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Over the last month, I've had my 91 Civic LX (1.5L) in the shop for several things: Tune-up, oil change, front disc brake job, new thermostat, and a new heater hose (it was overheating). Finally, I thought I had all the repairs and maintenance taken care of. It was finally running very well, and in fact when I checked the MPG, I was back to getting just under 30 MPG! (By the way - it has just under 132K miles on the engine).

BUT, yesterday it started to idle a little rough, and when going up a steep hill, it sputtered and started missing, then the "Check Engine" light came on. It felt like it was going to stall before I made it up the hill. I made it back home to my driveway, then just let it sit and coool down for a while.

This morning, it cranked fine and the engine sounded pretty smooth. There was no "Check Engine" light. However, after driving it a couple of miles the sputtering and missing started again and the Check Engine light came on again.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Rick

 
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you can check the trouble codes by counting the blinks on the computer which is under the passenger side feet area carpet.

 
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Thanks. I stopped at the local Goodyear dealer and they checked the codes. Looks like it a distributor cap problem. Less than $25 to fix (I hope).

 
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The mechanic at the local Goodyear tire shop confirmed a bad distributor. He said when he took the distributor cap off, there were metal filings down inside the cap, and the cap itself looks like something was rubbing a grove around the inside of it. Sounds weird to me, but at least the Civic is running smoothly again and the Check Engine light no longer comes on.

The next challenge is the CV axel (passenger-side). The mechanic said the boot is torn and leaking and I should replace it pretty soon. He said it will eventually start making noises and that will be a sign I need to replace it.

Just when I get a few of my bills paid off, my car finds out!

 
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I recently got a '91 DX d15. Check out my issue. Upon start up I'd have to hold the throttle at idle speed to avoid killing the motor. After about a minute engine light goes on and idle is smooth. If i were to run with out engine light on its a little weak. Idle air control is pretty pricey does anyone know about this cleaning, fixing etc.

 
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@Nate -- What Check Engine codes are coming up? Have you had someone read those yet?