last night my motor cut out while cruising on the hwy about 160km. i coasted on to the next exit stopped the car. and tried to start it again. nothing. it wouldnt turn over. i called up my friend and we got the car started but now it sputtering and smoking. he said i might have blown #1 cylinder cuz we pulled that plug but the engine never bogged down but all the other plugs bogged the motor when he pulled them. i'm taking it to the shop tomorrow to see whats up. any ideas?

this hasnt been a good weeken fo rme. it snowed heavy on friday and i didnt have my winters on. a slid straight into a curb trying to make a turn and bent up my rim. and now this, i cant afford this **** anymore

 

when you start it does it take a while to start and when it does does it sputter and kind hasitate. Also check for codes. I was thinking that this could be the ignitor. Also do a compression check this will tell you the condition of the engine.

 

yes it does all that. it sounds like a friggin lawn mower...my friend also said it could be the ignitor. the engine light keeps flashing but havent checked the code yet. not sure how to?

 

To check the code, Take off the passenger side kick panel and look above your ECU (the metal box). find the green rubber housing with a blue connector (looks like the end of a telephone cord). Get a piece of wire like a paperclip, and bridge both connections. Now turn your key just before you have to start the car, watch your CEL and get the code. If the CEL blinks fast, that stands for 1, 2, 3, etc. If it is a longer blink, that stands for 10, 20, etc. The code
will recycle, just in case you don't get it the first time. also, there could be multiple codes.


[Modified by KAMiN, 11:46 PM 12/16/2001]

 

Do a compression test.

If comp. is ok, then your problem in either ignition or fuel.

To chk if you get spark to #1 cylinder do the following:

Take the all plug wires of the spark plugs. Stick a screw driver in the #1 wire, place the screwdriver within 1cm of a good ground (anything metallic with no paint on it) and have your friend crank the car for no more than 3 sec. (DO NOT HOLD THE SCREW DRIVER UNLESS, YOU LIKE TO FEEL THE CURRENT GOING THRU YOUR BODY! NOT RECOMENDED!) Just lay the screw driver on the head. If you see sparks jumping from the screw driver to the ground then you have power going to the plug.

If you have power going to the plug and the plug is ok and the compession is also ok, then most likely the problem is fuel.

If it fuel, it gets complicated and you should go to a mechanic.

Hope this helps!

 

okay, i checked the code and i think it's code 84. i'm getting spark but when we pulled out the #1 spark plug, it was coated in oil. the others arent. we switched them and it got coated again.

 

Clean the wire real good.

You need to replace the valve cover gasket. It's a pretty a simple job. If you can't do it a mechanic can probably do it for under $80.00 US. After cleaning the wire real good you can use it again.

Remove ground wire from the battery for 60 sec., then reinstall. Now the codes have been erased from your computer and the chk engine light is off.

Restart the car and you should be just fine.

The code you got is from your car missing (the wire being coded w/ oil has done that).

Good luck!

P.S. If you do it your self take your time and do not rush. Remember not to over torque the valve cover gasket screws.




[Modified by civicturbo, 3:05 AM 12/17/2001]

 

well they checked cylinder 1 and it had no compression. they pulled the head and found a valve with a whole burnt right through it, also the head was cracked. so i picked up anothe head today that is already shaved and i'm also gonna see if i can get some cams. what do you think of regrinds? cuz i can afford anything else especially with the cost of labour. looks like there's no christmas for anyone on my list this year but me sort of