Skiddmarkk

Hello, new user here. I have a 1990 honda civic 1.5L dx sedan, and was wondering if I could get some advice and/or help with it.

Background info:
With the flooding recently (live in the chicagoland area) there has been roadways basically drown in water. I was on my way to work when I accidently went through one that was much deeper than i thought. My car stalled in the middle of this "lake" but i tried to act quick, clutched it and held the gas down to keep the water out of the tail pipe. I was able to get out of it but the car was running weird to say the least. The idle, well there was no idle. If i were to take my foot off the clutch and it was in 1st it would just go. the throttle would not respond and everything seemed to be working, but just horribly. My gas tank is not sealed properly due to rust, so I'm guessing it got some water in it. I took out the air filter just to double check there was no water damage or signs of water getting into the system and there wasn't.

-recently got a new battery
-replaced all the spark plugs (there was some oil in the spark plug resovoir((the place where the spark plugs and wires connect, not sure if spark plug resovoir is the correct name)))
-checked spark plug wires for corrosion, there was none.

Problem:
When i take turns, I lose all power until I turn the wheel straight again. It doesn't die, but the throttle has no power at all.

Now the car doesn't start at all. There is no noise from the fuel pump, it just cranks all day. Never turns over.

Took out the back seat to get a better look and the back seat of my car was still wet from the flooding (water in my car went was at my ankles when i went into the water).
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I'm at a loss here to determine if there is water in the actual cylinders, or if water got in the gas tank, or if it's just the fuel pump went bad, or the relay, or the filter, or really anything.

Any help is greatly appreciated, I tried to be thorough in my description but if any other info is wanted please do not hesitate to ask. I'm going to try to monitor this fairly regularly. This is a great community and I'm happy to be a part of it.

Thank you for your time,
-Skidd

ezone

First question:
Got insurance? Make a claim. Most will total a car if it got the carpet wet.
EDIT: If the ECM got wet, it will be junk.

Next:
Stock air filter? If a paper air filter was not soaking wet, then you did not get water in the cylinders.

Water up the tailpipe is the least of your concerns.

I'd look for water or moisture inside the distributor cap and distributor.

You said the tank has rust, are there actual holes in it? I'd probably wonder about water in the gas tank.
Depending on the design and placement of the fuel filter, it may trap some water...so if you pull that off and drain it into a clear glass jar, let it sit and look for separation, find water in it, then it had to come from the gas tank---tank got water in it.

Skiddmarkk

-Insurance is a bust, just read the information... I have only state liability so no coverage for anything like that.

-Stock air filter. No water damage or anything on it.

-There aren't holes, but the seals (between the two halves) are pretty bad. It does leak a little gas if it has a full tank.

-The fuel filter is in the engine bay, attatched to the firewall. But I will replace that tomorrow and see if it helps and if there is in fact water in there.

-Gonna do some exploring tomorrow and see what I come up with.

Thanks for your help.
-Skidd

ezone

Don't replace it YET. Pull it off and dump it into a clear jar, look for water.

If the filter has water in it, that means the tank has water in it.
Filter alone won't help if that is the case, and sticking a new filter on with water in the tank is going to be a waste of a new filter. The tank would need cleaned/water removed. Could mean pulling the tank if someone can't figure out how to get all the water out while it's still bolted in the car.




What about pulling the distributor cap off?

Did the ECM get wet?


Side note:
A 90?
That is still alive?
In Chicago?

Skiddmarkk

Distributor cap is next, I'm letting the fuel sit now. As for the ECM, it had to of gotten wet seeing as water was almost at our ankles. I'm gonna take a look at that too in a few minutes.

-The ECM little red light is still glowing. So it should be fine?

And yes, 4 door 90 is still kickin lol. Has 250,000 miles (chump change for a honda), and amazingly the frame is in relatively good condition. The body panels have some cancer, but there is really nothing you can do about that here. Also have a 92 hatch (favorite year for the hatch) that i love. That is in a little better shape than the 90.

thanks,
-Skidd

ezone

May as well pull it out and take the covers off, look for water evidence. If it got wet, it will be junk.

If you got the carpets wet, the floor wiring will turn to poop in short order.



Might be time to look for another beater.

Skiddmarkk

Took off the fuel pump, hadn't been replaced in some time. The gas in there looked horrible. Replaced it and still nothing. Let it sit for about a day and then water started to rise, so there is water in the gas tank.

Took off the distributor and found red dust in it, so I'm guessing a bearing failed and that was the loud squeaking that I heard coming from the engine bay.

As far as the fuel pump is concerned, I'm going to take off the new pump today to see if there is any gas in it, to see if the pump is even pumping anything.

Couldn't be the main relay, I replaced that about a year ago. Did the freezer test too, still didn't make a difference.

Thanks again,
-Skidd

ezone

That's bad...very bad.
I hate work, I hate getting dirty.
I'd power it up from outside the tank using jumper wires or the relays. I'd take the sample from a fuel line in the engine compartment.


If you pull out the in-tank pump, I'd take a metal flashlight that is well sealed (MAG-LITE?)and stick it all the way in, all the way to the bottom of the tank. If there is water in the bottom of the tank, the light should show a very visible layer of separation.




You make the car sound worse and worse.....The more info you reveal, the bigger the signature on the cars death certificate.

iim1rmg

ezone is usually right on, but I wouldn't be quite ready to sign the death warrent just yet.

The red dust in the distruter is not good. Did you check the inside of the cap for any water? Even a little will mess it up. The red dust may be shorting things in the cap. Look for signs of arcing or "tracking" in the cap.

A new rotor and cap is pretty cheap and might make a big difference, but it would likely be temporary until the red dust retgurns and causes more problems.

I recently bought a used distributer from a local salvage yard for $40.00. It was cheaper than getting a new igniter, but you get to see what the distributer looks like before you buy it and if it has oil or dust accumulated in it - then pass.

Distributer is not hard to change - but read the manual first.
In short - set the engine to TDC on #1. (timing mark at TDC and distributer rotor pointed at #1 plug.
If reusing the same distributer scribe a mark on distributer and block. Then reallign the marks when reintalling (timing).
Loosen/remove distributer bolt(s).
Disconnect wires and vacuum line(s) Follow the electical wires to the disconnect plug and pull the plug apart.
remove distributer and plug hole with rag or it will become an oily mess.
Reverse the procedure making sure you set the rotor to the #1 plug position.
set the timing according to the manual for procedure and the emmissions sticker for setting.