Car not starting after distributor seal repair

[MiXuPs]

Hi guys,

got a bit of a problem and really need some advice on getting my car going again.

Its a d16y4 engine and had oil leaking from the distributor. So... I decided to take it a part change the O ring and the shaft seal (took me a whole week to find the shaft seal from an online store in USA which happened to have a distributor in Sydney). Once I put it all back together, I went to start the car and it wouldn't start. It cranks but then goes dies into a 'spluttering' kind of sound. Pretty sure all the leads are connected correctly, I marked it out so when i put it back the position hadn't changed.. so what could it be?

Very frustrating as it was working fine before all this, and my car has been our of action for 1.5 weeks now. :(

appreciate any advice.

[bennjamin]

Don't try to start it over and over again - that will kill the coil or igniter or both.
Dont be "pretty sure" the leads are the right location , be 100% sure.

I would confirm the lead layout , then take the cap off and check the igniter , rotor and coil - Id replace all three with new OEM bits just to be sure. Also make sure the dizzy isn't too far advanced or regarded compared to its original position

[MiXuPs]

:) let me re-phrase, I'm 100% sure the leads are plugged in correctly. I only tried to start it twice and got worried i'd do more damage if I had kept trying.

I marked out the position and when I re-installed, it was in the exact same position. very strange how it can all just stop working when it was working perfectly fine before taking it off.

[MiXuPs]

how can i test if its the coil?

[MiXuPs]

Any other idea guys? want to avoid spending more money if it isn't the issue i guess.

[cbauto]

you can test individual components with a multimeter using google's help

[cbauto]

Wat. Why did my comments get deleted? Was legit trying to help. 100% results with finger in leads test

[MiXuPs]

well, it wasn't me that deleted it... I managed to you tube it and tested the coil. That looks to be sparking fine, but given these distributors are a tad different inside than any of the civics they have on you tube, I am not sure how I can test the ignition module to see if that is sending a signal. Will see if i can google something unless anyone has experience with this?

[Jasemas]

My guess is your rotor is 180 out or you didnt corretly mark timing before you removed the dizzy

[MiXuPs]

I marked the timing before i took it off and put it back in the exact same position. I thought it can be only put back one way though? it wouldn't go in if you turn it 180 degrees would it?

[cbauto]

It does go in with a bit of friction. The slot is slightly off center

[MiXuPs]

I guess i can try it rotating it 180 degrees and slotting it back in. How much damage can this cause? lol

[bennjamin]

I can't see that this would be a relevant issue. It's like comparing vaginal to anal sex. One way slides in , other way requires abit of force....one is def the designed way lol

[RenzokukenJ]

I find vaginal sex very tough to push in, but anally it's fine

Help

[MiXuPs]

So... after some thinking, I tried to do some test again last night. Hooked up a test light to the positive battery terminal, probed the negative terminal on the coil and cranked it. I got nothing, not flashing flight not even a light before cranking. I'm thinking the Ignition Module has crapped itself. I've been doing some searching online and it seems very hard to find a decent priced one. They are all $90+ from the states. Will trying giving the auto stores a call today i think.

[cbauto]

Did u try the finger test?

[MiXuPs]

No, if I did, i'd probably be in hospital.

Anyhow, I've since realised that I have got the part name all wrong... Its actually the Crank Angle Sensor that sits inside the dizzy on these bloody Hitachi D4T94-04 ones. These are like 180 bucks each on eBay. So.. is there an Ignition Control Module in these civics then?

[cbauto]

No, if I did, i'd probably be in hospital.

Anyhow, I've since realised that I have got the part name all wrong... Its actually the Crank Angle Sensor that sits inside the dizzy on these bloody Hitachi D4T94-04 ones. These are like 180 bucks each on eBay. So.. is there an Ignition Control Module in these civics then?

affirmative.

[Jasemas]

Find someone wrecking a Hitachi D4T94-04 and swap over dizzys

[MiXuPs]

Yeah i will be going down to Jolly's you pull it this weekend and getting one of one of the civic they have.

Out of curiosity last night, I tried to do the ECU fault code testing. So, i go and hook up a paperclip between the 2 pins on the connector, then turned the key to the ON position. and my check engine light stays on.... i guess that didnt go to well.. or does that actually mean something bad? because the light turns on and off normally when I dont have that paper clip in there.

I was looking at one of the DIY guides on here and the CEL staying on means bad ECU or fault code 0.. hmmm

[Jasemas]

Yeah i will be going down to Jolly's you pull it this weekend and getting one of one of the civic they have.

Out of curiosity last night, I tried to do the ECU fault code testing. So, i go and hook up a paperclip between the 2 pins on the connector, then turned the key to the ON position. and my check engine light stays on.... i guess that didnt go to well.. or does that actually mean something bad? because the light turns on and off normally when I dont have that paper clip in there.

