Engine problem

[Boban]

Hi guys and girls,

I was just driving back from a car wash with a couple of friends and my car died, well not completely, but it won't start.

I didn't do anything too crazy to it, i took it into vtec a couple of times and i suddenlly noticed change in my exaust note. It started to rummble like the wrx does, i thought this was strange so i backed it off. About 100m down the road, going up hill i noticed a drop in power, and another 100m or so later there was no power at all and the engine just shut off on me and now i can't get it started. Luckily by the time it shut off i was on a downhill slope so was able to park it at a service station and had to leave it there. I tried starting it again (after leaving it alone for a few minutes) but still nothing.

I did the timing belt about 3 weeks ago and got new spark plugs and leads, maybe they have something to do with it. There was a burning smell somewhere in the engine but i couldn't see where it was coming from as it was 11.30pm and there were no lights.

I hope someone here will be able to help me out, i will go and have a closer look at the car tomorrow first thing and see if i can get it back home somehow.:(

Thanx for all your help
Boban

[heist]

sounds like water in the spark plugs to me...

[Boban]

water in the spark plugs = blown head?????
it was working fine b4, and i never wash my engine with the hose, just wipe it off occasionally with a cloth

[EuroDude]

sounds like a bad distributor cap/coil/ignitor to me...

Replace the cap first (they are cheap), if the engine still wont start, then it could be the coil or ignitor which can be expensive.

[Boban]

i'm hoping its something like that guys, i really hope it's nothing with the block/head. Maybe water did get in there somehow, but there is nothing i can do as the car is parked at a petrol station and i'm at home with no way of bringing it here at the moment. Thanx for all the help, see what happens tomorrow

[Spunkymonkey]

I found when the coil went on my civic years ago, it was more like a bunny hopping affect, and the engine was stalling. Were you still getting power when you tried to start it again?

[Boban]

nah man doesn't start at all. the starter goes but i won't turn over. i just went to try again and 2 leads were off at the distributor side, so i plugged them in but nothing, still the same.

there are no fluids leaking from the engine, and there is no milky stuff on the dip stick, so i'm hoping the water didn't mix with oil

[EuroDude]

In the mean time you can take off the dizzy cap and clean the white powdery stuff off the cap contacts - that may get it going until you can buy a new cap.

[Boban]

but the car is about 200m away at a petrol station and i have no way of getting there. Being nearly 1am it might look a bit suss if i went there and worked on it now :P

what could force the leads to pop off the distributor???

[EuroDude]

lol yeah its a bit late to work on it now. Maybe the leads came off because the spark plug leads are the incorrect type and came loose, which could explain the burning smell due to dodgy electrical contact.

[Boban]

Possibly mate, i did get them second hand, they were on a d15 (mine is d16) b4, so maybe. They are top gun brand, and seem to fit it fine, even the same lenght when compered to the stock ones, but i will try the stock ones tomorrow, and if need be go and buy some new ones that are meant for my engine. I did have a look at the sparks and there seemed to be no water there, well on the side sticking up, didn't take them out (1am!!!:( )
All the electrics work fine, checked all the fuses i could think off, but i couldn't pull all of them out coz i was there for only like 5 mins. see what i can do tomorrow. Thanx for all the help

[simbadda54]

Loose spark plug hence the engine sounding like a wrx. Probably vtec'd ur spark plug off lol

[Boban]

Hahaha, vtec'd the spark plugs off, something i wouldn't have thought about. Thanx for the input mate, will have a look at that tomorrow

Some ppl have said to me that it might be the fuel pump, any ideas???

[|N|]

i ll go for sparks first... coz if teh car sounds like that .. most likely sparks...

when u start the car... does it make any noise?

does it crank?

[destrukshn]

top gun leads are crap.
lol..
=/

[Boban]

N- the car won't turn over, it cranks but it won't turn for some reason.
destrukshn- cheers man, i just came back and put my old oem leads on but it's still the same. I checked all the sparks and they were tight (sorry mate but they didn't vtec off)

Did a check of all the fuses and all were fine except the one in the engine bay saying 'backup' (7.5A), so i swapped it and put a new one in but still no change.

It is now 7:01AM and it's gonna be a very long day *sigh*

Thanx for all the help

BTW N- how much to send that engine to brisbane, you know, just in case :P

[Spunkymonkey]

If all your sparks are ok, it may be a fuel problem then. Can you hear the clicking noise that the fuel is priming? It may actually be your fuel pump. No fuel is going in, and hence why it won't crank over. Cousin who has the same car had the same problem a couple of weeks ago, and that was the culprit.

[Boban]

Latest update: it's not the sparks, and i didn't snap the timing belt. According to my friends dad, the fuel pump is ok but i didn't hear anything, so maybe it's that or maybe the fuel filter is dirty and the fuel isn't getting through (i haven't replaced it since i got the car so who knows....) My bro (a mechanic) is away down the coast so there is nothing more i can do til he comes back, but i will keep you all up to date.

EuroDude and Spunkymoney, if you boys are ever up my end of the town, look me up, drinks are on me, appreciate all the help boys. And thanx to all the other ppl who replied.

L8RZ, Boban

[CRXer]

If you were trying to kick it over with the plugs off your dizzy then you having more than likely fried the ign coil or igniter unit.

[Boban]

That is a possibility mate. Anyone know how to check if these (coil or igniter unit) are stuffed???? I did smell something in the engine bay but i honestly couldn't see anything. Anyone know where these are? Inside the distributor???

[CRXer]

Yes,inside dizzy.

