Hi, my 95 Civic 1.6L Vtec has been running great until recently. A few weeks ago my RPM gauge starting jumping around like crazy on the highway but the motor didn't seem (by sound) to be revving any higher or lower. It did this intermitantly for two weeks then on day it just cut off at highway speed. I crunk it back up and drove home. The next day it did the same thing but it wouldn't stay running long enough to get it home. It cut off within ten seconds. I towed it. Motor wasn't overheating. Found dirt in distributor cap. Replaced cap and rotor button. No change.
replaced distributor, no change. Motor will crank up and run a few seconds to a minute then randomly cut off. When it cuts off, I hear fast clicking noises from dash. Cranks right back up. Please help, don't want to waste more money/time. Could it be the main relay clicking?

. Test/replace Ignition Control Module and coil--AutoZone will do this for free.
. Perform K-Test on ECM. If the ECM is bad, the main relay won't function properly.

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Originally Posted by txgreasemonkey

. Test/replace Ignition Control Module and coil--AutoZone will do this for free.
. Perform K-Test on ECM. If the ECM is bad, the main relay won't function properly.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the icm and coil are in the distributor(which I just bought new) in this car. I just bought a new main relay. The dist cap and rotor button have just been replaced. Fast clicking in dash has stopped and car no longer cranks up only turns over. What else could it be?

There have been numerous situations on this site where aftermarket distributors have caused problems or new distributor housings are outfitted with the old ICMs and coils and the problem persists. Be sure and run the K-Test on the ECM, check all under-dash and under-hood fuses with a test light or multimeter, ensure CEL comes on and goes off after 2 seconds, the fuel pump runs, and you can hear the main relay click.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by txgreasemonkey

There have been numerous situations on this site where aftermarket distributors have caused problems or new distributor housings are outfitted with the old ICMs and coils and the problem persists. Be sure and run the K-Test on the ECM, check all under-dash and under-hood fuses with a test light or multimeter, ensure CEL comes on and goes off after 2 seconds, the fuel pump runs, and you can hear the main relay click.

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Thanks txgreasemonkey, the dstributor I bought was bad. I exchanged it and it runs great now. I appreciate your help.

I'm back from Pacifica, CA. What brand distributor didn't work?

The distributor brand was Cardone remanufactured OEM.