My New used treasure.

[JohnnyJohnJohn]

Hi guys,

Long time reader, first time poster, been reading up on the forums for awhile now so i guess i might aswell post up on my new used civic i got a couple of months ago,

its a 1992 Honda Civic Si Sedan (EH9) with a D16A8 and 200k's on the clock, unfortunately its a bloody auto.... but i dnt mind since it will be a daily got plans for a better one in the future ;D, bought off a family friend who unfortunately didnt look after the thing so i was busy patchin er up :thumbsup: just gave her a full major service, whats done so far:

- Fresh Engine Oil currently using 10w30
- Replaced the oil filter
- New coolant/flush
- New Spark plugs
- New Air filter
- New Fuel filter
- Transmission Oil Change
- Valve Adjustment
- New Stock Exhaust (old exhaust was blown, sounded like a lawn mower....)
- Timing belt replaced
- Tensioner pulley
- Cam and crank seals
- water pump
- Replaced the valve cover gasket
- New power steering fluid

Still got quite a fair bit to go but im broke as! so when the funds keep coming so will the progress ;) but yea, ive been reading up in the DIY section and done heaps of progress with the help of members here so pretty keen on reading on more DIY's ;) but so far ive been experiencing some quirkiness with car so ive come to ask the more knowledgeable,
first one is when i use the car and shut her down and start her up within the first 5mins or so, it will tend to start but suddenly die out? unless i give some gas to get her going? idk what this is?

another is when the car is on idle and i switch the headlights or anything that uses elec on the revs die down more than expected? is this the alternator about to die out or what?

how do i find out if my spark plug leads need replacing and if theres anything wrong with my disty?
and also when i pump my brakes while on idle the revs go up quiet alot?

so far those are my problems with the old girl, sorry for the long post as im quite excited with getting her all aced up since its gonna be a daily, ill post up plenty of pics in the morning when i get to it so yea appreciate any comments and what not.
Thanks :thumbsup:

[TheSaint]

welcome aboard man =)

diy is pure win ... the EG civic and D engines are great platforms for cheap fun and learning =)

cant wait to see how it comes along =)

[mugen_ctr]

Theres virtually no support here in oz for D-series, so ur in the same boat as me, lol but if you do go for cheap engine swap, get the D16y8 vtec

With regards to ur electrical problems, theres not enough voltage, probs ur alternator or battery...

[~Sp33~]

Theres virtually no support here in oz for D-series, so ur in the same boat as me, lol but if you do go for cheap engine swap, get the D16y8 vtec


Why would you want that engine? The d16a8 has the same power, and is twin cam to boot.



first one is when i use the car and shut her down and start her up within the first 5mins or so, it will tend to start but suddenly die out? unless i give some gas to get her going? idk what this is?

Could be a main fuel relay, they're often most effected when they're hot (the cracks in the solder expand and lose connection).


another is when the car is on idle and i switch the headlights or anything that uses elec on the revs die down more than expected? is this the alternator about to die out or what?

Check all your grounds are on tight, sounds like a ground issue.


how do i find out if my spark plug leads need replacing and if theres anything wrong with my disty?

Are there any visible cracks in the leads? If the distributor is working, there's nothing wrong with it.


and also when i pump my brakes while on idle the revs go up quiet alot?

Hmm, mine does this too. Though i test drove a new civic the other day and it did it as well *shrug*. Check the vacuum hose coming from the brake booster to see it connects to intake manifold fine, if it does i wouldn't worry about it. Are the brakes difficult to apply?


so far those are my problems with the old girl, sorry for the long post as im quite excited with getting her all aced up since its gonna be a daily, ill post up plenty of pics in the morning when i get to it so yea appreciate any comments and what not.
Thanks :thumbsup:

Looking forward to the pics, the D16A8 is a sweet engine.

[Twincam16]

Welcome Johnny, ive moved this to the intro section

[JohnnyJohnJohn]

Theres virtually no support here in oz for D-series, so ur in the same boat as me, lol but if you do go for cheap engine swap, get the D16y8 vtec

With regards to ur electrical problems, theres not enough voltage, probs ur alternator or battery...

I'm most likely gonna be keeping the engine, it aints so bad actually got enough grunt to get around :thumbsup:



Could be a main fuel relay, they're often most effected when they're hot (the cracks in the solder expand and lose connection).

Check all your grounds are on tight, sounds like a ground issue.

Are there any visible cracks in the leads? If the distributor is working, there's nothing wrong with it.

Hmm, mine does this too. Though i test drove a new civic the other day and it did it as well *shrug*. Check the vacuum hose coming from the brake booster to see it connects to intake manifold fine, if it does i wouldn't worry about it. Are the brakes difficult to apply?

Looking forward to the pics, the D16A8 is a sweet engine.

I'll def check out the fuel relay in the morning, didn't think of that, at first i thought it was the fuel filter but when i changed it, no luck :confused:

AFAIK the ground leads are on tight, but i can only see 2? one at the valve cover and the other on the tranny? is there more that i haven't seen?