Ignition OFF
Pull cap off & disconnect black/yellow & white/blue(remember which terminals they came off) from coil,
Measure across these 2 terminals(primary coil) & should be around the 0.3-0.5ohm mark,
Then measure from black/yell term to secondary winding terminal(round bit on top of coil),should be 10k-14kohms roughly.
These were my old D16 figures any way.

For ICM,
Ign OFF,
Reconnect coil,
Leave ICM in place but disconnect the 4 wires,
Ign on,then test for 12V black/yell to ground & white/blue to ground,
Check yell/green continuous to ECU,
If all above ok,then good chance ICM is stuffed.

[Spunkymonkey]

Latest update: it's not the sparks, and i didn't snap the timing belt. According to my friends dad, the fuel pump is ok but i didn't hear anything, so maybe it's that or maybe the fuel filter is dirty and the fuel isn't getting through (i haven't replaced it since i got the car so who knows....) My bro (a mechanic) is away down the coast so there is nothing more i can do til he comes back, but i will keep you all up to date.

EuroDude and Spunkymoney, if you boys are ever up my end of the town, look me up, drinks are on me, appreciate all the help boys. And thanx to all the other ppl who replied.

L8RZ, Boban

Boban, No worries. I'll keep that in mind if I'm up there. Good luck with the car. BTW I'm a chick :)

[Boban]

does any one know the firing order of the cylinders

[CRXer]

Theres a mark on the cap for #1 cylinder(looks like copyright symbol),then going clockwise around the cap
1-3-4-2

[Kiz_EG6]

Mate, would say it's probably the easy answer, water in the spark plugs!

Used to happen to my old D16 teg every now and then when i washed her.

Make sure you pull the plugs out even if it starts running normal. i nearly fused a plug in once, took me two days and bout half a can of WD40 to get it out!!

[Boban]

yeah i already checked all that but there is no water there

[Boban]

Thanx ecu man, i'll test than next time i get a chance, work all day tomorrow :(. We tried testing the the plugs were sparkign (take the plug out and stick it into the lead and put it close to a ground (a nut or the chasis)) and 'theoretically' when you crank it, it should spark, but mine didn't, so there is deffinetely somethig wrong there. I took off the dizzy cap and cleaned as much of the carbon out but still nothing. Anyone know how much a new distributor will cost (anyone repolaced theirs with a second hand one from a wrecker)??? I have found a D16Y1 for $200 so if that one fits and is chaper than a new distributor (provided it works) i migh just buy that and use it for spare parts and sell what i don't need.

ohh and appologies to SpunkyMonkey:o

[Boban]

Latest update ladys and gents. I got a brand new distributor cap (because mine had alot of carbon build up on it) tried it but nothing. Tested the compression of all cylinders and everything was fine so i didn't stuff up the head or anything in the bottom end. And finally ended up getting a new dizzy. But since noone had one here on brisbane (and the engine i was talking about in previous post didn't come with one i needed) i have to wait another day for it to arrive from victoria.

Nonetheless i'm happy that i ended up finding one and for the price i got it for i don't mind waiting another day for it to arrive.

All the best peoples, look after your :honda:

:wave:

[EuroDude]

Yeah I tried a new cap on my civic but it still wouldnt start, I ended up getting a new Dizzy coil which cost me something like $500 (includes labour) :eek:

[Boban]

:eek: $500

I got mine for $165 @trade price including delivery. Gonna fit it on myself but it's gonna be a b!7ch coz i have to pull everything off again to get to my timing belt and line everything up to make sure everything works properly.

[EuroDude]

:eek: $165 :eek: Is it a Honda dizzy or an aftermarket one?

[bennjamin]

:eek: $165 :eek: Is it a Honda dizzy or an aftermarket one?

i think he means the parts... IE the ignition coil or igniter unit. Both are susseptable to wear over time and are about $150 each , + labour fitting.
Also check the dizzy bearing while you are at it (look for a red/brown dust inside the dizzy cap)

Also check your main relay - it controls fuel and spark delivery so it might be old and worn out

[EuroDude]

hms yeah they charged alot of labour if I recall correctly.

Would have done it myself but I wasnt sure how to diagnose which was the exact faulty part..

[Boban]

EuroDude: i have no idea, my bro orgainsied it through his work. I do know it's not a new one, but it comes with warranty so itdosen't bother me. New one is $400 (what i got quoted) so if you paid 500 w/ labour, sounds about right

Bennjamin: Thanx mate, i'll have a look at it when i take it off later today/tomorrow. Don't want to pull anything off yet and have it all sitting there in the open and get dirt and stuff in there

[Spunkymonkey]

Boban, no worries. Give us an update on how you go :)

[Boban]

Final Update: Ok ladies and gents, i'm back on the road. It did end up being the dizzy after all, and after putting another one in, the car started first go. My ghetto backyard tuning couldn't get the timing just right so i'm taking it to a mechanic in about 30 mins, but it runns pretty darn good. Vibrates a bit more at idle, but that's because of the tuning.

Final price: $45 for a brand new dizzy cap (i put that one on even though the dizzy came with one in pretty good condition) and $165 for a reconditioned dizzy (the whole thing :D) from Victoria. So i'm pretty happy. Thanx for all the help guys and girls and if anyone needs any help putting in the dizzy and you are here in brisbane, let me know if i can help, pretty easy to install.

Laters
Boban

[Boban]

Forgot to mention where i got the part from

Hondworld
61C Westminster St.
Oakleigh VIC 3166
(03) 9530 9930

[EuroDude]

Good stuff :thumbsup: Lets hope the new dizzy is in good condition.