Stuttering engine at low and really high RPMS (91 Integra)

[LUDA-3G]

Hey guys.
Im trying to sell my friends 91 Integra LS but lately i have noticed that the engine will stutter quite badly at low and really high rpms when under load. For example, when you are about to take off in first gear (this is a manual transmission by the way) if you dont rev the car above 3000rpms it will stutter and just not have any power, it does this through all the gears anything below 2500rpms. The car is fitted with a 2 and quater inch exhaust with headers, could it be a compression problem? Or, this may sound ridiculous, but I went through the automatic car wash the other day, and it had an undercarriage wash, could this have flooded some component somewhere?? Water in the exhaust?? I have noticed when it stutters that there is some moisture being spat out of the muffler... I have checked the air filter and its fine. Also it only seems to stutter after the car has warmed up, it drives fine when cold...

Very strange.. Very concerned please help me out someone!!!

Cheers

[aaronng]

Are you using 98 octane petrol?

[nearly-man]

having the same problem, check for codes first man, i didnt and replaced loadsa things that wasnt relevent, check for codes, trust me

[bennjamin]

maybe electrical - dizzy cap/rotor is iffy ? Spark plug leads need replacing / spark plugs too ? Fuel filter is bad ?
Those are cheap things so replace them first and see if it helps y0 !

[Tofu]

does it sound like broken engine mounts?

[Cold Fusion]

do u have the air-con on? coz when my air con is on my engine dies (coz of the exstra belt being used) and it has no power thus shudders and acts like iuts about to die

[LUDA-3G]

Ok ill answer as many questions as possible... firstly though, how do i check the ecu codes, i read the article for the civic but couldnt find the right plug or it wasnt working (a plug with brown and green wires coming from it but it wasnt plugged into anything in the first place). Is there a different way. It happens when air con is on or off doesnt matter. And i wouldnt know what broken engine mounts sound like but i dont think it would be that. I recently put Mobil Premium Unleaded in the car dont think its quite 98 octane but does it matter, its not JDM. And i am taking the car in for a service on thursday so I will mention the shuddering and see what they think, just though i would get some oppinions straight up. Cheers

[kronjp]

Have you tried spraying WD40 around the plugs? Strange it'll only be a problem when hot.
You mentioned it is throwing lots of moisture out of the exhaust. If the engine is warm and been in use for 10 minutes or so, there shouldn't be any further condensation. If it is still throwing out water, then check the color and if it has a smell as it could be coolant. It'll be a whitish with a strong sweet coolant smell. You could also check the radiator fluid level too but twisting off the cap, BUT ONLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD.

[ACTI0NMAN-1]

checked your o2 sensor? could be on its way out.
altho i'm thinking ecu issue.
Have you checked the ECU as this sounds like limp mode.

[__arjay__]

Heyaa... Try this website.. http://www.g2ic.com/tegtips/engine/13.html
Tells u how to EASILY check for ECU codes and tells u every single one of them.

I get light shutters wen idling.. well atleast i think i do.. soo small but i dont know wat it is yet.. if u figure it out obviously let everyone know so that it will be of some help to other in the future.

[spanks]

Check the igniter inside the distributor..also check distributor shaft bearings if engine light flicking on..when the bearings wear it creates excessive side play at the distributor shaft which removes the air-gap required at the sensor/s at the bottom of the dizzy.

[Shraka]

I wonder why it'd only happen once it was warmed up?

If it clears up at 3000rpm I'd say it's probably not the fuel filter. Could be your dizzy though, or sparks, or leads. I'd say it was something to do with the choke, but it's EFI... Hrm... Perhaps the ECU is messing up? Something wrong with the loom? I know the ECU does things a bit different before you reach operating temperature. Higher RPM, and I think it ups the A/F ratios. Perhaps once it switches to your normal running map, something is stuffing up?

Definatly check the codes.

[Zilli]

i remember i used to have an N13 pulsar that had the 1.8 litre motor and this used to happen to me, its acually happened twice and the module in the dizzy had to be replaced

but it used to bascially cut out pwoer completely then on then off and it was at about 4000rpm, bout 1500 before the redline, if i remember correctly

but check the codes and that will be a clearer indication of whats going on

[LUDA-3G]

Ok guys, looked at the ecu and it flashed once really quick as soon as i turned the car to on.. So according to the sheet that means oxygen sensor. And that would be the thing that is connected to the header right?? And i have aftermarket headers wich expose the sensor which could have been damaged by the jet blast from the under carriage car wash?? Starting to make some sense now... How much is it normally to replace the oxygen sensor?? Thanks everyone by the way for your help much appreciated

[ACTI0NMAN-1]

i think mine from repco was $70 for the part. Dont forget to cover the thread with anti-seaze.

[LUDA-3G]

Also, how much for a new water temp sensor? Can you get those from repco as well??

[LUDA-3G]

The water temperature guage is really really slow i mean it can take up to 20 mins to get to half way even if it gets there at all?? Anyone else had this problem? You think its the guage or the sensor? This car is costing me alot of money and it isnt even mine!!! Sometimes it doesnt even work at all...

[majic777]

prob could do with a new thermostat dude, make it warm up a bit quicker and stay at a steady temp

[Shraka]

Yeah, if your thermostat is jammed, it's gonna cause you problems. It's a common problem in DC2 Integras, dunno about earlier ones. My thermostat was jammed open. The car wouldn't warm up! So I'd turn it off at the traffic lights. LOL. 'cuz the coolent couldn't move around, that'd heat the car up. But then I'd drive around a bit and the temp would start to drop again. :( So I'd have to stop at a set of lights and turn the car off again to warm it up. :P That is untill I got the thermostat replaced. Works like a charm now.

[majic777]

ahha yeah... also with checking the ecu codes... they'll always do one quick short flash as you turn the key on, thats normal... its the codes they keep flashing out after that that you worry about, if any

[LUDA-3G]

***PROBLEM SOLVED***

Turns out there was a few things causing the engine to lose all power at low rpms. Spark plugs for a start definately needed replacing, fuel filter, intake manifold removed and cleaned, injectors cleaned (they quoted me $340 each for new injectors) and a coolant service and compression test. Compression test failed, apparently leaking head gasket somewhere but its not bad....yet. Also right hand CV joint is making noise, they reccommend replacing the whole drive shaft.

So there you go, I was going to put this car up for sale on these forums, but knowing these conditions I dont want to rip anyone off. Thanks again everyone for your advice.