix the problem, be sure to post it!

 

Thanks man. I'll go pull the pump in about 20 mins... gonna pick up a fuel filter while the store's still open. Results in ~1 hr. **** I hope this works!!

 

I didn't realize you had to pull the fuel tank to get the pump out in a CRX... that was a FOUL job. I now know what it feels like to have about 3 gallons of 94 octane supreme gas running down your arm... yecchy and expensive .

Anyway, the little baggie on the end of the pump looks clean... it feels like it has some ... stuff ... inside it, though. Quite a bit of stuff inside it. I don't really know what that means, though. The outside's clean, and I can't see the inside.

 

OK, job finished. I reinstalled the fuel tank. Here's what I replaced: fuel pump strainer, fuel filter, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. I fired it up and it still ran funky! I don't know what the hell's going on... maybe my MAP sensor's gone? Maybe the fuel pump is dying itself? Talk about a wasted weekend...

 

It's not possible to replace the ignitor on a B16A w/o replacing the entire distributor, is it...?

Thanks for the tip, Teken...

P.S. I thought an ignitor prob would cause bad tach output...? My tach's working fine.

 

Thanks Teken . Once again you've given me some things to look at... I'll check 'em out when the car's running again (I snapped a valvecover stud on the intake side today somehow, and Honda only stocks the exhaust side studs for some reason, d'oh!). Should be able to check a few of these things over tomorrow afternoon .

 

Always . Fuel pressure is 38 psi w/ the hose off, ~28 w/ the hose on. The battery's currently unplugged too.

 

It could be the IACV. The one on my old D16 had a bad connector, and somtimes it wouldn't idle in the mornings when i first started it. I would start fine, then just die. Same problem as your having. Here is how to check it:
Try to start your car in the morning, and if it is doing the no idle thing, just unplug the connector from it (its the thing on the back of th intake manifold) and try to start the car again. If it idles (will probably be a bit high), then there is your problem. Let me know how it turns out.

 

Thanks RioNinja. I'll try that on Monday (since that's when my new valvecover stud is coming in ).


[Modified by raeneshadow, 4:47 PM 7/6/2001]

 

Hey Rio, I tried the IACV connector thing. It threw a code and still ran crappy... Onto the next suggestions I guess. Thanks for the idea though.

Teken, if the alternator failed to the point of causing the car to stall wouldn't that cause a check engine code to come on? And since the battery's not being drained, does that still seem to indicate an alternator problem?

P.S. I did notice that the fuel pressure was jumping between 26 and 28psi (roughly 2psi difference) when the idle was wavering up and down, though. Coincidence?

P.P.S. The car also seems to have lost a LOT of power, especially at higher RPM (obviously I'm not revving the pee out of it, but it seems weak at 3000 and not much better at 3500... the higher you go, the more you can tell it's weaker than it should be)


[Modified by raeneshadow, 9:27 PM 7/9/2001]