Rep Power: 0

Soooooooo,

I bought this 1991 Honda Civic, automatic. Sometimes when I would drive it then stop and grab coffee or whatever and then go to drive off it wouldn't start. I would wait 5 min and then it would start. Id gave error code 16 only. All the online research I had done pointed at the Main Relay. It wasnt yet a big problem so I did nothing.
Then one day the car just quit. I was driving and all of a sudden got no gas, no revving, nothing. I pulled over and shut it off. When I tried to restart it it wouldn't start.
The BCAA guy looked at a few things and suggested the Main Relay or the Distributer. So I bought a used Main Relay and switched it. Nothing. So I bought a used distributer and had the guy I bought it from change it for me. He showed me the ignition coil and it was burnt. With the new distributer in the car would start, Yay!!!
Then the check engine light came on and won't shut off. When the light comes on after about 5 seconds running I can hear the hum of the engine drop slightly. We looked at the error codes and got 8 and 16.
The guy (who is selling me the parts and helping me work on the car) said it was possible that:

a) the fuel injectors were bad
b) the ECU computer is bad
c) the timing belt is off (it was changed just before I bought it-maybe by a pro, maybe not)

I'm a little confused though because the code 8 is top center sensor or the distributer, which leads me to believe the distributer he sold me and installed is faulty.
And whats the error code 16 all about?

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm running out of cash and don't want to keep paying this guy for parts if I don't know for sure it will fix the problem. If I take it to a mechanic will he tell me the exact problem but let me take it home and do it myself?

Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 812

did you have the ignition timing adjusted when swapping out the distributor??

 
Rep Power: 0

Not sure, I didnt do it myself. I asked the guy if he was sure he had put it in properly and he said "it only goes on one way".
How would I know if he had adjusted the ignition timing? Is that something that is explained in the Haynes manual because I can follow the instructions and just re install it if you think thats a good idea.

Thanks, Erin

 
Rep Power: 812

well car would not run properly. everytime you even move the distributor, the ignition timing must be set again. im not exactly sure how its done, but i think it requires a timing light. a manual should give you an idea how its done.

 
Rep Power: 0

I asked the guy who changed the distributer and he said that he was assuming the timing built was already installed properly and when he swapped out the distributer he put the new one in the same way as the old one was (so the lines lined up as before).
We are gonna try a new ECU tomorrow and see if the problem is the ECU throwing bad codes and if not then swap out the throttle body (code 16 suggests the fuel injection system). If not, we will look at the timing.

 
Rep Power: 812

IGNITION timing, not cam timing! lol. is that guy stupid or what? there is no possible way to put the new distributor on exactly the same way as it came off unless you are a robot. and since he cannot put it back exactly the same way, he MUST adjust the ignition timing. this is completely different from cam timing (which involves making sure the cam gear and associated parts like timing belt are lined up properly).

 
Rep Power: 0

He told me that with hondas there are only a few teeth to line up (or something like that) so it was simply a matter of putting it on the way it came off.
He doesn't seem to think that the ignition timing is the problem but obviously I'm second guessing his expertise.
He thinks the ECU is screwy or the fuel injectors need to be replaced (thus I have bought a used ECU and a used throttle body from him for $50 total and we are gonna try those things tomorrow).

Guess if that doesnt work Ill just take it to a garage and have them look at the ignition timing.

 
Rep Power: 812

right so he doesnt have a clue what the problem is it sounds like. its very rare to have an ecu fail or a fuel injector clog. just make sure its exactly the right ecu and tb for the car and the transmission type. putting in the wrong one will cause even more issues.

 
Rep Power: 0

I know the ECU is from a honda, does it need to be more specific than that in order to be the right one?

Yah, he's not sure exactly what is the problem but he is going by the same info I posted on this forum and 3 other forums and no one else is able to tell me what the exact problem is either. It's incredibly frustrating...

 
Rep Power: 812

well yeah, it needs to match the year of the car (or at least the model year like 01-03), has to match the exact model (dx/lx and ex have different ecu), and needs to match auto or manual trans, whichever you have. those are the three most important factors.

 
Rep Power: 0

So I swapped out the ECU and no change in the codes, so not a computer problem.

The code is 8, TDC sensor. Its gotta be a problem with the used distributer I put in. I'm gonna try a different one and see what happens.

Just wanted to keep you posted. Thanks for your help.

 
Rep Power: 812

well tdc sensor is completely different. thats an actual sensor in the timing belt area that needs to be replaced if youre getting a code for it. not related to distributor at all.

 
Rep Power: 0

thats funny, because Ive google TDC sensor and found that thats in the distributer. Of course one cant trust everything they read on the internet, lol, but I thought Id seen that a few times.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_t...91_Honda_Civic

http://www.2carpros.com/forum/1991-h...-vt235226.html

Are you sure?

 
Rep Power: 812

ive always thought the tdc sensor was on the timing belt side of the engine (maybe this is only true for the newer civics without distributor). it stands for top dead center, which refers to the "cam timing" and position of the pistons. its possible on older cars the sensor may be in a different location, but i cant imagine its related to ignition timing. looks like on your car its in the distributor. if you are sure the part you replaced with is good, then i would just get the ignition timing set and see if the problem goes away. if not, you got a bad distributor.

 
Rep Power: 0

Turns out the whole problem was the igntion coil. The i.c. in the old distributer was burnt out so thats why we put in the new distributer. But with the new distributer I was getting the TDC sensor code. So I took the ignition coil out of the new distributer and put it in the old distributer and now there are no codes and no check engine light.
Success!!

Thanks again for your help.