quit running

[BJ223]

i was driving home from my girl friends house, at midnight, im driving i turn right, and all of a sudden the car just quit running, a buddy and I pushed it to my house, tried starting it up again, fail, i have checked for fuel, i took the return line off the filter fuel came out. now i checked for spark, no spark, i was reading in my manual that there is a igniter in the distributor cap. what could some problems be, i put a another post about it bogging, could this bogging be putting to much back pressure on the engine for it to start? where else can i start, any info would be greatly appreciated so i can atleast get it running and get it diagnosed. thanks

[Kastigir]

Have you checked to make sure the distributor is turning?

[BJ223]

Have you checked to make sure the distributor is turning?

 

 

i took the distributor cap off, check it inside, there was metal dust and grinding marks on the contact points, so i drove out to an auto wrecking yard got a whole distributor assembly figuring that was what the problem was that is screwing up the cap. im about to put it in, and im wandering where the timing marks are for this 1991 honda crx 1.6 dual point injection?

[Kastigir]

i took the distributor cap off, check it inside, there was metal dust and grinding marks on the contact points, so i drove out to an auto wrecking yard got a whole distributor assembly figuring that was what the problem was that is screwing up the cap. im about to put it in, and im wandering where the timing marks are for this 1991 honda crx 1.6 dual point injection?

The distributor will only go on one way.

[Xeryon]

You can advance or retard it though, but you can line it up pretty close if you make a mark on the side of the head and then line the new distributor up with the mark that the original one lined up to.

 

Distributor bearings are a huge problem in older Honda's. So much that there was a class action law-suit against Honda back in the late 90's. For quite a while, maybe as late as 2004~ish you could get any distributor for a inline 4 made by Honda in the last 15 or so years replaced for free provided your old one didn't work.

[BJ223]

You can advance or retard it though, but you can line it up pretty close if you make a mark on the side of the head and then line the new distributor up with the mark that the original one lined up to.

 

Distributor bearings are a huge problem in older Honda's. So much that there was a class action law-suit against Honda back in the late 90's. For quite a while, maybe as late as 2004~ish you could get any distributor for a inline 4 made by Honda in the last 15 or so years replaced for free provided your old one didn't work.

 

 

which way do you turn it to advance and retard the timing? and is there an seal that has to go on, cuz i notice there is a small amount of oil on the transmission under the distributor?

[Xeryon]

It's a low pressure spot, there is a small rubber gasket on the distributor. Just make sure to clean the junkyard gasket and the head and you shouldn't have any leaks. If you are worried about it the o-ring gasket is all of $2 or less at most any parts store.

 

I don't remember which way advances or retards. First assumption would be to rotate the top of the distributor toward the front of the car to advance, but that is just a guess. Just line up the new one with the marks from the old one and you should be golden. Once again, if you are concerned about it you can always buy a vacuum timing light to check the timing or take it to a shop so they can verify it for you.

[BJ223]

It's a low pressure spot, there is a small rubber gasket on the distributor. Just make sure to clean the junkyard gasket and the head and you shouldn't have any leaks. If you are worried about it the o-ring gasket is all of $2 or less at most any parts store.

 

I don't remember which way advances or retards. First assumption would be to rotate the top of the distributor toward the front of the car to advance, but that is just a guess. Just line up the new one with the marks from the old one and you should be golden. Once again, if you are concerned about it you can always buy a vacuum timing light to check the timing or take it to a shop so they can verify it for you.

 

thanks for your replies on this post it helped me out alot. im am just a beginner on honda's since i have only worked on my bmw with knowledge. but its interesting to learn more about this car so if it breaks down i know what to do.

[Xeryon]

They are really quite simple to repair and nearly every 4cyl honda from 88 to 04? are all fundamentally the same. All the parts are in the same places and many things are completely interchangeable. Go buy the Haynes manual. My chilton covers the 6 model lines of civic over 16 or so years in one single book - the cars are all that similar.

[Hondahunter]

They are really quite simple to repair and nearly every 4cyl honda from 88 to 04? are all fundamentally the same. All the parts are in the same places and many things are completely interchangeable. Go buy the Haynes manual. My chilton covers the 6 model lines of civic over 16 or so years in one single book - the cars are all that similar.

 

 

Honda had a good design and stuck with it

[BJ223]

They are really quite simple to repair and nearly every 4cyl honda from 88 to 04? are all fundamentally the same. All the parts are in the same places and many things are completely interchangeable. Go buy the Haynes manual. My chilton covers the 6 model lines of civic over 16 or so years in one single book - the cars are all that similar.

 

 

k so i put the new distributor assembly in, but using the cap that came on it from the wrecker took the cap off the distributor and theres green stuff on the contact points, put cap back on the distributor it sounded like it fired up for like a second and then just quit, tried again and just the engine turning no firing sounds or any thing, from this stage i need to know if i should replace the cap with a new one, and also wandering since the engine light was on when it was bogging, havent fixed that problem yet, if the bogging is created from the catatylitic converter could this back pressure create the engine not to run?

[Xeryon]

Not necessarily.

 

When you are turning it over are all of your accessories properly turning: your alternator, ac or power steering didn't seize up did it? The distributor you found is off the exact same vehicle correct? A lot of parts are interchangeable but distributors are a bit particular and need to be rewired to switch to a different engine.

[BJ223]

Not necessarily.

 

When you are turning it over are all of your accessories properly turning: your alternator, ac or power steering didn't seize up did it? The distributor you found is off the exact same vehicle correct? A lot of parts are interchangeable but distributors are a bit particular and need to be rewired to switch to a different engine.

 

well there's a battery light looking thing in the cluster light up, is that the alternator light?

[Xeryon]

It can be. You will need to have someone turn the key so you can look under the hood.

 

The bogging and not starting you should try loosening and removing the alt belt and see if it turns better and starts.

[BJ223]

It can be. You will need to have someone turn the key so you can look under the hood.

 

The bogging and not starting you should try loosening and removing the alt belt and see if it turns better and starts.

 

The new distributor assembly fixed the starting and bogging problem, i replaced the cap on the distributor i bought from a wrecking yard, new rotor, didnt start up good first time, pulled the plugs they were soaked with fuel burnt the fuel off, put plugs back in and fired right up, ran like crap for 15 minutes shut it off, adjust the cap with no timing light, and now it runs like a charm, let it warm up, no bogging, or problems of any sort, should i still get the car diagnosed to make sure.

[Xeryon]

Hah, look at that. Figured it out all on your own! Congratulations.

 

You have already diagnosed the problem as a timing issue. It may be best for the longevity of the car if you got a timing light and adjusted it or if had someone time it for you at a shop.

[BJ223]

Hah, look at that. Figured it out all on your own! Congratulations.

 

You have already diagnosed the problem as a timing issue. It may be best for the longevity of the car if you got a timing light and adjusted it or if had someone time it for you at a shop.

 

yeah i will get it timed, gf's dad's friend is timming it tonight thanks for all the info you gave me.