1991civichbsi

alright civic smarties,

1991 civic hb si
1.5 L

pulled it into the garage, changed the carpet, and all of a sudden it cranks but won't start??? WTF!!!

about a month ago changed head gasket, water pump, distributor cap, rotor, wires, plugs, timing belt. everything working good, then poof. nothing.

so started doing some testing, coil is good, bought a new one just in case, still nothing. tested the ignitor at autozone, came back good. main relay is turning on, fuel pump turning on, all dash lights doing what they are suppose too. put ohm meter to the correct terminals, got oem specs. So now im really confused and don't know where to go next to get the spark. checked all my fuses, and they are good. ECU is flashing a code 6, which is temperature sensor, changed that out too, and still shoots a code 6. So that is a question also. Is there a way to reset that, not sure.

Any help asap would be greatly appreciated. It's my daily commuter, which i commute 30 miles one way. Using my big v8 truck, is killing me in gas, and i miss my honda. So thanks for any advise!

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Could be oil in the spark plugs

sorry, drawing blanks other than that, i need a nap... :P

1991civichbsi

ok so pulled the plugs:

#1: plug is black with what seems to be oil/gas around the threads
#2: plug is very black but dry around threads
#3: plug is black with oil/gas around threads
#4: plug is back with oil/gas around threads

so if oil is getting to the plugs will this also cause the wires to foul as well therefore resulting in no spark?

lazlong

-check timing again
-check if plugs are gaped right (just because it says "pre-gaped" doesn't mean it will get to you gaped right)
-check if air filter is clean

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

How to read spark plugs
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_su...qs/faqread.asp

If oil is getting into the sparkplugs, it maybe a number of different reasons, someone will probably drop in this thread with help

Wires should not be fouled due to oil getting to spark plugs

1991civichbsi

i have put a timing light on the engine and cranked it. no light flashing??? timing gun is good, still scratching my head. Im totally lost. When i changed the head gasket, and looked at the valves, they seemed to be ok with the common look i guess of an engine with 194,000 miles. but if i have oil leaking then maybe i overlooked something. would that cause the no spark problem? cylinder walls were in good shape, should mention that. pistons and rings didn't look like they were damaged. Like i said, been driving it for awhile after i changed all that stuff, then nothing. Thanks for everyone chiming it, and throwing out suggestions. I will try anything and everything you guys throw at me.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

According to this website:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/oilyplugs/index.html

I would suggest looking at those rings, and replace them if neccessary

1991civichbsi

thanks kennykid2002. that's a great link. i didn't replace those orings when i did my head gasket. probably the reason for the fouled spark plugs. Just entertain my understanding, or lack there of, the oil fouls the spark plug, understand that, but why no spark down my wires? is fouled plugs the reason i can't get a spark down the wires?

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

The plugs are probably bad already, I would go buy some cheap copper plugs for about 2 bucks each, replace em, see if it works, if it doesnt, replace the wires as well

Im not sure if oil in the plugs will effect the wires, but to entertain you, persay, you can change them for peace of mind.

Mostly, I would replace those O rings, and clean out any residue oil inside, charge the battery and see if i could get some sort of spark
Oh, and check your grounds as well (engine to chasis, tranny to chasis, chasis to neg)

1991civichbsi

thanks for everyone's advice. this is a great forum. honda enthusiast sure know how to stick together. anyway, found the problem. main relay was bad. even though it sounded like it was working and everything was functioning, decided to resolder and it fired up on the first shot. redid the timing as well, was off just a little. runs like a champ. did end up changing out the rubber gaskets under the head cover for the plugs. hopefully this keeps the plugs alittle cleaner. the engine is getting tired, so i believe i might be getting a d15b vtec for it in the near future. it is my daily driver so i would like to go bigger and newer, but kinda need a quick swap solution. anyway, thanks again for advice, especially kennykid2002. any suggestions on the swap, im all ears.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Glad everything's working for ya.

In a couple thousand miles (perhaps your next oil change), you should look at your plugs again to see if oil is leaking into to plugs

Someone else can probably chime in for your swap