I was looking at one of the DIY guides on here and the CEL staying on means bad ECU or fault code 0.. hmmm

When the CEl light comes on and off momentarily when the key is at POSII - it just means the ECU has done a self check
If you susoect a bad ECU
I'd pull it out and check the circuit board
I had a mysterious D4 code which in turn was caused by a faulty ECU
Maybe you shorted out the ECU when you removed the dizzy?

[MiXuPs]

OK i think i will have a check tonight. Cant see how that could have happened lol. I unplugged the dizzy before i removed it. hmmmm

[MiXuPs]

So, I also read on on another forum that the CEL staying on, means there are no fault codes to report. hmmmm Anyhow, I gave up and got a second hand dizzy on the weekend, will install it tonight and see how it goes.

[bennjamin]

please try and find another dizzy off a mate or member here and swap it and make sure it's 100% the distributor.
You can start chasing your tail pretty quick with ignition problems

[MiXuPs]

cheers, I've already got another dizzy which looks better condition than mine.. i'll swap it out tonight. Only problem is, i have not got a timing gun and the new (secondhand) dizzy doesnt have markings on it obviously. I'll just have to try line it up as best I can. At least to get it started anyway.
Do i need to disconnect the battery before removing the dizzy to avoid shorting anything?

[Jasemas]

Yes .

[MiXuPs]

ok I've just about had it with this car. I can't believe a small fix for oil seals could cause such grief. I swapped over the dizzy and was hoping it'd be it, but nooooo stupid thing didnt start.

So i took out the ecu and opened it up. All looks good, no burnt or signs of blown components.

I dont know what else i can check.. any ideas?

[cbauto]

does it crank?

[MiXuPs]

Yeah it cranks, but won't start. Fuel pump is good, I can hear it priming like normal. Injectors are ticking away so their working. I really don't know what else it could be now. I've checked everything I know that would cause this.

[Daveho1]

Go through the diagnostic process, confirm you are getting fuel, confirm you are getting a spark.

[bennjamin]

You might have flooded the motor as well as having timing out of whack
Check your spark plugs , make sure they are clean and dry.
Get everything setup again , prime motor and then apply WOT on and off when starting. IF it does suddenly bang into life instantly back off the throttle ofcourse. it will be a rough idle for a bit but should back down to base line.
Also consider a spray of "start ya bitch" or similar starting spray directly into the throttle body before attempting the above

[cbauto]

Retard timing all the way

[MiXuPs]

I'll check for spark and check spark plugs tonight. Looks like i have to get a timing gun from some where if I am going to retard the timing.. Anyone living in melbourne's west want to help with this :p

[cbauto]

No need timing gun. Just turn distributor all the way anticlockwise

[MiXuPs]

Oh!! do you mean before i start it? do i need to disconnect the wires to it first?

And the timing gun is required for adjusting the timing after i retard it is what i mean :)

[Jasemas]

Oh!! do you mean before i start it? do i need to disconnect the wires to it first?

And the timing gun is required for adjusting the timing after i retard it is what i mean :)

You do not really need a timing gun
You can usually tell when the cars timing is advanced or retarded
As long as the cam and crank are dead on
it's just the dizzy

[MiXuPs]

28894 could this be why? They were pretty moist too

[Jasemas]

Are they even the correct plugs?
Were they water wet or oil wet?

[cbauto]

Are they even the correct plugs?
Were they water wet or oil wet?
A plug is a plug.

If it fits. It will fire.

Even if it's the wrong spec plug. It will fire

[bennjamin]

Are they even the correct plugs?
Were they water wet or oil wet?

Not oil or water . It's fuel.

OP clean up the plugs or better yet get a new set of compatible plugs , start with WOT as suggested before

[MiXuPs]

WooohooOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! finally got it going..

Definitely flooded it. The plugs were covered in fuel, I cleaned it all up and put them back in.. cranked it with pedal to the medal and after a few tries, bamm she started. huge puff of smoke stank up the garage, but cleared after a bit. I let it idle for about 10 mins and then took it for a slow drive, all seems good. Timing doesnt seem or feel off either. Acceleration is smooth and engine sounds normal, so I'm guessing the timing is good.

It took me a while to figure out what you meant by 'start with WOT' lol.

Oh the plugs are Bosch platinum plugs which are the correct ones for the car i.e. can replace ZFR5J-11. i know they are not NGK or Denso, but they were fine until I killed them during this DIY..

Anyhow, thank you all for the suggestions and advice. I've learnt quite a lot form this lol.

Cheers.

[bennjamin]

Great to see you got her going !
Common issue - problem is you are getting further away from your goal and you didn't know it !

[MiXuPs]

Yeah I didn't think to check the plugs, cos the last time i checked them not long ago, they were fine and clean cos i only replaced them a few months ago. Well, just goes to show, check EVERYTHING lol.