I still have to check on my leads, disty and what not, just been googling around on how to check it ;) but i have a feeling it maybe one or the other? how do i actually know haha? if it'll make it easier i can hear the ticking quite louder than my valves now... i dnt think the valve adjustments were done properly :confused: but its still better than before thats for sure! ill try and get a video up of the engine running.

yea i think all hondas maybe like that, but there is somthing def wrong with them, i may need to get the discs machined if not replaced and i dnt think my brake likes havent been flushed properly? hence the uneven pressure? and it kinda feels like im pressing a clutch instead of a break peddle :( doesnt sound good doesnt it :confused:

overall thanks for the pointers! big help atm :thumbsup:


Welcome Johnny, ive moved this to the intro section

Thanks, appreciate and sry i didnt realise this shoulda been in the into section, as for pics here are some of the pics, ill post up more in the near future.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8870/dscn0223ra.th.jpg (http://img51.imageshack.us/i/dscn0223ra.jpg/)http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/157/dscn0233d.th.jpg (http://img682.imageshack.us/i/dscn0233d.jpg/)http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8821/dscn0236k.th.jpg (http://img514.imageshack.us/i/dscn0236k.jpg/)http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3272/dscn0237d.th.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/dscn0237d.jpg/)http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/2193/dscn0238g.th.jpg (http://img810.imageshack.us/i/dscn0238g.jpg/)http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/2353/dscn0252b.th.jpg (http://img696.imageshack.us/i/dscn0252b.jpg/)http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6617/dscn0260q.th.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/i/dscn0260q.jpg/)http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/4766/dscn0261j.th.jpg (http://img689.imageshack.us/i/dscn0261j.jpg/)http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/8858/dscn0262b.th.jpg (http://img36.imageshack.us/i/dscn0262b.jpg/)http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2682/dscn0264f.th.jpg (http://img822.imageshack.us/i/dscn0264f.jpg/)

[~Sp33~]

I know mine ticks fairly loudly at idle, are you hearing your injectors?

Usually if a distributor is going bad you wont be able to rev cleanly to redline, it'll intermittently cut out, or die all together. Usually with bad leads your spark will be weakened but i don't think it's as noticeable compared to your distributor is dying. Is it just the 'not starting' thing that makes you think it's the distributor?

If your brakes are real spongey i'd put some new fluids in and check that your pads aren't really low. Make sure to bleed it correctly too. Automatics generally have some pretty average pedal feel, but if it feels like a clutch you should definitely start doing the once over. So your car is pulling to one side under braking? Does the car shudder at all when you lightly apply the brakes? Any uneven tire wear? Might need an alignment.

Good luck.

[JohnnyJohnJohn]

I know mine ticks fairly loudly at idle, are you hearing your injectors?

Usually if a distributor is going bad you wont be able to rev cleanly to redline, it'll intermittently cut out, or die all together. Usually with bad leads your spark will be weakened but i don't think it's as noticeable compared to your distributor is dying. Is it just the 'not starting' thing that makes you think it's the distributor?

If your brakes are real spongey i'd put some new fluids in and check that your pads aren't really low. Make sure to bleed it correctly too. Automatics generally have some pretty average pedal feel, but if it feels like a clutch you should definitely start doing the once over. So your car is pulling to one side under braking? Does the car shudder at all when you lightly apply the brakes? Any uneven tire wear? Might need an alignment.

Good luck.

I've checked the disty cap, there seems to beem some dust, smelt like wmens blush powder or somthing carbon deposit? it was kinda browny maroon in colour? and for my injectors they seem to be working? i can hear them clearing ticking, and i can't seem to pinpoint where my fuel relay is? :confused: thought i did but i guess i was wrong lol, but yea i think i gotta get the brakes done asap, ive flushed the front but the rears havent yet + a balance and alignment... oh man pockets getting deeeeeeper :(:thumbdwn:

on a side note, is it recommendable for me to use octane 95 or just regular unleaded? i've had diff opinions when i ask around, its not like my cars a beast tho?

[~Sp33~]

I use regular, and it runs fine.

What i meant about your injectors is that they tick quite loudly when they're running, so maybe that's the noise that you were mistaking for bad valve clearances.

Fuel relay... Is on the drivers side kick panel in my EF, i'll find out about where it is on the EG though - I'll get back to you on that one.

[JohnnyJohnJohn]

Ah ok fair enough, but yea they do tick quite loudly :eek:, unfortunately after one accomplishment another problem has to arise far out!, was checking up on my disty, took the cover off, checked the rotor and cap, there seems to be some white substances, so i just gave it a quick clean with a dry cloth to get the dust out, put it back, all leads are on correct... start her up and bang! nothing but a loud tick... try it again... same result... on avg it takes 2-4 trys to get the car started? nothing seems to be wrong tho? im so puzzled right now...:confused: the car doesnt even crank...

[~Sp33~]

Check all your ground wires.

Battery, valve cover, starter motor, thermostat housing, transmission case... I might be missing a couple, but make sure they're secure.

[JohnnyJohnJohn]

heyaa, just an update, flat... wait for it... battery :( so yea gonna get one first thing tmrow morning, theres only 2 main grounds for this car + a small one on my thermostat, i have a feeling i may need to change my disty cap and rotor soon looks quite worn out. As for my start stop start problems ive located the main relay and after reading up on the relay related problems for these egs i am quite sure that, that is the reason, now im stuck whether to try the reflow mod for the solder joints or source the new one? any ideas =(?

btw thx for the replys buds :thumbsup: help me out big time +rep for u kind sir ;)