MLRSFDC

I have noticed several threads dealing with the engine not starting but my situation is slightly different.

16 months ago I finished a trip with my 98' civic and I noticed that it was losing battery charge. I popped the hood and noticed that my belt system was not turning with the engine on. I diagnosed that the Harmonic balancer was inop. I had to have the car jump started multiple times as I continued to drive it until I got it to a friends house 10 miles away from where the problem started. that is where the car has sat for 16 months, until i was able to get towed back to my garage.

I removed the old harmonic balancer and installed a new one. I also installed a new battery. Every thing is now torqued and tight after the install.

Ignition fires to the starter and I have removed the starter and made certain that it was not locked up. The starter is turning the flywheel and the pistons are free and turning. Distributor is firing and plugs although not new are gaped, dry, and generating spark. Fuel pump is working and I have fuel present at the injector rail, not certain as to weather or not fuel is making it to the cylinders.

There is no sound of a catch, as in the car does not sound like it is creating combustion.

I don't have access to a lot of fancy tools or diagnostic equipment, therefor I need some good shade tree mechanic advice.

The crank shaft and timing belt were not messed with so I am assuming that timing is not the issue.

In advance I appreciate your advice and time in helping me with this issue.

ezone

You DID say the sparkplugs are dry??.......do they even smell like gas?

Got a spray can of anything flammable? (Carb and throttle cleaner would be ideal here.) Spray a little in the throttle body and crank it. If it tries to fire then you know the engine is lacking fuel. As in injectors aren't squirting fuel.

#1) Are the injectors getting fired by the computer? (test light)
#2) Can the injectors pass fuel? (manually activate them)

Um....No fuel.....Sitting for a while....I'd use jumpers to hook each injector to power and ground, "scratch check" the wires (momentarily touch to battery), see if each can click. If no clicks, then I'd tap on them with something like a screwdriver handle, hoping to jar the pintles free. I have had to do this with used engines, the old fuel varnish makes the injectors stick closed.
You might just beat on the injectors (use some common sense and a screwdriver handle) while someone else cranks the engine over.

MLRSFDC

Al right. I tapped on them a few times and the engine sputtered a few times which is more than it was doing before. Im thinking about trying taking the rail apart and kind of rinsing them off with some fuel. Not certain as to weather I shoud attempt to reuse the seals after doing this or if I'd be better off just planning ahead and replacing the o-rings.

MLRSFDC

Alright I've researched new injectors for this vic and see that they run around $90 a piece. I want to be certain of what I am doing prior to touching these because I do not have the money to put into those right now.

I found one place that I could ship them to, but they wanted $90 for the shipping and job, much more reasonable but still I'd like to save even this cost and do this by hand if anyone could give me the how to.

ezone

If you tapped on them and got it to sputter, that's an improvement...Right?
Sounds like I might have guessed right huh?
I'd keep doing the same thing until it runs LOL.


Rinsing them off will do nothing if they are stuck internally. You have to get them unstuck first, then get cleaner (or fresh fuel) to flow through them in order to do any good.

DIY injector cleaning, found this on youtube and I have heard this actually worked well for one person with an S2000 on another forum.


Search for others.



Probably use fresh injector seals, but the old ones might be ok too. I have had more trouble with new ones getting pinched and leaking than I ever did when I reused old ones.

Aftermarket should have the seals, sizes are pretty common.


If you still want to send them out or get reconditioned ones, I have used this place many times over the years (Indianapolis, In.) http://www.lindertech.com/

carolinacivic

I tried the DIY fuel injector cleaning. It barely worked. They problem is you still can't tell if you have the correct flow rate or spray pattern. Also, there is no way to tell if all of the injectors are "flow matched" aka spraying the same. I got a real education from the guys at Race City Injector. They have a ton of information on their site. www.racecityinjector.com

MLRSFDC

Alright all, sorry for taking so long to get back on here.

I pulled apart the injector rail and removed the injectors. They were covered in oil sludge. the ports had maybe 1/8th inch of slug in them.

I used carburetor cleaner and gas to clean everything that i could get to. I also cleaned the throttle body and choke. threw it all back together and tried to start the car again.

I was catching better. I had to hook up some jumper cables to my Jeep to keep from killing the battery but after about 5 mins of cranking the engine, stopping at times to make sure I didn't completely destroy my starter. The Civic finally started.

I also added some Lucus to the fuel and oil.

Now I am hoping that the sludge build up was due to an improper head gasket replacement by the previous owner and that it is not a sign of a current or new problem.

As of right now the car is purring like a kitten and runs great. Better than it did prior to the Harmonic balancer falling off.

I f anyone has any ideas as to things that might be causing the sludge please let me know.

I have a line on a D15 series VTEC that a guy wants to sell me for $450 with head. My thoughts are to take the D15 and rebuild it and swap it out later with this D13B4 that I am currently running. I think I will have less issues out of the D15 series engine. The guy does not know which D15 he has only that it has a VTEC cover. I plan on going and seeing it in person before purchasing.

SO a second question, and after this, I will work this thread through another forum heading. What head and fuel delivery series do you suggest for a D15 block?

BTW thank you all for your help in fixing this issue on my Civic.

MLRSFDC

I checked that web site and it was not only a great place for info but, they guarantee that if your injectors are indeed bad, that they will not charge you.

I could send all 4 of my injectors to this place and have them returned in new condition for less than the price of 1 cheap brand new injector.

Thanks for the link and the advice.

MLRSFDC

I checked that web site and it was not only a great place for info but, they guarantee that if your injectors are indeed bad, that they will not charge you.

I could send all 4 of my injectors to this place and have them returned in new condition for less than the price of 1 cheap brand new injector.

Thanks for the link and the advice.

ezone

It's normal (and it's not the same as what we call oil sludge in the crankcase).
The black, sooty, buildup is a mixture of carbon and petroleum product residue. Carbon from the EGR system and the rest comes from oil (PCV) and fuel mist and vapors.

It's the same buildup that occurs all throughout the intake and on the throttle body, it's just normally a bit thicker as you get nearer to the ports. The actual ports themselves are usually much cleaner because the fuel injectors continually wash down the surfaces with raw gasoline spray.

HTH